Conspiracy theorists
Merlan often includes an ironic look at conspiracy theorists. For example, she comments on one man who offered her "Starfire Water, a mere $6 for a bottle and capable of curing PTSD, he promises."
Alex Jones
Merlan also offers an ironic look at Alex Jones. When she meets him she asks him whether vaccines contribute to autism. He replies that they do contribute to it, after which Merlan writes in parenthesis "they don't."
Heimbach
Merlan describes how Heimbach founded the TWP, a neo-Nazi group, and often mentioned his family when speaking about his goals. However, Merlan says that "it would seem quite ironic in a little over a year when he was humiliated and the TWP fell apart after it was revealed that he was accused of domestic abuse."
The prevalence of conspiracy theories
On the one hand, Merlan depicts conspiracy theories as being in the realm of weirdness and extremism, however on the other hand she shows that it ironically often plays a significant role in US politics. For example, she says that Trump's twitter became "a megaphone for every dark suspicion he has about the biased media and the rigged government working against him."
The rise of conspiracy theories?
Merlan says that although there is a new "conspiracy furor," conspiracy theories have actually gripped America for a long time, showing that they ironically have a lot more weight than we think they do.
