--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Around the country, ideas that originated…" description: "\"Around the country, ideas that originated on the hard right or in the fevered imaginations of conspiracy theorists are finding their way into the mains..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/chip-berlet-57196_conspiracy_around-the-country-ideas-that-originated_1589114.jpg" --- # Around the country, ideas that originated on the hard… ![“Around the country, ideas that originated on the hard right or in the fevered imaginations of conspiracy theorists are finding their way into the mainstream. In a number of cases, these ideas have become commonplace in American minds.” quote by Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/chip-berlet-57196_conspiracy_around-the-country-ideas-that-originated_1589114.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/chip-berlet-57196_conspiracy_around-the-country-ideas-that-originated_1589114.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e7/chip-berlet-57196_conspiracy_around-the-country-ideas-that-originated_1589114.jpg) > “Around the country, ideas that originated on the hard right or in the fevered imaginations of conspiracy theorists are finding their way into the mainstream. In a number of cases, these ideas have become commonplace in American minds.” [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conspiracy theories originating from extreme right or imaginative sources are increasingly accepted by the general public. **In simple terms:** Extreme ideas become mainstream. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate popular narratives. Themes politics media society conspiracy Mood cautious analytical Type commentary observational When to use this quote - social media - political discourse - public opinion Key Concepts cognitive bias information diffusion Questions to Reflect On - Why do people adopt fringe ideas? - How can critical thinking be promoted? A Different Perspective Mainstream acceptance can legitimize harmful misinformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conspiracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) [Conspiracy Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy-theorists/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Conspiracy theorists manipulate all tangible evidence to fit their explanation, but worse, they will also point to the absence of evidence as even stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/conspiracy-theorists-manipulate-all-tangible-evidence-to-fit-their/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [To say that the vote fraud conspiracy theorists are tilting at windmills is an understatement. They're using a legitimate public process to pursue an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-voinovich/to-say-that-the-vote-fraud-conspiracy-theorists-are-tilting-at/) [George Voinovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-voinovich/) > [“Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. Conspiracy theorists connect real data points and imagined data points into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/conspiracy-theories-feverishly-creative-lovingly-plotted-are-in-fact/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“They’d left nothing behind but thoroughly empty dishes and—this would be one for the conspiracy theorists—several long blue hairs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/they-d-left-nothing-behind-but-thoroughly-empty-dishes-and-this-would/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [We're called conspiracy theorists because we see this cabal right in front of us. We're able to aggregate these data points and show what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gaetz/we-re-called-conspiracy-theorists-because-we-see-this-cabal-right-in/) [Matt Gaetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gaetz/) > [What's most remarkable about the conservative activists who promote a small, hysterical group of conspiracy theorists claiming a Muslim theocracy is the greatest threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-posner/what-s-most-remarkable-about-the-conservative-activists-who-promote-a/) Sarah Posner > [We cannot hope to change human nature. There will always be cranks and conspiracy theorists among us. But we can try to improve things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/we-cannot-hope-to-change-human-nature-there-will-always-be-cranks-and/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [“Priceless Takedown of The Hillary Conspiracy Theorists”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/priceless-takedown-of-the-hillary-conspiracy-theorists/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The concept of fourth-generation wars simply refers to the use of disinformation, funding subversive N.G.O.s, and spreading rumours as a method for warfare, broadening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maged-mandour/the-concept-of-fourth-generation-wars-simply-refers-to-the-use-of/) Maged Mandour > [“New Rule: Conspiracy theorists who are claiming that we didn't really kill Bin Laden must be reminded that they didn't think he did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-conspiracy-theorists-who-are-claiming-that-we-didn-t-really/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Conspiracy theorists of the world, believers in the hidden hands of the Rothschilds and the Masons and the Illuminati, we skeptics owe you an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/conspiracy-theorists-of-the-world-believers-in-the-hidden-hands-of/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [Holocaust denial, once the preserve of fringe conspiracy theorists, has mutated into Holocaust obfuscation, equivocation, and specious comparison on a larger scale than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ephraim-mirvis/holocaust-denial-once-the-preserve-of-fringe-conspiracy-theorists-has/) [Ephraim Mirvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ephraim-mirvis/) > [ I can assure the conspiracy theorists who have very effectively savaged \[Gerald\] Posner in their books that they're going to have a much, much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/i-can-assure-the-conspiracy-theorists-who-have-very-effectively/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [A wingnut is someone on the far-right wing or far-left wing of the political spectrum - the professional partisans, the unhinged activists and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/a-wingnut-is-someone-on-the-far-right-wing-or-far-left-wing-of-the/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [“Drawing on the best modern scholarship, this book seeks to rescue the history of networks from the clutches of the conspiracy theorists, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/drawing-on-the-best-modern-scholarship-this-book-seeks-to-rescue-the/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) ## More by Chip Berlet > [Part of the coalition is intellectuals who have an idea of racial nationalism, which is very popular in right-wing populist movements in Europe. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-berlet/part-of-the-coalition-is-intellectuals-who-have-an-idea-of-racial/) [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) > [People will say to me, "Well, nobody really believes this stuff." But as a reporter I go out and talk to people who do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-berlet/people-will-say-to-me-well-nobody-really-believes-this-stuff-but-as-a/) [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) > [That there are evil people destroying America and it's a conspiracy and time is running out and we should do something about it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-berlet/that-there-are-evil-people-destroying-america-and-it-s-a-conspiracy/) [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) > [People's perceptions of their status are just as important as their actual status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-berlet/people-s-perceptions-of-their-status-are-just-as-important-as-their/) [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) > [Even before the election I was saying that the rhetoric used by Trump was going to cause violence before and after the election. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-berlet/even-before-the-election-i-was-saying-that-the-rhetoric-used-by-trump/) [Chip Berlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) [Explore all 6 Chip Berlet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-berlet/) ## More Conspiracy quotes > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [I have a tendency to often share the point of view of the conspiracy theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-have-a-tendency-to-often-share-the-point-of-view-of-the-conspiracy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [I'm not a conspiracy theorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-baffert/i-m-not-a-conspiracy-theorist/) [Bob Baffert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-baffert/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [In 1999, Hoffmann-LaRoche paid a $500 million criminal fine for leading a worldwide conspiracy to fix prices for certain vitamins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-1999-hoffmann-laroche-paid-a-500-million-criminal-fine-for-leading/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Conspiracy theorists manipulate all tangible evidence to fit their explanation, but worse, they will also point to the absence of evidence as even stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/conspiracy-theorists-manipulate-all-tangible-evidence-to-fit-their/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/people-of-the-same-trade-seldom-meet-together-even-for-merriment-and/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [ I can assure the conspiracy theorists who have very effectively savaged \[Gerald\] Posner in their books that they're going to have a much, much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/i-can-assure-the-conspiracy-theorists-who-have-very-effectively/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) [Browse all 886 Conspiracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conspiracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Around the country, ideas that originated on the hard right or in the fevered imaginations of conspiracy theorists are finding their way into the mainstream. 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