All but the most ignorant believe in conspiracy theories. For example, I believe that Julius Caesar was assassinated by a conspiracy in the Roman Senate, that a conspiracy in the Thai Army led to the coup in May of this year, that most of the narcotics consumed in the United States are sold by illegal, semi-secret networks of supply and distribution, and so on. But none of these are called "conspiracy theories." Rather, a "conspiracy theory" is a conspiracy theory that the speaker wishes to ridicule. For example, 9-11 "Truthers" are mocked for believing in a conspiracy theory, but the correct version of the story is also a conspiracy theory - but a conspiracy by an al-Qaeda cell, not the US government.
Rather, a "conspiracy theory" is a conspiracy theory that the speaker wishes to ridicule.
I don't think this is accurate.
What characterizes the things generally called "conspiracy theories" is not only that the people talking about them want to ridicule them. They also tend to have the following features not widely shared by more credible theories with conspiracies in:
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
Notes for future OT posters:
1. Please add the 'open_thread' tag.
2. Check if there is an active Open Thread before posting a new one. (Immediately before; refresh the list-of-threads page before posting.)
3. Open Threads should be posted in Discussion, and not Main.
4. Open Threads should start on Monday, and end on Sunday.