When the news first broke, everyone went wild. It didn't take more than a few minutes for a crowd to gather in front of the White House, and soon enough there were people waving flags and singing all across the country. Osama bin Laden, the villain of our age, had been killed, and for most this meant an occasion to celebrate.
For others, it meant an occasion to see ghosts. And their ranks grew as more details were released; how come he was buried at sea? That doesn't make any sense - it must mean there is no body at all. Why did it happen now? It's because he's been dead for 10 years and Obama released it now because his poll numbers were low.
What is revealing about these theories is not the fact that they show there is doubt - after a search that lasted more than a decade ends so abruptly and unannounced, that's only natural - but that they show a deep distrust and misunderstanding of the workings of our government. And, notably, that such skepticism is becoming more and more normal.
It's expected that the same people who thought 9/11 was "an inside job" would come up with conspiracies. Radio host Alex Jones, for example, suggested the government had bin Laden's body frozen for years.
But they are now joined by a surprising number of people who aren't so obviously deranged.
When The Current staff members went around campus the day after the killing to talk to students about what they thought, they were met with a surprising amount of cynicism. (See page 4 for a sampling of the responses.)
And, while some of the doubts have been cleared up, the conspiracies remain. Though the Obama administration has provided good reasons for not releasing photos of the body - namely that it could incite violence - and for the burial at sea - Islam tradition requires a body to be buried within 24 hours and a grave site on land would turn into a shrine for his followers - there are still people denying the obvious.
This selective denial of facts is a testament to the increasing partisanship that is affecting our country and, with it, our campus. Rather than give in to the current culture of conspiracy, students must get informed and get involved.
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