Category Four Conspiracies

Fact is worse than fiction.

Note: If you want to help those affected by Hurricane Helene, here is a list of vetted organizations you can trust with your donations:

• Baby2Baby: Supplies for children and families

• The Humane Society of the United States’ Emergency Animal Relief Fund: Helping animals

• World Central Kitchen: Offering food and fresh water

• Save the Children: Helping children and schools

• American Red Cross: Many ways to help, including Disaster Mental Health

• BeLoved Asheville: Delivering food and vital supplies

• Manna FoodBank: Feeding hurricane victims

• Direct Relief: Providing much-needed medical resources

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I like conspiracies. Good ones are fun. Any knowledge that is deemed forbidden or allegedly has been lost to time is thrilling to hold in your hands, especially if it seems to provide answers to complex problems.

However, the seemingly byzantine nature of conspiracies often serves to simplify complexity by merely confirming one’s fantasies and desires. They obscure the truth rather than enlighten it and provide psychological comfort instead of clarity. Conspiracies distract us with fiction from the facts, which tend to be worse anyway.

Enter Hurricane Helene, an awful tragedy that needs no embellishment. The combination of a hyperpolarized political environment and the sorry response of the Biden administration has given rise to macabre fantasies that do more to distract than help by sending people spiraling down pointless rabbit holes. There are plenty of reasons to be angry at the government—you don’t need conspiracies. And yet…