Conspiracy Theory Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting - Research Paper Example

CONSPIRACY THEORY SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING "Often after a violent event that leads to a dramatic shift in public opinion or government policy, conspiracy theories abound."(Thornton, Examiner.com) Soon after the sad happening at the Sandy Hook Elementary School which is located in Newtown took place, CT, fringe who are conspiracy theorists have suggested after analyzing the entire scenario that the shooting turmoil that happened that day was a preplanned, scripted and dramatized act perhaps directed by the government to propagate an anti-gun campaign. The claims that were made were so irrelevant that Glenn Beck has officially called them to be as absurd. The propagation and spreading of such stories is common and not surprising at all. For instance, it is usually seen that when one tragedy occurs it itself gives birth to many conspiracies like the 9/11, Waco, etc... but the unfortunate and the most distracting part is when the media starts to give such petty issues great coverage and significance which has not been to date done by any eminent politicians or commentators. Although the formal coverage that is ongoing to date has randomly sought to marginalize these attention seeking conspiracy-mongers, the problem arises when such false myths gain severe popularity. People start to believe them as undue publicity is done so as to increase their ratings. First conspiracy was when a man who was near the school hiding in the bushes was caught as a shooter but soon after it was evaluated that the he was a cop from the other town on a day off. Then a man who was running around was arrested later it was determined that it was Manfredonia looking for his six year old daughter. Then there was this other conspiracy whether Lanza used a short gun or an assault rifle which could not be determined as both are quite similar to each other. Another conspiracy was whether Ryan Lanza the actual killer instead of Adam Lanza who was the killer. Ryan was suspected as the killer but then it was reported that he was at his place during the shooting and his brother as they did not live together was carrying his old identity card. Another conspiracy was about Rosen whose house is near the school and the kids who ran there took refuge there. The conspiracy lies why he informed the police late although the reason might be that he did not believe the children till he verified the news. Emile Parker who was also a victim was because her resemblance with her sister who had pictures with the president. They mistook her for being her younger sister and charged conspiracies against her. Lastly there was this conspiracy that the parents of the children who lost their lives during the shooting seem to be very happy during interviews like they were paid actors working for the government. "In the aftermath of the massacre at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Conn., President Obama has moved to strengthen America's gun laws, and public opinion has swung significantly in support of stricter gun control." (The week magazine) The fire to this issue was enlightened when: CNN’s famous Anderson Cooper, for example, has given about two segments of his show to denounce James Tracy who is a professor at Florida Atlantic University. He has sought to question the alleged media reports intriguing about what precisely happened that day. Much staged coopers act is justified by the report that Tracy is working as a professor at a public university. According to him Tracy has been a tenured professor at a respectable university therefore he's paying heed to his judgment otherwise he would not have popularized such remarks. Tracy himself is still a very blur figure with no such importance and limelight. His filthy views do not even require much attention. Sadly, Tracy stroke when the iron was hot and taking advantage of the situation and grabbing the opportunity efficient denounced at theory in air. According to James Tracy, the shooting that had happened at the Sandy Hook School had a completely different purpose. Tracy believes that the entire thing was done so that the Government could launch a campaign against guns and to do that they chose to target many innocent lives. The purpose behind these claims is to provoke the families who have suffered during the great massacre. To play with their mindsets and develop this thought that probably their family has been used for some filthy purpose. He even intended to develop a feeling in the families that this was something avoidable and might have no happened at all. He is targeting on the confusions that occurred on the tragic day. Tracy mentioned, “While it sounds like an outrageous claim, one is left to inquire whether the Sandy Hook shooting ever took place -- at least in the way law enforcement authorities and the nation's news media have described.” (Mail online) Another person who is trying to gain popularity by exploiting the Sandy Hook fringe is Salon’s Alex Seitz-Wald, who has apparent bombarded a series of reports which focus on this prophecy, recently on his show he also presented reasons so as to why this issue is of importance and needs to be highlighted in his so-called Sandy Hook truthers. In which he argued on in short that the conspiracy theories are going viral. Many people know about it and want to know about it therefore it