Cookies to Conspiracy: We Have to Stop Assuming the Worst

Recently, a local bakery who puts out new menus every month made a typo on their menu for the month of June. The typo was simple, instead of saying 2022 they listed 2021 as the year, which feels really relatable with how everything‘s been the last two years. They addressed this faux pas on social media, and with not a lot of time or money to spare to change it, they chose to continue using the typo version of these menus. It wasn’t a huge error, so it should be no big deal, right? Right. Because it isn’t. Objectively, rationally, we all know what year it is, and we can all have a good laugh and a cool collectors item with this *free menu* that you can keep when you go to the bakery.

Well, if you’re the type to assume the worst in people, you may not feel the same way. How do I know? Facebook. Where all good things go to die. There were not one, but several commenters who decided that this typo must be a “PR stunt“ to “gain traction” for this “big corporation“. A typo on a paper menu from a relatively small local bakery has now spiraled into a great conspiracy of capitalist greed and nefarious underground plots.

(I feel compelled to note here that this is not a made up story. This is genuinely something I witnessed, firsthand today. This is complete nonfiction. I couldn’t make this up if I tried.)

Those of you with any common sense left might be going,

“Listen, there are always going to be nut jobs on the Internet! I really don’t think this is a big deal.”

And I get it, an older version of me with a little more faith in humanity would have felt the same way. But the ease at which someone can red pill themselves into going from cookies to conspiracy is indicative of a much more common, pervasive issue. I think if we reduce this to “socially fringe internet weirdos”, we undermine the very real impact this has on our society, as well as keep ourselves from finding effective ways to combat it.

I think one of the largest contributing factors to the rise of belief in conspiracies is a general lack of good faith.

From the moment we arrive on the planet, we are inundated with messages of how we should never trust anyone, how believing that people are good is naïve, and how if we trust and we get hurt it is somehow our fault:

“don’t take candy from a stranger”

“if a stranger says they know your mom they don’t and they’re trying to kidnap you”

“watch for your pockets when you’re walking down a new street”

“no one’s really your friend”

“everyone’s trying to get something from you”

“don’t let that person scam you”

“don’t let your significant other cheat on you”

“if someone comes up to you in a Target, they’re trying to take you away!”

“corporations are lying to you”

“doctors are lying to you”

“teachers are lying to you”

“the government is lying to you”

“Oh you got hurt? You shouldn’t have trusted them!”

I’m not saying some of these aren’t sound pieces of advice, but it is reasonable that believing in good faith is difficult for us because of them. Good faith is simply defined as honesty or sincerity of intention. Rarely are we told to believe in the goodness of others, and not nearly as often as we’re told to watch our backs. This loud and clear messaging combined with an almost always traumatic 24 hour news cycle and divisive socio-political landscape has resulted in an alarming increase in general paranoia across-the-board. It is a real mental health epidemic that I cannot believe we’re not talking about.

The most effective way I’ve found to combat any off-base logic is to ask yourself questions and answer them honestly. A line of questioning is a great tool to deescalate thoughts and ground yourself in reality, and it can be applied to all situations. The two base questions I start with are:

1. Why would someone want to do this?

2. Is there an alternative good-faith explanation for this?

Then, let the questions naturally flow and draw conclusions. It’s okay to say “I don’t know” and it’s even better to say “I’m going to try to find out!”.

Here’s the cookie situation as an example:

• Why would a bakery intentionally misprint 1000s of copies of a menu? (Maybe for press? But the typo is pretty insignificant…)

• If it’s for clout, are their sales hurting? (Nope! They are always packed and have a huge audience)

• Why would they need PR for a typo? (Not sure! Their company ethos is pretty clear in that they pride themselves on quality. This would be bad press if anything, so it being intentional doesn’t make much sense. Besides, they’ve never pulled a “stunt” before.)

• Is it possible that their editor just genuinely looked it over? (Yes, in fact they stated that in their post addressing it and they feel really bad about it!)

• Why didn’t they print new ones? (I imagine the time and money needed for that process wouldn’t be worth the overhead cost. I’m sure that if the typo was something that changed a menu item or an important piece of information, they might. But we all know what year it is.)

• Is this company a giant corporation with an agenda? (Well, looking at their business website, it appears that there are three people in management. So, uh, no.)

See how we’ve deescalated from cinematic crime scenarios back down to cookies?

I realize that this advice section might appear sarcastic, but don’t forget that good faith thing we just talked about! I’m being earnest. It is all too easy anymore to get whisked away by the thrilling outcomes our brains can leap to. But if we don’t know how to keep ourselves in check, we’re bound to plummet further into a place so out of touch with reality that we may never be able to find our way back.

If you’re interested in how a conspiracy like this can evolve from crumbs, here’s the Conspiracy Theory Chart by Abby Richards. If you want to know more, visit her site by clicking here! It’s a phenomenal resource with an interactive version of this chart. She’s great highlighting why even the most seemingly tame conspiracy theories are dangerous.