Psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig: Reviews CYInterviews with LaToya Jackson and Former Governor Jesse Ventura and Speaks on the Nature of Conspiracy Theories
In recent weeks, some CYInterviews have had guests making claims of conspiracies, on a variety of issues. Whether it was our conversation with LaToya Jackson – who made claims regarding her late brother, King of Pop Michael Jackson [see interview here] – or the ongoing conspiracy assertions from our third time guest, former Minnesota governor and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura [see interview here], talk of conspiracies seem to be on the rise.
It would appear, at least to some extent, we are living in a conspiracy theory society. It is likely that some conspiracy theories will prove correct. Yet, every time we face uncomfortable, perplexing or hard to understand events, is it due to a conspiracy?
We welcomed back well known psychotherapist, the insightful Dr. Robi Ludwig to give her analysis on both the Jackson and Ventura interviews. Additionally, we wanted Dr. Ludwig to give us some context on why, and for what reasons, people may gravitate toward conspiracy theories. International columnist Jay Bildstein joined me for this 20 minute plus conversation, which is well worth a listen.
Listen to the entire CYInterview with Dr. Robi Ludwig below:
(Backup Player: Including IE)
Focusing on the LaToya Jackson interview, Dr. Ludwig first gives her opinion on LaToya and then breaks down what she believes LaToya means when she speaks of her brother, Michael Jackson, being murdered. This is what she had to say.
“I happen to really like LaToya and I don’t know her personally, but I think there’s something very sweet and genuine and earthy about the Jacksons…When you hear the word murder, it means something different probably to you and to her than it might mean legally. So she might be saying, my brother was murdered and one might think, ok, if somebody is murdered, then there is the intention to eliminate somebody. There’s the intention to off somebody. But there’s also murder two, which is killing somebody without the intention of killing somebody. There’s negligent homicide. So my first thought was when she was talking about her brother being killed, if that’s what she was really talking about. That legally, his death could qualify as a homicide even though it wouldn’t be a murder one, which means whoever quote end quote killed him, intended to kill him.”
To gain a broader understanding of why people, including former Governor Ventura, seem to believe in conspiracy theories when it comes to many events, Dr. Ludwig lays it out for us:
“The major reason I think for conspiracy theories in general is because they help us make sense out of very big events that otherwise don’t make a lot of sense. These are catastrophic events that people need to say, ‘This is exactly why it happened.’ And if we can explain to ourselves the reason why something happened and have it make sense, even though it might be random noise that we’re trying to make sense out of, then it’s comforting, then the world does not feel as chaotic and unsafe…So for the person who has a conspiracy theory, there’s a protective component in subscribing to any conspiracy theory.”
Psychotherapist Ludwig continues by further elaborating on how conspiracy theorists can be very convincing. Though there have been times in society when conspiracies have been proven, Dr. Ludwig believes the challenging aspect of conspiracy theories exists when people deny and dismiss information, which affects their perspective.
“These people who hold on to conspiracy theories are very convinced. You don’t hear a conspiracy theorist sounding ambivalent. They’re very convinced in their position and convinced people can be very convincing…The problem is when somebody is a conspiracy theorist, when they ignore information that doesn’t fit into their preconceived idea, then they’re off the mark.”
We thank Dr. Robi Ludwig for providing us with an insightful analysis on the subject of conspiracy theories, currently a hot topic in the media and society.
You can check out Dr. Ludwig’s official website at http://www.drrobiludwig.com
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