needs to be covered and brought in front of the masses. Many believe that undue attention is being given to this myth but sadly, it is not the case anymore. The cat has been let out of the bag and now it is littering up the entire place. It is expected that this case will also become severe like the ongoing debate over gun control has been. Well now the problem that arises is that the people who actually believe in this will never come upfront to face the masses but the arousal of biases based on confirmation will make them ignorant to any proof that conflicts. It is believed by experts that the only way to counter conspiracy theories is to stop them from spreading. The best way to do this is to initially realize that there is a problem which needs to be dealt with. All this is a very vague theory but there is solid proof that this issue is much heard and apparently viral on media now. A great example of this conspiracy theory can be seen on YouTube in which a very famous, nameless, a half an hour video by some user namely "ThinkOutsideTheTV" has been viewed almo0st 10.6 million times in a just a day which The official precise accounts of the Sandy Hook Elementary shoot are quite contradictory because of the prevailing various conspiracy theories. Basically the proponents who are the conspirators in this theory question the shooting that happened with Adam Lanza. They are actually using Lanza as the only perpetrator and take evidence from the initial media reports that consists of an inconsistent identity of the shooter, the incorrect images, the false locations of the victims of this tragic event, the weaponry used in the process, and the other false information have been used as proofs to support their stance. Some believe that the shooting was planned by the government officials for their own political reasons like the conspiracy that happened during the 9/11 attack which was also meant to promote. The theory was started to allege the government for being involved in this massacre so that they could push on more firm gun control laws. Now the question here arises for the media. They now have to decide whether they need to cover up this crazy theory propagated by people for their own benefit. According to critics, dignity comes in play over here. But it needs to be kept in mind that at times the media itself is helpless.0ne of the Newtown resident told salon that he has been receiving harassment in which he is being charged for supporting a cover up for the government. "Most events producing conspiracy theories have important social and political implications, and the Sandy Hook shootings are no exception." (Live science) Seitz-Wald and his other fellows at "Buzzfeed" are precisely right about the circulation of these myths are beyond their control. It is staggering how these conspiracy mongers can generate so much volume. These ideas themselves are very fringe. Media has a lot of power residing with them. if they get a chance they can cross the bars towards the mainstream. Therefore in a small period of time we will be able to visualize media persons and famous politicians promoting and propagating such issues. But not even Smith and Lotz nor Seitz-Wald can pick out even one famous person who supports the claims made by Sandy Hoax truthers’. It is observed that these people who support the conspiracy usually refer to the claims made by James Tracy the professor from Florida University, or the video which was uploaded online by a Fox journalist dwelling in Cincinnati, and maybe just one tweet could do the work sent by an outfielder belonging to Washington National. Therefore something of this scale doesn’t require coverage as it makes its way through.(Salon) Secondly if one tends to consider these theories as a serious topic, it is quite vivid, as Seitz-Wald has suggested, that media has the power from stopping something viral.  But it needs to be kept in mind that journalism is a field which has its own certain reservations. It also has power to bring more damage. Well the power of media is quite extensive and they can eventually bend the situation in the way they want. Hence, realizing this media needs to counter check the authenticity of the news. For instance, Tracy's claims needed to be verified and checked. As there is utter confusion during such times and panic is created. It is therefore unethical to label it as an act of governmental influence. Many innocent lives were taken and many people were killed therefore labeling it to be a gun control initiative is very wrong. Works cited The disturbing rise of Sandy Hook conspiracy theories - The Week." The Week Magazine: Political News and Cartoons, Current Events and Entertainment Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. . Thornton, David W.. "Myths, lies, and conspiracies about the Sandy Hook massacre - Atlanta Conservative | Examiner.com."Welcome to Examiner.com | Examiner.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. . " Why Sandy Hook Massacre Spawned Conspiracy Theories | LiveScience ." Science News – Science Articles and Current Events | LiveScience . N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. . "Sandy Hook conspiracy professor James Tracy NOW concedes some 'people undoubtedly died' | Mail Online." Home | Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. . Seitz-Wald, Alex. " Meet the Sandy Hook truthers - Salon.com." Salon.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. Read More