Moon landing? Hogwash — a hoax to distract the public from the Vietnam War. Princess Diana‘s car accident? That’s rich. The Royal Family clearly had her offed — as blithely as if it were removing a thorn from its highborn flank.

At least that’s what conspiracy buffs believe. And there seem to be more of them than ever. London Times columnist David Aaronovitch says that our rampant infoculture provides a breeding ground for crackpot theories. Take the Web’s unique ability to lend unverified assertions an air of authority, add a dash of political instability, and you’ve got the ultimate medium for propagating alternate realities. “It’s more bearable that terrible events should be the result of a big conspiracy than the blind cruelty of the world,” says Aaronovitch, whose new book, Voodoo Histories (Riverhead, 2010), chronicles several of the 20th century’s most prominent conspiracy theories. “These stories are better than reality.”

But coming up with them isn’t just a matter of blaming the Freemasons; Aaronovitch identified six must-have ingredients, which are spelled out in the sample below. Use them to generate your own wild idea. But be careful — they’re watching you!

Real-world caution: Your auto-generated conspiracy theory will appear on Wired.com at the bottom of this story.

The Wired Conspiracy Generator

Press a conspiracy button to complete the framework below and generate an airtight, logic-proof plot.

Lady Di

Moon Landing

9/11





Are you kidding me? [ event ] was a total sham! Think about it! Everyone knows that [ appeal to precedent ]. And have you noticed that [ ruling elite ] has started to act very strangely? They obviously don’t want this story getting out. I mean, what would happen if people began asking [ disturbing question ]? Well, they may be able to fool the sheeple, but the members of [ dedicated group of truth-seekers ] aren’t swallowing their story. Look, don’t take it from me; [ expert endorsement ] is convinced as well. But we have to act fast, because [ suggestion of imminent threat ]. I just wanted you to be aware of this, in case I disappear.





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