August le Blanc
cont'd from same article...
"In the same issue of ABS, University of Buffalo professor Steven Hoffman adds that anti-conspiracy people are typically prey to strong �confirmation bias� - that is, they seek out information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, while using irrational mechanisms (such as the �conspiracy theory� label) to avoid conflicting information.
The extreme irrationality of those who attack �conspiracy theories� has been ably exposed by Communications professors Ginna Husting and Martin Orr of Boise State University. In a 2007 peer-reviewed article entitled �Dangerous Machinery: �Conspiracy Theorist� as a Transpersonal Strategy of Exclusion,� they wrote:
�If I call you a conspiracy theorist, it matters little whether you have actually claimed that a conspiracy exists or whether you have simply raised an issue that I would rather avoid� By labeling you, I strategically exclude you from the sphere where public speech, debate, and conflict occur.