In the nearly 200 hours I have spent running this year, a solid amount of time has been spent listening to conspiracy theories. They always keep me engaged because more often than not, they are quite interesting. I have always enjoyed listening to deep research and cherry-picked facts that supports theorists' ideas. While most of these are laughable, some of them have great backing and could genuinely be true. Today, I want to explore my favorite conspiracy on top of one o the most popular ones I could find.
The Gate Program
What is believed: The GATE program, intended for gifted children, was not just an enrichment program. It was used by U.S. Intel communities and other covert programs to identify and train children for special operations or remote-viewing programs. Some children claim that they were given strange prompts such as code breaking, cryptography, or foreign language studies.
How it evolved: The GATE program has been publicly visible for decades as an ordinary gifted education track. In the 2020s this theory gained traction online after many people who were apart of this program in the 90s-00s started to discuss odd assignments or tasks. This was picked up by podcasts and broadcasted at a larger level.
Who believes it: Mainly adults who attended elementary school in the 90s-00s. They reflect on their time in this program and express that they feel like they were given weird tasks. Those who did well on these tasks felt that their schooling experience was heightened from that point, with the opposite also being true. People well versed in other programs such as stargate, remote-viewing, and MK-Ultra see this as a continued effort by the government to find "psychic" children.
How it is spread: This has primarily been spread through videos and discussions on platforms such as Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. Once the theory gained traction, podcasts started to pick it up. Lastly, word of mouth through GATE members. This is the podcast I listened to:
John F. Kennedy assassination
What is believed: The Warren Commission produced a rushed and faked report that identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone shooter in the JFK assassination. Many believe that possibly the CIA, Mafia, anti-Castro Cubans, or the KGB organized the murder. Claims include there were multiple shooters, evidence was suppressed or tampered with, the motive may involve Kennedy’s policy on Cuba/Vietnam/Cold War, the CIA or other agencies felt betrayed by Kennedy and orchestrated his death.
How it evolved: The speculation occurred immediately after the assassination due to the fact of how public and horrible it was. Around this time the Cold War and Bay of Pigs had occurred, which left many Americans skeptical of the government. The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald acted alone but many critics found issues in their claims and conclusions. In the following decades, this speculation has only grown through released documents, declassified CIA files, and audio recordings.
Who believes it: While sources differ, many claim that a majority of Americans believe that JFK's assassination involved a conspiracy. Many researchers focus on discrepancies from the Warren report while others just distrust the government and think there is more going on.
How it is spread: This theory has been picked up by countless books, documentaries, and podcasts making it one of the most popular conspiracy theories today. Recent government files were released which stirred up new interest on social media and internet forums. The mystery behind this event leaves so many unanswered questions that popular TV and semi-academic papers will likely continue to cover this event.
Overall, I find both of these theories very interesting. I am not quite sure if I believe either, but they make for quality entertainment.
