Conspiracy theories have spanned the ages, feeding on basic human impulses like fear and insecurity. Sometimes they grow from a kernel of truth, but they can also sprout from the seed of lies. From Mozart to JFK, Q-Anon to COVID, conspiracies emerge from anywhere at any time, spread by all means available, with the potential for incredible danger and destruction.
It is said that history is written by the victors; but sometimes, even in defeat, the powerful can control the narrative. No matter when or where the conflict - Ancient Egypt, medieval Sweden, 20th century Vietnam, or contemporary Syria - truth is often the first casualty of war, and propaganda the liar's greatest ally.
Every lie comes with the risk of being exposed and creating a scandal. If that scandal is big enough, it can send shockwaves through a society and trigger social upheaval. Out of history's greatest scandals from ancient Greece to the digital age, a fascinating question emerges: What can scandals tell us about ourselves, and how do they impact the social norms that govern our lives?
What helped Julius Caesar seize the throne of ancient Rome? How did the Medici family gain control over Renaissance Florence? What fueled the Panama Canal scandal, thwarted Black banking in Jim Crow America, or powered the Koch Brothers' climate-denial machine? Money, plain and simple. With enough of it, anything is possible, even turning outright lies into something that resembles the truth.
Who in history has used religion to create and sustain power? How has faith distorted the truth, and to what ends? From the era of the Old Testament to the European witch hunts, to Canada's Residential Schools, and the rise of Creationism among present-day American evangelicals, religion has proven a reliable tool to brandish political power.
In many ways, the struggle for power is the struggle to define the truth. Those who spread their doctrines farthest and fastest are those to whom the facts belong. History has produced a steady stream of "influencers", from apostles to ad men and doctors to despots; each in their own way, is proof of just how fluid and fragile the truth can be.