Soon after the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, conspiracy theorists began to claim that the events of that morning were an elaborate hoax.
The conspiracy story was debunked here by Snopes.
We are expected to believe that hundreds of people–parents, townspeople, police, and media, as well as the President–collaborated to stage this “hoax.” Everyone you saw on television, say the conspiracy theorists, was a “crisis actor,” paid to play a part. The media didn’t notice. Allegedly the entire town of Newtown, Connecticut, is akin to “The Truman Show,” where everyone is a paid actor.
This blog received letters that asked questions like “Did you see Adam Lanza’s body? Did you see the bodies of the children?” That was supposedly “evidence” that the massacre was staged as a way to take away the rights of gun owners. Just yesterday, I deleted comments that made the same assertions. Let me be clear: I will not post any letters claiming that the Sandy Hook massacre was a staged event. I will delete them because they are conspiracy trash.
What accounts for this paranoia?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I dunno, I think even trying to debunk the “hoax” theory is giving unnecessary credence to it. Anyone who is sick enough to make such a repellant claim should just be allowed to hang from his own rope.
Agreed.
One of the consequences of the utter distrust that people now have of their government is that they have a taste for conspiracy theories. Every second cinematic drama, these days, is about the secret thing that the government is doing that “they don’t want you to know about.” It’s a complex phenomenon. Congress now has the lowest approval rate in its history. The most popular television news programs, The John Stewart Show and The Colbert Report, are both devoted to parodying or otherwise making fun of anything and everything that the government does. No one believes a thing that politicians say anymore, of either party. We expect evasion, lies, coverups, half-truths, corruption, and stupidity.
A high level of dissatisfaction and distrust is, of course, warranted, but in weaker minds, this justifiable skepticism will take the form of hateful, dangerous nonsense like the Sandy Hook hoax theory.
The same people are still clamoring for Obama’s birth certificate. The roots of this distrust, I recently read, go back to colonial times when many distrusted the tyranny of Great Britain. It seems much more strident and even hateful today. I know of people who died or lost children at Newtown, not personally, but friends of friends. There is no way in hell this is a hoax.
Deleting these comments is the best way to go. We have to stop giving extremists the audience they so desire. Anderson Cooper wouldn’t give lanza’s name on his show. It is the only way to send them into the background where they belong
I also wanted to learn more about the paranoia and started reading some of the different pages on Facebook. One of the “best” examples is the Gun Owners of America page. They are stunningly frightening individuals who are clearly not using critical thinking skills. You can see how they all feed the collective paranoia. There is no doubt that the leadership of the organizations like GOA and NRA are purposely feeding that paranoia to further their own goals and make money for the gun manufacturing companies. It is a sad period for our country.
Both Dienne and Mr. Shepard make excellent points. I would add that there is often a segment of the population that apparently can’t accept the occurrence of certain traumatic or significant public events without ascribing them to some sort of conspiracy. For example, many people refuse to accept that men landed on the moon; that Elvis Presley (or Hitler for that matter) is dead; that all living prisoners of the Viet Nam War have been returned; or that FDR didn’t know the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Apparently, these people need to such significant and complex occurrences as the result of a deliberate, secret plan meant to mislead the general population.
Disproving these claims is very difficult, since one has to prove a negative. Also, since these claims are not really grounded in logic, their proponents are not likely to be swayed by rational argument. The proponents are “true believers”.
Such people are often targets for demagogues, who play on their fears and need for a simple explanation for their own purposes. I can see such a scenario at work here. Small numbers who simply can’t accept that a horrific massacre can happen in the U.S. seek an alternate conspiratorial explanation. Newspapers and programs pick up the story for its outrageousness, and the flames are fanned by others who seek political advantage through discrediting the government.
We shouldn’t know everything that goes on in government’ ,but we should trust our leaders .,. If we know the world knows and that’s not good. Its just sad that todays leaders are not very trusted. How the heck did they get in again?
This is a prime example of why education must have a greater role than teaching children to pass a test. Students must be taught to think critically in a world where people line up to join the stupidity ranks.
This is a prime example of why parents must have a greater role in vetting educators who think they need to have a greater role in teaching our children how to think. All of these comments illustrate that questions of a certain nature are from birthers and truthers from the stupidity ranks, but questions of another typer are critical thinking. Parents need to pay alot more attention to who exactly is alone in the classroom with their children. Thank you for proving my point.
Strange (at least to me) that so many people will believe wild conspiracy theories, (Sandy Hook didn’t happen, we didn’t land on the moon, AIDS is a gov’t conspiracy, vaccines cause autism, global climate change is a hoax, etc. etc. ) despite the lack of any real supporting evidence and the presence of plenty of disconfirming evidence.
