Communication is key. The world of conspiracy theories has a language all of its own. When discussing the topic with people it’s easy to slip into using terms you’ve used for many years yourself, but the other person might never have heard of. As I’ve been debunking for over a decade I’ve accumulated quite a bit. There’s also words that the conspiracists themselves use in rather unique ways that make communication difficult. You don’t need to memorize this, just give it a read to get a general sense, then refer back if needed.
9/11 Truth—A variety of organizations, groups, literature, videos, and individuals who believe that the official account of the events of 9/11 is part of some kind of cover-up, and that the real truth is being withheld. Often, they believe the World Trade Center was brought down by controlled demolition.
Birther—Someone who believes that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, faked his birth certificate, and hence was not eligible to be president. This is an entry-level conspiracy theory promoted by people from Donald Trump to Alex Jones. Sometimes used as pejorative to indicate a person is into that type of conspiracy theory.
Building 7—(a.k.a. WTC7) A forty-seven-story building on the World Trade Center complex, badly damaged and set on fire by the collapse of the North Tower, WTC7 burned for several hours and then collapsed. It did not get much coverage at the time as it was less dramatic, and nobody died. Raising awareness of Building 7 is thought by 9/11 Truthers to be a key tool in convincing people that controlled demolition with explosives was used on the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11.
Chemtrails—The theory that planes are secretly spraying something, possibly toxic. The theory usually involves mistaking normal contrails for some form of deliberate spraying. Generally interpreted as a covert attempt to change the climate, but there are several other variants, some quite exotic.
Conspiracist—Someone who believes in conspiracy theories, or someone who promotes conspiracy theories. A conspiracy theorist.
Conspiracy Spectrum—The range of conspiracy theories based on how extreme or implausible they are. At one end you might have straightforward theories like “Lee Harvey Oswald had some help killing JFK,” at the other you might have “Aliens killed JFK because he was going to expose Chemtrails.”
Conspiracy Theory—An alternative explanation for an event that involves a secret plot, usually involving high levels of government or shadowy powers. Often considered pejorative, sometimes considered to be a phrase invented by the CIA, which it wasn’t.
Contrails—A type of cloud that forms in a line behind a plane. There are two types: exhaust and aerodynamic. With exhaust contrails, hot humid engine exhaust mixes with cold air, making a condensation cloud. With aerodynamic contrails the reduction in pressure over the wind triggers cloud formation. From a distance the two types look similar. Both types are mistaken for “Chemtrails.”
Crisis Actors—Normally refers to actual actors who play the roles of victims (and sometimes villains) in genuine practice drills for a crisis such as an earthquake or a terrorist attack. Conspiracists claim that real victims of events such as the Boston Marathon Bombing were actually Crisis Actors, going as far as suggesting that amputees wore fake legs, which they removed when a “smoke bomb” went off, and then smeared the stump with blood.
Controlled Demolition—The destruction of a building with explosives or hydraulics. 9/11 Truthers use the term in the context of claiming that the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed by explosives.
Debunker—Someone who investigates dubious claims and, if they contain falsehoods or errors, explains that.
Disinformation—Deliberately propagated false information. Usually a word used by conspiracists to describe evidence that conflicts with their theory. Metabunk.org and Snopes are considered disinformation by many conspiracists, as are most regular news outlets.
False Flag—A covert operation that is designed to give the impression that it was carried out by someone else, with the intent of either prompting a third party into action or providing a pretext for action. For example, 9/11 Truthers suggest that the 9/11 attacks may have been a false flag to provide a pretext for the “War on Terror.”
Flat Earth—The theory that the Earth is flat. As this is an extreme fringe theory it is also used as a mocking descriptor for other theories that seem too extreme. However, there are actually people who think the Earth is flat.
Geoengineering—The deliberate modification of Earth’s climate, usually to counteract global warming. Humans are already altering the Earth’s climate inadvertently with emissions and land use changes. There have been suggestions that if we can’t stop emitting CO2, then we may benefit from deliberately modifying the climate in other ways to counteract it. One suggestion is to mimic volcanoes by spraying a particulate shield into the stratosphere. There has been some very limited research into this. The Chemtrail Conspiracists claim that geoengineering has be secretly been done for decades. They often use the term geoengineering synonymously with Chemtrails.
