Introduction
Conspiracy theory is a term used to describe any extreme theory that tries to explain some past or presents incidences as to have happened from a scheme between a group of people or organization. In many cases, these theories are not fully accepted by people. People view them as baseless and lacking grounds for their argument. The theories are rarely supported with concrete research making them hard to believe. In the United States, African Americans have attributed most of their problems to the government. They believe that the government has been responsible for their poor living conditions. To them, there has been a conspiracy by the government to make sure that they have marginalized them to an extent that they can not help themselves. They strongly believe that the government uses them as guinea pigs whenever they wish to carry out tests on their products such as medicines.
Believe that the government manufactured AIDS to eliminate the blacks
There have been several conspiracy theories regarding AIDS that suppose that the disease was actually developed within the laboratory. African Americans believe that it was a scheme by the United States government to come up with the virus to help them get rid of people they did not want. They believe that the virus came about after the US government tried to conduct research on biological weapons. The government was not pleased by the rate at which African Americans were giving birth. To reduce this, they had to come up with means to eliminate some of their people. African Americans believe that the virus was genetically manufactured by the government and induced to an African American gay. They believe that cure for the virus was long discovered but the government bears all the effort of introducing it to the market. This is because it would hamper their sole purpose of coming up with the virus. There have been some reliable evidence implicating the World Health Organization the existence of the virus in third world countries (Laura and Sheryl PP. 213-218). Numerous cases have occurred where the American government has been accused of conducting dangerous experiments on its people without their knowledge. Blacks being the major victims have always feared that the government might use them for their experiments. For instance, in 1972, it conducted an experiment on untreated syphilis on a black man. The government denied black Americans the right to prescription in order to see what syphilis can do to victims. With most of these victims being African Americans, there has been great mistrust among blacks. Those suffering from the virus fear that they might go to the hospital and be prescribed drugs that would increase their suffering.
The distrust has not begun recently. In past, African Americans believed that the American government allowed exhumation of their bodies for use in experiments. They deemed that the government supplied ineffective drugs in their hospitals so as they do not survive. The rate at which blacks contract the disease is high compared to the rate at which the whites contract it. This reinforces the belief by African Americans that there is a conspiracy among the government to eliminate the black race. As a result, cases of Blacks suffering from the virus failing to seek medical attention have always been reported. They fear that by going to the hospital they might be given drugs that might make their situation more severe (Ross, Essien and Torres Par. 1-5).
Maintenance of white’s dominance
It has always been the aim of the American government to maintain its white dominance over the blacks. Despite it disguising to cater to blacks’ problems, the government has always been inclined to white practices discriminating on whatever is practiced by blacks. They have employed psychological feud in achieving their ambitions. They have been entrenched in the belief that they are superior to an extent that it is hard for them to abandon their oppressive acts. Since slavery, the government has continued coming up with new methods of dominating the blacks. This has not always been received well by the Blacks adding to their distrust of the government (Simmons and Parsons PP. 582 – 598).
The killing of Martin Luther Jr.
The killing of Martin Luther Jr. proved the hatred harbored by the American government on Blacks. According to court hearings, it was palpable that his assassination was a conspiracy by the government. The government made haste in declaring that James Earl was responsible for this killing in order to cover up their conspiracy. The rifle and bullets brought in court as exhibits were not matching the ones used in killing Luther. The manner in which the government quickly discovered an open bathroom window in Earl’s house was outrageous. Presence of a tree between the room occupied by Luther and the bathroom window from which the government claimed to be where Earl was when he shoot Luther, leaves no doubt that the shooting did not come from that house. Evidence from witnesses present during the incident indicated that the assassin was on top of a chimney from another building. On conducting a thorough investigation about the building, it proved to be the most strategic point from which the assassin could have been standing (Brunner Par. 2-6).