And yet we have trouble convincing people, despite loads of evidence, that public schools are not an unmitigated disaster, that Rhee is a fraud, that Gates and the hedge fund managers are not just earnestly helping poor children achieve, that TFA is not solving the “big teacher shortage” by placing the “best and brightest” in the neediest areas, and all the other issues discussed on this blog.
How to the “nutter” ideas gain traction (seemingly so quickly) and the truth about the assault on our public schools are so hard to convince people of?
Confused….
Ang, I hope to dispel some of the myths you refer to in my forthcoming book, forthcoming this fall. I can’t wait.
I am very much looking forward to your new book!
Please consider a southern swing (GA) for the book tour, I know you and your ideas have many fans in “the ATL” (as my students refer to our city).
I think the paranoia comes from an inability to accept the horribleness of the situation. There has to be another explanation in their minds. Curious, though, if this were truly a hoax. Would the govt, media, etc, gone to such great lengths to take away gun rights but not foresee an explosion in gun sales in the wake of the tragedy? There is no other word for the whole catastrophe than simply this : sad.
Poor ignorant souls who can’t believe something right in front of their face. Who cares the fun in the trunk wasn’t an AR 15, or the runner in the woods. Where the hell are all the kids being evacuated? Where are the bodieS? So funny how all the parents are still saying nothing besides the actors. None of these sites debunk the important questions! “Parents grieve different”….is that really all you have. If youre not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. So don’t knock on people who don’t believe Nobamas ignorant ass
Actually just watched a you tube video made from a conspiracy person who showed footage of the parents and kids. They debunked another conspiracy theorists saying there were no kids there. Every conspiracy surrounding this has been officially debunked. The only thing they can hang on is that footage of Adam entering the school is not released yet. That is not much to hang on. I have seen people say the columbine shooting was fake but footage has been released even saw Eric, Dylan’s dead bodies. Unfortunatly school shootings happen!
The elite will stop at NOTHING to keep/gain more control… I think Ang (above) was right on target…
Did we REALLY land on the moon? Did Hitler and Elivis REALLY die? Did the Holocaust REALLY happen? What’s up with us?
No No No..you have it all wrong…Elvis is with Tupac on an island.
Come on, get with the program!
😉
If you want to be honest, these theories wouldn’t abound, had the general public NOT been lied to time and time again, by the government that cares so much for us…..
Corporate america lies to us every day.
The “little white lies” are called ads. (I have a family member in the business, nothing you see in advertising real or necessarily true, not remotely. )
For the big lies see under Enron, World com, etc.
And yet we seem to trust multi national corporations over whom we have no control with all manner of things, but not the government whom we elect.
Just cannot figure it.
If this is coming from crazed gun owners, then it’s time to be scared, very scared. I just hope none of this craziness is reaching the families of the victims.
What accounts for this? Stupidity and the inability to think logically. This is the kind of rational thinking (dripping sarcasm) that is to be encouraged when public education is destroyed. When we have a large segment of the public who can be enticed into believing this garbage then the educated elite will be able to truly manipulate the masses. Sadly this too sounds like a conspiracy, however, it is one that seems to have some legs so to speak. The constant attempts to rob our students of the capacity to think and analyze, to respond as robots on a test as the basis for true education is scary. The number of people that believed the Birther nonsense is scary enough. Makes one wonder what the future holds for us and our students.
The people perpetuating this hoax are soulless and without any empathy for the suffering of the parents and survivors of that most horrific massacre. Possibly these charlatans should be forced to view all the forensic photographs of that terrible crime scene. One of the mothers spoke of the terrible damage done to her son’s body. The boy was shot 11 times, his body was riddled with bullet holes, his lower jaw was missing and I aplogize for being so graphic but the mother wanted to reveal this detail to emphasize the level of carnage at that school.
“The people perpetuating this hoax are soulless and without any empathy for the suffering of the parents and survivors of that most horrific massacre. ”
Agree
Totally agree they are soulless. They just buried there children, siblings, etc and then they have to hear they are actors!
The Sandy Hook situation is far more complicated than this discussion allows. Do your own research. Prepare to be amazed. (Snopes does not qualify as research.)
Oh please! You think that all the parents were actors? Who disappeared the six educators? Does Newtown exist or is it a stage set?
This is all carefully constructed to take people furthur down the path of fear which gives them the ability to take more of our rights. This is the reason for 9-11 when you get right down to it. How could 4 airliners travel around the U.S. for 1.5 hours and nothing is done? Figure that one out?
