We have been flooded with conspiracy theories.  QAnon. PizzaGate. Electoral Manipulations.  All without a shred of hard evidence. Yet some of these are apparently believed by millions, including some elected officials. 

And some of these apparently are Arizona electeds. Many of these beliefs persist, even when clearly debunked (examples: Sharpie-gate, “cancelled” ballots) or have simple explanations.

Is this new, or is it a permanent feature of American character? Many of these beliefs are reminiscent of those described by Richard Hofstadter in his 1964 essay, “The Paranoid Style of American Politics”.  Read that essay and you could conclude that these are nothing new.

What is going on here?

What makes it so easy for so many to accept explanations for events without any factual basis?

This week’s Think Tank guest is Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, a reporter for the Arizona Mirror who has written several articles on the topic.

The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturday 3-4pm and Sundays from 9-10pm. Podcasts are available after broadcast at ktar.com

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