8 Totally Batsh*t Things People Actually Believe

4. Illuminati

Ahh, the "Old World Order", a classic case of a crazy conspiracy theory getting so far up its own pipes that nothing about it makes sense. People love the idea that there's a secret society somewhere out there, pulling all the strings and being generally spoopy.

The original "illuminati" refers to the Bavarian Illuminati. This secret society was part of the Enlightenment and aimed to undermine religion, superstition and state oppression. They, along with other secret societies, were originally outlawed because the people in power didn't really want an enlightened population on their hands demanding things like "not having to live in the literal gutter".

This has now almost been turned on its head, with the Illuminati supposedly now inhabiting the role that was previously filled by the oppressive powers they originally sought to overturn. The Illuminati are now supposedly behind the systematic oppression of, well, anyone who isn't the Illuminati. It's very clear that they're the bad guys, details on how and why are a little more hazy.

One of the reasons that the Illuminati are so difficult to pin down, is that they seem to be behind everything. Can't get a job? Illuminati nepotism. The gays annoying you? Illuminati liberal agenda. Failed your exams? It's probably the Illuminati putting fluoride in the water to make you stupid (not the fact that you spent all of your revision time on internet forums). In fact, it looks like the Illuminati are basically the reason why your life sucks, isn't that convenient?

The real kicker is, even though the Illuminati don't exist (if you hadn't already deduced that), the "anti-illuminati" definitely does. Organisations such as "Vigilant Citizen" use it as a bogeyman to fight against. On the most harmless level, it's a way for them to feel smug about themselves and an excuse for their unsatisfying lives, on a more sinister level, its an excuse to forcibly "take back" control that was never taken from them in the first place by enforcing ideologies just as whacked as the ones supposedly held by the Illuminati. As with all conspiracies, it's all fun and games until someone takes it too seriously.