How conspiracy theories are damaging democracy | Letters

Thank you, Amelia Gentleman, for your article about Brent Lee (Escape from the rabbit hole: the conspiracy theorist who abandoned his dangerous beliefs, 4 October). He is exceptional for two reasons. First, he managed to pull himself out of the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories on his own, and second, he is attempting to inspire his former conspiracy partners to rethink their absurd beliefs.

When you read the US author Steven Hassan’s works on cults, you realise how difficult it is for an individual to abandon these belief systems cold turkey. Normally, it takes hours of active listening and therapy to correct the psychological damage these conspiracies cause.

On the outside looking in, these cults are so absurd that it is easy to mock them. But we know now that it only takes a political scientist and a charismatic leader to figure out how to activate a conspiratorial mindset to occupy the US Capitol and launch a coup. Then suddenly your derision is turned to shock and horror. Very few are as insightful as Brent. I hope he keeps at it.
Martin Linskey
Rochester, New York, US

Unfortunately, here on Merseyside the democratic process is under attack from far-right conspiracy theorists. It’s no longer about a group of harmless flat-Earthers or people who think Prince Philip was a lizard. They are now peddling white supremacist ideas on Telegram and Facebook, and turning up to disrupt council meetings to shout about 20mph zones.

When Tory politicians pander to them by openly suggesting that we will all be trapped in 15-minute cities, I despair. The rot has spread further than I thought and we need to counter it fast.
Name and address supplied

Among all the lies mentioned in Peter Walker’s roundup of the Tories’ carousel of untruths (From 15-minute cities to bananas: why do Tories seem to be bending the truth?, 4 October), one whopper stands out. Mark Harper’s comment describing 15-minute cities as “sinister”, suggesting that they mean that “councils can decide how often you go to the shops, and that they can ration who uses the roads and when”, is much more dangerous than it is ridiculous.

Taken at its best, it purports that councils have the time, the resources and the authority to police people’s lives instead of managing increasingly smaller budgets and being forced to make difficult decisions about leisure centres, parks, libraries, community centres and a dwindling housing stock, among other issues.

At its worst, it plays into the fears and rage of vulnerable, impressionable people, validating their worst and most conspiratorial instincts. It seems to me that these are the people who urgently need to feel part of their community and climb out of the rabbit hole while they still can.

The Tories repeatedly underestimate how much this nation cares about public services and if Labour has any sense, it will use them to counter the isolation that creates this disinformation.
Seán McGovern
London

To avoid falling for conspiracy theories, as Brent Lee unfortunately did, I apply this simple criterion: if a conspiracy theory looks too daft to be true, it probably is.
Nigel Gray
London