By: Jordan Beaubois, News Editor
Ashlyn Armock in the midst of a brainstorming session at the first ever meeting- Photo by Joel Grimsley
Aquinas College has a new club on campus, the Conspiracy Club. The perceived goals of the newest club is to “encourage critical thinking skills through open discussion to uncover truth” said Tyler Dimmick, the president of the club, and to prove common theories right or wrong, whilst remaining inclusive to all people’s beliefs. Dimmick was accompanied by their social media manager, Ashlyn Armock, and the club’s advisor, Doctor Kilcrease.
On the day of the first ever meeting everyone gave introductions of one another whilst stating their favorite conspiracy theory. Each conspiracy theory suggestion was thrown on a white-board for all to enjoy which had a slew of theories ranging from: the Moon landing hoax and Walt Disney being frozen to cryptids like the Wendigo to Bigfoot. With even ones being specific such as the novel Handmaid’s Tale being a prediction of the future, whichMargaret Atwood wrote as a response to Ronald Reagan’s election to the presidency out of fear of the New Christian Right’s rise in the United States of America.
President of the Conspiracy Club Tyler Dimmick discussing some juicy conspiratorial ideas – Photo by Joel Grimsley
After brainstorming some conspiracy theories, it was revealed that the next meeting shall be a member initiation and a Scooby Doo party in which people will be encouraged to dress up as members of Mystery Inc or potentially some of the ghosts, ghouls, or monsters that are represented in their various shows, renditions, and movies.
The group intends to meet on Dec. 5 for the next club meeting at the Academic Building room 152, although this may be subject to change and if potential future members wish to know anymore, then they should follow the AQ Conspiracy Club’s Instagram account to be as well informed as possible. There were talks for the opportunity of a watch party in relation to some various conspiracy theories such as Titanic, The Truman Show, Handmaid’s Tale, and many more to come.
The sentiment amongst the entire group was an immediate sense of collective comradery with a passion of cautious optimism. Each member quickly became acquainted and had no trouble sharing laughs even though many interactions were firsts for many. Their attitudes were enthusiastic with twists, shouts, jokes, anecdotes, and some personal stories involving some of the conspiracy theories.
It is important to emphasize that whilst conspiracy theories are an exciting medium of entertainment, they are no substitute for proven facts by professionals of varying fields, and journalists. There is a line between Conspiracy Theories and Conspiracy Fetishes. One is an interesting hypothesis with evidence conspired together to formulate an idea, officially through the attempt at applying the scientific method. The second is an attempt to simplify a complex topic of intrigue with no basis, scientific theory, or credible evidence. With this in mind the welcoming of the new club on campus is going to be an exciting new way for fellow students to congregate and mingle with one another.
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