Morgellons—An informal name used for a generally self-diagnosed unofficial medical condition characterized by itching, open sores on the skin, and the finding of fibers on or in the skin and sores. There’s a great deal of variation between individual cases, but doctors generally agree that the finding of fibers is generally people mistaking clothing fibers of hair for some kind of pathogen. A portion of the Morgellons community believe it is related to some kind of government operation, possibly related to Chemtrails.
New Pearl Harbor—A theorized event on the scale of the Pearl Harbor attacks that got the US into WWII. Conspiracists suggest the 9/11 attacks were the result of a plan to create such an event. Also the title of a popular 9/11 conspiracy video.
NIST Report—Various technical reports on the causes of the collapses of the World Trade Center building on 9/11, including Building 7. Very comprehensive reports running to thousands of pages. But the vast majority of 9/11 Truthers have never read even the summaries of these reports and consider them to be disinformation.
Rabbit Hole—A metaphor for getting deep into the world of conspiracy theories. Typically, when someone starts out as a conspiracist they “wake up” to the idea that there’s something going on. They investigate and discover more and more and get deeper into the rabbit hole, eventually getting stuck. Comes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (where Alice discovers a bizarre new world after exploring a rabbit hole) and popularized by The Matrix films. See Red Pill.
Red Pill—Taking the red pill signifies a deliberate choice to confront the new reality the conspiracist has become aware of. It signifies mental awakening and liberation. The term comes from The Matrix where the wise man figure of Morpheus offers Neo the option of a blue pill which will return him to his previous oblivious existence, or a red pill which will wake him up to reality and “show how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Conspiracists often describe their personal awakening as taking the red pill. Sometimes it is used as a verb when conspiracists try to convert other people (e.g. “I’m going to red pill Joey and wake him up”).
Sandy Hook Hoax—The theory that the entire Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, nobody died, and the grieving parents were crisis actors. Alternatively, that the massacre was carried out by mercenaries, and Adam Lanza was a patsy.
Skeptic—Here used as shorthand for a Scientific Skeptic, someone who prefers to base their opinions on scientific evidence, and hence is skeptical of claims that are not scientifically based.
Sheeple—A derogatory term for the masses who don’t question their existence and are easily led, like sheep. Conspiracists consider anyone who does not believe their theory without looking into it as a “sheeple.” If you have looked into it, then you might be labeled a shill.
Shill—Someone paid to promote something. In conspiracy culture, people who offer explanations for conspiracy theory claims are often labeled as shills. I (Mick West) have had that label applied to me many times in the past, despite not making a penny from what I do. The labeling of someone as a shill is a common tactic to curtail a discussion.
Squibs—Normally refers to a tiny pyrotechnic device used as a firework, or to simulate bullet impacts in films. A squib is a sudden ejection of material from a collapsing building that 9/11 Truthers claim signifies a controlled demolition. Skeptics point out these expulsions happen in demolitions without explosives.
Tinfoil Hat—A supposed head covering worn to shield the wearer’s brain from incoming radio waves that beam voices into their heads. Widely used as pejorative mocking term for a conspiracist. Also Tinfoil Hatters, Tinfoilers.
Truther—Most often refers to someone who subscribes to 9/11 Truth (a 9/11 Truther). Sometimes used as a general term for a conspiracist. Often used in combination with other conspiracy theories, like “Sandy Hook Truther.” Also gave rise to similar terms like Birther, Flerther (Flat Earther), and Chemtrailer.
Wake Up—To become aware of the true nature of the world after living in blissful ignorance. For the conspiracy theorist this means starting to believe in one or more conspiracy theories that explain how the world works. See Red Pill.
Weather Modification—Generally refers to local cloud seeding, a practice of spraying silver iodide into existing rain clouds to make them rain more over a relatively small local area. Chemtrail conspiracists often conflate this with geoengineering, which is global climate modification. There are also theories that there might be some secret weather modification done on a larger scale—like manipulating hurricanes or the jet stream.
WTC1, WTC2, WTC7, etc.,—The pre–9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) was a complex of seven numbered buildings. The most notable were the two towers, normally abbreviated as WTC1 (the North Tower) and WTC2 (the South Tower). WTC7 was Building 7.