Why do conspiracy theories about 9/11 still persist after 23 years? – Firstpost

Twenty-three years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, conspiracy theories about the events of that day continue to circulate. Despite extensive investigations and reports that have refuted many claims, a significant portion of the public remains skeptical of the official accounts.

From claims that the U.S. government knew about the attacks in advance to allegations that explosives were hidden in the World Trade Center towers, the persistence of 9/11 conspiracy theories raises important questions about why these views persist.

How did the 9/11 conspiracy theories begin?

The facts of September 11 are widely accepted: 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and flew two into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon, and another into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the plane.

But just a few months after the attack, the first conspiracy theories emerged.

In late 2001, protesters were seen carrying signs reading “Bush knew it,” giving the impression that the U.S. government was either complicit in the attacks or had deliberately failed to prevent them.

These beliefs formed the basis of what became known as “trutherism.” The conspiracy theory quickly gained traction, fueled by a combination of anti-Bush sentiment and deep distrust of government institutions.

In 2002, Democratic Representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia asked the famous question, “What did this administration know and when did it know it?” which aroused suspicion among more and more Americans.

In the years immediately following 9/11, polls showed that a surprising number of Americans embraced trutherism. A 2006 poll conducted by Ohio University found that 36 percent of Americans believed the government either helped plan the attacks or knew about them but did nothing.

Among Democrats, 51 percent expressed some belief in trutherism, compared with 18 percent of Republicans. That belief crossed political lines and persisted even after the bipartisan 9/11 Commission released a comprehensive 585-page report in 2004 detailing the intelligence failures that enabled the attacks.

How the Internet fueled 9/11 conspiracy theories

The Internet played a significant role in the spread of 9/11 conspiracy theories. In the early 2000s, online forums and communities dedicated to trutherism emerged, providing a space for believers to exchange ideas, organize events, and challenge the official narrative.

A new class of self-proclaimed “experts” also joined the discussion, lending a veneer of legitimacy to the conspiracy theories. They included Steven Jones, a physicist who claimed the towers were brought down with explosives, and David Ray Griffin, a theologian who has written widely on the subject.

At the same time, mainstream media such as Popular mechanics began to refute many of these claims. In 2005 Popular mechanics published a comprehensive report that addressed some of the most persistent conspiracy theories and explained how the plane impact and subsequent fires caused the towers to collapse. Despite this, truthers rejected the report and accused the magazine of being a tool of the government.

One of the most persistent truther claims revolves around the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The official investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), funded by the federal government, concluded that the collapse was caused by intense fires, not explosives.

The impact of the planes caused the fireproof material to break away from the towers’ steel supports, and as the fires reached temperatures of over 1,800 degrees Celsius, the structural integrity of the buildings was weakened.

According to experts, steel loses about 50 percent of its strength at 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit and more than 90 percent at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. This, combined with the loosened fire resistance and the enormous weight of the upper floors, caused the towers to collapse in a “pancake” effect, with one floor falling on the one below in rapid succession.

What other controversies are currently circulating?

Another focus of 9/11 conspiracy theories is the collapse of Building 7 of the World Trade Center, which was not hit by a plane but collapsed about seven hours after the North Tower. Conspiracy theorists point to video footage showing the collapse of Building 7 as evidence of a controlled demolition.

However, investigators concluded that fires ignited by debris from the collapsing North Tower were the primary cause of the collapse of Building 7. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report on Building 7 found that the collapse was triggered by the failure of a critical interior column, resulting in a progressive collapse of the structure.

Despite these findings, conspiracy theorists continue to claim that explosives were used in the destruction of the towers.

Already on 11 September 2001, the Albuquerque Journal saying, “There were explosives in the buildings that caused the towers to collapse.” Although he later retracted his statement, the damage was done and his early comments are still quoted by conspiracy theorists to this day.

Investigations into the collapse revealed that the intense fires fueled by the remaining jet fuel ignited materials such as office furniture, carpets and curtains. These fires burned at temperatures so high that they weakened the steel supports, causing the towers to collapse.

While some conspiracy theorists claim that the fire could not have been hot enough to melt the steel, experts argue that the collapse was caused by the steel losing its structural strength, not melting it.

Fire safety remains a major challenge, as demonstrated by the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, where flammable facade cladding contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Why do 9/11 conspiracies still persist 23 years later?

Even 23 years later, it is still a mystery how persistent the conspiracy theories about 9/11 are. According to a survey conducted several years ago, one in six Americans still believes that parts of the US government were involved in the attacks.

Among Democrats, 19 percent continue to express some belief in trutherism, compared to just 14 percent of Republicans. These numbers are concerning because they highlight a broader trend of skepticism and distrust of government institutions, a trend that has only been exacerbated in the wake of other conspiracy theories, such as those surrounding the 2020 U.S. election and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts say trutherism continues to thrive because it taps into a deep well of disillusionment and distrust of authority. Conspiracy theories generally offer simple explanations for complex events and provide a sense of order in a chaotic world.

What happens next?

As we reflect on the events of September 11, it becomes clear that conspiracy theories are unlikely to go away anytime soon. With the rise of social media and the increasing polarization of political discourse, trutherism and other conspiracy theories have found new platforms and audiences.

While former U.S. President Donald Trump is not a vocal supporter of 9/11 conspiracy theories, he has contributed to the normalization of conspiracy thinking by supporting other baseless claims, such as those about election fraud and Obama’s citizenship.

In this environment, it is critical to continue to debunk false claims and promote evidence-based explanations. Popular mechanics wrote in 2005: “The world is awash with misinformation and sometimes the best defense is simply to point out the facts.”

For now, it appears that trutherism will remain a part of the broader landscape of American conspiracy culture.

With contributions from agencies