Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories just might represent a truly universal cultural phenomenon. Luckily for us in the digital age, we have a trove of reliable information and groups of concerned citizens who are dedicated to ensuring the truth becomes known.

Yet despite these good-Samaritan watchdogs and our mind-numbingly easy access to information, we do love ourselves a good conspiracy. Below is a sampling of the conspiracy theories we have heard from people in Mali.

Neil Armstrong and Pink Eye

John F. Kennedy would've been more cautious about sending people to the moon if he knew about the diseases one could contract there. Apparently, pink eye made a debut somewhere in Africa at about the same time as the Apollo 11 moon landing. The first axiom of Conspiracy Theory tells us that correlation always implies causation, hence the lunar pink eye epidemic that plagues us to this day. Of course, there are also those who would argue that pink eye must've originated somewhere on a hollywood movie set resembling the lunar landscape....

Sarkozy, Gaddafi, and his Harem

With the recent events in Libya, there has been a lot of talk around here about the Ex-Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Mali has had an odd relationship with the estranged Libyan leader; some people hate him (for a variety of reasons -- he's a bad muslim, he stayed in power too long, etc.), while others feel he has done more for Mali than the current president Amadou Toumani Touré. (For example, Gaddafi has built numerous schools, clinics, and hotels in Bamako, and despite his overt racism towards black Africans, people still seem to like him.)

Anyways, back to Libya. Although the Libyan uprising might seem organic and home-grown to those in the western media, there are actually more sinister forces at work. You see, it turns out that Gaddafi financed the election of French President Nicholas Sarkozy in 2007. With Sarkozy in danger of losing the next election, he would be unable to repay his loan from Gaddafi. To protect himself from impending bankruptcy, Sarkozy had no choice but to overthrow the Libyan dictator.

You certainly learn something new every day.