Another Theory on Conspiracy Theorists

Recently, I was lurking in a homeschool moms group reading the daily updates of an ongoing “flat earth” argument. I wasn’t interested in their “evidence”, I was interested in how they framed their position. It was the same old tired tropes on both sides. Both claiming the other was uneducated and brainwashed. They punched down while they elevated themselves up. There was no real effort to build a bridge, just more polarization. In a democratic nation, built on the ability to compromise, it is sometimes difficult observing how knowledge is driving people to different extremes. If the truth can set you free but knowledge can also puff you up, where does this leave the average conspiratorial homeschool mom? What is the point of having an insight, if it quickly drives you towards rage rather than kindness.

Whether you homeschool with a huge family budget or whether each month is financially tight, moms who homeschool hold a position of privilege in society as people who get to influence the next generation. We are no longer the norm and many of us have to trust the vision we have for parenting when we take on this task in a society set up for two income families. When I speak to moms, it’s clear that so many have a desire to raise children with integrity and truth but also love and kindness but how do we do that without veering into despair and fear. The very nature of a homeschooler, before they have even taught their first subject, is already breaking with convention. Usually, there is a desire for something different and authentic. A whole school approach. Preparing for life not just for college. Many won’t call themselves conspiracy theorist but rather someone who is driven to ask questions, but just as previous homeschoolers had to shake the image of being Amish, today’s homeschooler has to shake the image of being a dangerous homeschooler who teaches crazy ideas to their children. So where do we draw the line? Is it good to teach conspiracies to children or are we contributing to fearmongering, or worse pride filled children who hate those that disagree with them?

Laura Moretti, a former police detective and long-time homeschool mom of two, is one of those moms. She learned to question everything and look at all the evidence. This didn’t just apply to suspects or witnesses but also protocols within her department. Perhaps not serious miscarriages of justice but on a small scale, there was from time-to-time evidence of corruption. If it could occur on a small scale, why wouldn’t it occur on a larger scale. When it comes to incorporating conspiracy theories into homeschooling Laura’s approach is “to question everything. It’s a matter of looking at the evidence. It is important to know both sides or understand where both sides are coming from… it’s important to not believe everything you hear.” I think this embodies what most conspiratorially minded moms would say. It’s less about sharing conspiracy knowledge as it is about just encouraging our children not to immediately believe everything they hear. In a democracy, this should be praised not feared.

The concern I have in my personal life is does this just become head knowledge. Is it helpful to have found an inconsistency in a mainstream narrative, if we remain powerless to do anything about it? I don’t want to raise children with puffed up knowledge, so how does this information drive us towards change or help our children to be agents of change? Could it just create unnecessary negativity? For Laura, it opens the door to opportunities. Her beliefs have led her to the capital to petition for change, and she says when knowledge is shared with others the goal is to encourage critical thinking which helps prevent just believing something naively. It reminded me of my husband’s analogy of the boy throwing the sand dollars back into the sea. Not all the sand dollars will be saved but for the ones that are the difference is huge. 

Having our ideas continually challenged can be difficult and perhaps exhausting. I have watched Laura patiently share her ideas with people who oppose her aggressively while she remains diplomatic. No appearance of change can be discouraging but for a democracy to thrive we need to be open to outside of the box thinking. If the idea seems preposterous, bring better evidence to the table. With the rise of conspiracy theories, I guess for me the goal is necessarily absolute truth, because that isn’t always possible, but instead the rise of civil discourse so that ideas can be heard. If I can do nothing else in this world, I would love to play my part is raising a generation of people that can hear an idea they disagree with and not be angry, fearful or mocking but solid enough in their own ability to discern that they can hear another person in love, whether they choose to agree or disagree. I want to raise a generation that is capable of changing their position in the light of new evidence and admit that in the past they were wrong. If nothing else, this is why I would choose to allow the distribution of all ideas within our home. 

-Joni Harrison