Why do some people believe in conspiracy theories?

[Ross Lidell]

1) Conspiracies are more fun.  Cable TV has made an industry off of it with UFOs.  How long would a show last that confirmed no evidence of UFOs each week?  You ultimately need an explanation for why no one can prove the existence of UFOs.  And so a conspiracy is the explanation.  For whatever unspecified reason, the government is always thwarting UFO discoveries by covering them up!  Very convenient for the UFO believers who are given an excuse to avoid having to prove anything.
2) For some folks, it oddly appears to provide comfort that some nefarious entity is in charge of all important events.  Nothing is left to chance.  Better than acknowledging that a lot of important things happen outside the control of anyone.
3) An opportunity to grind an axe with some person or entity that they have an issue with.  The military, government, religious or political groups.  Anything evil that happens can be blamed on someone they dislike.
4) Attention. Taking a contrarian stand to the "official" story makes them feel special and provides a sense of being a seeker of justice and truth. 
5) True believers/mental cases.  A vocal minority of nuts who can't be reasoned with by facts or evidence. 
6) There are some legitimate conspiracies.   Experience teaches us, however, that they are almost impossible to conceal.  Even the dumbest and simplest conspiracies at the highest level typically unravel.  Watergate is a great example.  A low-level break in that even the President of the United States couldn't cover up using all the tools at his disposal.  It highlights how impossible a much more complex and involved conspiracy such as pulling off the assassination of JFK, frame up of Oswald, and cover up of everything else would be.

Number 4 applies to most Conspiracy Theorists on this forum... IMHO.

[Tom Scully]

https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin-aktuell/50-jahre-jfk-berlin/article117393868/Schon-zur-Nazi-Zeit-besuchte-John-F-Kennedy-Berlin.html
Forrestal, center foreground, young JFK, right background.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1949/10/12/issue.html


To this day, there is no satisfactory explanation taking into account all of the actual evidence....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Forrestal#Death
...Death....The official Navy review board, which completed hearings on May 31, waited until October 11, 1949, to release only a brief summary of its findings. The announcement, as reported on page 15 of the October 12 New York Times, stated only that Forrestal had died from his fall from the window. It did not say what might have caused the fall, nor did it make any mention of a bathrobe sash cord that had first been reported as tied around his neck. According to the full report,[30] which was not released by the Department of the Navy until April 2004:...

[John Iacoletti]

In the meantime, I'll pencil you in as a #5.   Every such person believes they know the real facts. 

As do you.

[Colin Crow]

So after 50 plus years we should have conclusive evidence of a conspiracy.  Excellent!  I await the NY Times report confirming and setting forth the facts.  In the meantime, I'll pencil you in as a #5.   Every such person believes they know the real facts.  There are no greater true believers than the most outlandish conspiracy theorists because reaching such erroneous conclusions is not just a matter of faith but the dismissal of any facts contrary to their beliefs.

Project Sunshine says hi.....

[Richard Smith]

There is an important reason that I touched upon that further explains conspiracy theories.  If you entertain baseless fantasies, like a JFK conspiracy or little green men visiting from Mars, you must have an explanation for why you can never prove it.  And so there must be a conspiracy to explain away the lack of proof.  It is like a seesaw.  You can't entertain a baseless fantasy without a corresponding explanation for your inability to provide proof of your theory.  So the conspiracy theory is a product of necessity that can be cited to avoid ever proving anything. 

[Colin Crow]

Of course you are only aware of those conspiracies that have been revealed.....the truly successful ones have not come to light yet. 

Therefore your reasoning can only be based subset of all conspiracies.

[Walt Cakebread]

There is an important reason that I touched upon that further explains conspiracy theories.  If you entertain baseless fantasies, like a JFK conspiracy or little green men visiting from Mars, you must have an explanation for why you can never prove it.  And so there must be a conspiracy to explain away the lack of proof.  It is like a seesaw.  You can't entertain a baseless fantasy without a corresponding explanation for your inability to provide proof of your theory.  So the conspiracy theory is a product of necessity that can be cited to avoid ever proving anything.

Mr "Smith".....Since you've brought up the subject of baseless fantasies....I believe it's important to remind you that your entire case is based on fantastic THEORIES.

One of the theories within the fantastic tale is the THEORY that Lee Oswald dashed past the elevator gates on the sixth floor and hastily dropped the rifle behind a row of boxes at the top of the stairs.  There are in fact photos that depict a rifle jammed between boxes of books and it is about THREE  feet from the partition on the east side of the stairs.    However.... Detective Robert Studebaker drew a map that depicted where the various pieces of evidence ( the spent shells and the carcano) were located when they were discovered.   Studebaker's map clearly shows that the rifle was discovered lying on the floor EIGHT FEET  from the partition on the east side of the stairs.   That's FIVE feet further south than the location of the rifle in the official in situ photos.     

Even a elementary school kid can understand that no man could have dashed through that aisle at the top of the stairs and carefully hid the rifle beneath boxes of books that were over FIVE feet away and at least thee foot down .....   But apparently YOU Mr "Smith"  do believe that FANTASY ......

Now tell us again about believing in ridiculous fantasies.....