Carlson
On a recent road trip, my wife and I passed through Roswell, New Mexico. We managed to make it through the infamous town without stopping for anything related to UFOs. But passing through Roswell did lead me to think about conspiracy theories. And that led me to think about “The X-Files,” the paranormal series that ran from 1993 to 2002 and then again briefly in 2016.
Back in the ’90s, “The X-Files” was good escapist fare, not unlike watching a more earthbound “Star-Trek.” “The X-Files” was entertaining and campy because it was so outrageous. Mutants such as Tooms who could crawl out of air-ducts? Creatures that could shapeshift? Werewolves? Vampires? The Flukeman? “The X-Files” had them all.
Watching “The X-Files” reruns now in the era of conspiracy theories, however, leaves me with a much different feeling. Our society seems to be filled with Fox Mulders, people who believe one conspiracy theory after another. Some people believe the COVID vaccines contain microchips or demons. Other people are convinced that an international cabal runs a pedophile ring run out of a pizzeria.
Then there is the conspiracy theory that voting machines were rigged to steal the election from Trump in 2020. A recent conspiracy theory spread the rumor that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were plotting to promote Biden during the Super Bowl half-time show.
Perhaps in an odd way, “The X-Files” paved the way for the spate of conspiracy theories bouncing around the internet today. Yes, the character of Dana Scully in the series, with her scientific skepticism, was meant to offset Fox Mulder and his beliefs in extra-terrestrials, UFOs, alien abductions, government conspiracies and terrifying creatures, but I can’t remember one episode when Scully’s rational explanation was proved right and Mulder was forced to admit that he’d been taken in. No, everyone who watched “The X-Files” grasped quickly that it was Mulder who was always on to something and Scully who was wrong to be stubbornly rational.
Conspiracy theorists watching reruns of “The X-Files” today must find Mulder’s character to be prophetic. Even as Mulder is convinced that the government can never be trusted, so are most conspiracy theorists. And “The X-Files” tagline, “The truth is out there,” is accepted by many conspiracy theorists with only this slight alteration: “The truth is out there — on the internet or on talk radio.”
Those who are most enjoying the gullibility of conspiracy followers must be the government-sponsored techies in Russia and China who are routinely spreading disinformation and falsehoods in order to disrupt democratic societies. And we can expect these hackers to be especially active in this election year.
What is the real world? That’s what conspiracy theorists and the rest of us disagree about. It’s the debate that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully had throughout the series. But here is where those of us who don’t buy into conspiracy theories come out. We maintain that it’s the Dana Scullys, the critical and rational thinkers, who deserve to be believed and trusted.
The Dana Scullys of the world might not have all the answers, but they know the difference between the truth and opinion, fact and fantasy.
David Carlson of Franklin is a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion. Send comments to [email protected].
