'Wow, it really worked ': 70s TV show causing worldwide panic today
5 hours ago
- #Media Hoax
- #Conspiracy Theories
- #Mockumentary
- Claims about scientists in aerospace and nuclear fields dying or disappearing are unfounded, with normal mortality rates and varied causes explaining the cases.
- The story originates from a 1977 mockumentary 'Alternative 3', a fictional drama about scientists vanishing to build a Mars colony due to global warming, created by David Ambrose.
- The mockumentary, despite disclaimers, was taken seriously by some viewers and later integrated into conspiracy theories, influencing figures like Milton William Cooper and pop culture.
- Alternative 3 highlights how well-constructed spoofs can persist in conspiracy lore, similar to other hoaxes like Orson Welles' 'War of the Worlds' or 'Report from Iron Mountain'.
- The persistence of such theories reflects anxieties about government power and evil, with current 'missing scientists' narratives echoing these fears in a modern context of disinformation.