Circumstances under which Martin Luther Jr.’s death occurred also raised a question of government involvement. He had just come from a meeting where he had vehemently rebuked the oppressions that African Americans were going through. The government being the perpetrators of the entire suffering that Blacks were going through could not stomach criticism from anybody. Most African Americans believe that despite the government promising to conduct a thorough investigation about his killings, they can not be convinced otherwise. They are convicted that nobody in the government can be willing to stand in court and reveal the secret behind his killings (Douglass PP. 36).
Government mistreatment of Rodney Glen King
Another incidence of government brutality on African Americans was manifested in 1991. Los Angeles police officers badly beat Rodney Glen King. He was accused of driving at a high speed under alcohol influence and failing to comply when ordered to stop. Crips were aired on public media leading to the eruption of conflict between the whites and the black community. Despite there being clear evidence of his brutal treatment and the officer’s responsible being known, they were later acquitted. This reminiscence has not always been taken lightly by African Americans. There have been cases where white soldiers have mistreated Blacks along highways. This has portrayed that the government still discriminates against Blacks due to their race (Lou Par. 4-6). It is believed that the government feels the push to revenge their officer who was found guilty and detained after Rodney’s case. African Americans on the other hand remember the ordeal that their colleague was subjected to by the government leading to great hatred towards the government. In past, the American government has also been accused of taking sides with the Ku Klux Klan that was attacking blacks in the wake of the civil rights era.
Government distributing illicit drugs
There have also been cases implicating the American government with the distribution of drugs in African American estates. A report published recently claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was involved with flooding cocaine in Blacks’ suburbs of Los Angeles. The government came out to oppose these allegations. Despite their opposition, some African Americans still believe that the government has been responsible. There are also some claims that the government has been putting chemicals on soft drinks in an attempt to make African men sterile. This has led to blacks declining to buy most of the soft drinks. Despite there being a lot of drugs circulating in African American neighborhoods, little effort has been made by the government to curb this. It proves beyond reasonable doubt that the presence of drugs is a conspiracy by the government to ensure that African Americans are ruined by these drugs to an extent that they can not help themselves (Fletcher Par. 1-8).
There is a common belief among the African Americans that the destruction of New Orleans’ was a calculated action. The region is mainly occupied by blacks. People believe that the government bombed the wall that protected water from flooding into their homes with an aim of evicting them from that area. According to Orleans residents, they believe that it was an organized genocide by the government aimed at eliminating them. Despite the catastrophe, the government responded with a lot of laxities to the cry of the blacks. This has not been the case whenever white Americans are in problems. It left no doubt in blacks that the government was involved in damaging the wall (Myers and NBC investigative unit Par.1-4).
Conclusion
African Americans believe that the government has never been happy about their presence in America and it tries all means to humiliate them. The belief that the government developed the AIDS virus with the aim of eliminating them makes them fear to go to hospitals. They trust that apart from coming up with the virus and putting chemicals in soft drinks to reduce their birth rates, the government plans to use many other means to ensure that it has eliminated the blacks in America. This has resulted to a soar relationship between the government and the blacks.
Works cited
Brunner, Borgna. “King Assassination Conspiracy Theories.”
Douglass, Jim. “The Martin Luther King Conspiracy Exposed in Memphis.”Probe Magazine. 2000.
Fletcher, Michael. “Conspiracy Theories Can Often Ring True.” 1996.
Laura, Bogart and Sheryl, Thorburn. “Are HIV/AIDS Conspiracy Beliefs a Barrier to HIV Prevention Among African Americans?” JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 38.2 (2005): 213-218
Lou, Cannon. Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the riots changed Los Angeles and the LAPD Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 1999.
Myers, Lisa and NBC investigative unit. “Were the levees bombed in New Orleans? Ninth Ward residents give voice to a conspiracy theory.” 2005. Web.
Ross, Michael, Essien, James and Torres, Isabel. “Conspiracy Beliefs about the Origin of HIV/AIDS in Four Racial/Ethnic Groups.” 2006.
Simmons, William, Paul and Parsons, Sharon. “Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories Among African Americans: A Comparison of Elites and Masses.” Social Science Quarterly 86.3 (2005):582 – 598.