I do not 100% believe in the Hoax, but it does bring up some great points… So many holes in this story I do not know what to believe. I do think however the government took advantage of this situation for gun control! I not gunna be lie one of these hill billies, but guns are a part if life and always should be! Get this, Russia made a gun law that states only military, and special services have the right to bare arms…now criminals are in the hands of dangerous weapons, and innocent individuals have no protection! Look at the facts people!! The crime rate in Russia has gone up 7% in the last month…. Lets go America step up, and stop being too soft.
Wow! Things must be even worse than I thought, if Libruls Who Want to Take My Guns can change both spatial relationships and cause and effect by putting criminals in the hands of guns!
And, my God, to think of those Russians with their bare arms! Wake up, America!
I believe this Sandy Hook Conspiracy got wings because of very poor reporting where the story changed every day. I looked up Ryan seconds after his name was released. I looked at his facebook and youtube accounts. I thought he seemed so normal that I was wondering what made him snap. Then I saw a guy being taken out of a car in cuffs in Hoboken NJ and thought – that is funny – looks just like Ryan. Then later on they announce it is Adam. Now with many people upset by the changes, Thinkoutsidethetv put out a very clever, deceptive youtube video and it went viral. It claims an Ar15 was in the trunk but on the video you see a shotgun shell ejected. It compares a two year old picture of Emilie Parker to Madeline on Obama’s lap – claiming that they brought Emilie by mistake, yet later he spends time showing how Emilie does not really exists. It makes a big deal about dates on Facebook and webpages as if the conspiracy really needed United way, and that would be more logical than google dates are not always accurate. Anyone can rename a facebook page and the creation date stays the same. I think the media should address these conspiracies and the Conn police should release whatever they can without harming the victims families to quell the growing “truthers”. They should release some pictures. This is not a healthy thing for America. The video was viewed almost 12 million times and has 40k thumbs up.
Agree completely the news media did a horrible job that day reporting this tragedy. It bothers me that now these families are being ripped apart! They did nothing to deserve any of these horrible conspiracies. They are real grieving families! Some of them have even debunked themselves example no kids no live footage then another conspirator puts footage up of parents kids at the firehouse..
It’s OBVIOUS that none of those posting comments actually WATCHED the video in question.
I watched it. It was a fascinating display of paranoia.
where am I ? Where’s the freedom of speech ? Is this MSNBC ? Or ABC ? or CBS ? CNN ? HLN ? You won’t allow contradictory speech ? Oh. China. No ? Then one of the Islamics ? Was Watergate a conspiracy ? Lincoln’s assassination ? The Confederacy ? How about Chappaquiddik ? or Oklahoma City ? D.B. Cooper ? Dee is right, we can’t trust our leaders, and, how are our children going to become critical thinkers, if they are deprived of all of the information pertaining to a particular subject ? Quality in journalism, comes from people who ask all of the questions. There’s not a MSM journalist in this country, who would dare a line of questioning of this president, of anything that might put him (I won’t capitalize the h) in a negative light. Hey Dee … as much as we can’t trust our leaders, our MSM is worse. Assuming we can trust half of our leaders to tell the truth, half of the time, we can’t trust our media to tell the truth (includes mis-information, selective reporting, non-reporting, flat-out lies, and so much more), EVER.
Snopes did a good job debunking this.Although there are some weird facts that Snopes didn’t cover. In reply to Ms. Ravitche’s question…”What accounts for this paranoia”? Many people don’t trust the government. If you think about many of the scandals from the local all the way up to the Federal government, why should we? During this campaign cycle, if one percent of things said about another candidate is true, they aren’t fit for office. People are hypervigilant in regards to this and many times over the top as in this case. But, in recent cases like police brutality and shootings in Baltimore, Furguson and the guilty plea of the shootings after Katrina on the bridge by NOLA police, Watergate, the Snowden leaks from the NSA, all the way back to Gulf of Tonken,the Tuskegee “Study” to Project MKUltra of the CIA which has it’s roots after WWII all the way up to the 70’s where the CIA used LSD among other drugs for mind control experiments on innocent people many times unknowingly. This is real, it ended up in the congressional Church Committee and later senate hearings on all this which forced presidential action and laws to be passed regarding it. So, I really don’t put anything past our government. We can be flippant about such conspiracy theories but I don’t believe we should. Everything should be looked at with scrutiny. If it can be debunked, well then so be it. If not, well, it needs to be investigated and people held accountable which in the cases that come to light doesn’t happen enough. Another reason people don’t trust the government. No accountability!
Mike,
Anyone who thinks the Sandy Hook massacre was staged is a fool. One of the few rules of this blog is that I don’t post anything validating such insane claims. I will not insult the victims by doing so.
You should not either.