Conspiracy thinking is only dangerous when it mixes with extreme partisanship

Conspiracy theories about American politics are nothing new, but recent months have seen an upswing in their impact, after pipe bombs were mailed by a conspiracy theorist to high-profile figures with links to the Democratic Party. Adam M. Enders and Steven M. Smallpage write that conspiracy thinking is not dangerous in and of itself: most Americans have a tendency to be suspicious. But problems arise, they argue, when this conspiratorial thinking is activated by extreme political partisanship and polarization. People then begin to buy into conspiracy theories aimed at the opposing party, which can in turn lead them to take often violent actions.