The truth is out there: six (nutty) conspiracy theories for Memorial Day

Aurich Lawson / Thinkstock

Since the good hipsters of Portland have decided to make public policy based on these kinds of ideas, Ars decided to highlight some of the more outlandish or entertaining conspiracy theories for a little light Memorial Day reading.

Conspiracy theories are as American as apple pie or crippling student loans. Seemingly rational individuals are, it turns out, able to hold completely irrational beliefs that can be remarkably resistant to objective reality. We never really landed on the moon. [science_finding_i_don’t_like] is just a scam so scientists can get more grant money. Aliens live in a base underneath Denver International Airport. Psychologists (possibly under orders from a shadowy cabal of New World Order officials and cyborg Pharma executives) suggest that a combination of cynicism and a feeling of powerlessness in the face of events, combined with a little added low self worth, makes the most fertile minds for conspiracy theories to take root in.

So, for those ripe to believe, Ars presents a few favorite conspiracy theories for your Memorial Day consideration: