Author: kirkpatrick.169

The Nazi Bunkers of Antarctica

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Nazi Bunkers in Antarctica

Alex Kirkpatrick

 

When thinking about Hitler and Nazi Germany most people can think of at least one conspiracy theory they have heard about. Two pretty common ones are the holocaust never happened or that Hitler is alive and well in Argentina.  A third theory that is beginning to see some popularity among paranormal/conspiracy theorists is the idea that the Nazis took control of part of Antarctica and built underground bunkers where they would experiment with creating new technology (Soniak, 2012).  This theory originates from a story about a Nazi expedition to Antarctica.  The story says that while exploring and mapping the area, they uncovered a multitude of underground caves and rivers.  One of the caves was particularly large and was turned into a large city that would be home to both Nazi’s and other powerful groups, like the illuminati.  Along the way, the Germans either came across alien technology or made contact with the aliens.  The Germans learned how to use the technology and were able to build a number of weapons (Soniak, 2012).  This belief is extraordinary because there is no evidence that the Nazis ever did, or were even capable of building such base.  Geologist and Oceanographer, Colin Summerhayes, partnered with journalist and historian, Peter Beeching, to examine evidence about Antarctica and the Nazis.  The pair published a 21-page peer reviewed study about these mysterious Antarctic bases and if they are real or not.

In support of this claim is the fact that the Nazis did at one point carry out an expedition to Antarctica in 1938.  Many conspiracy theorists claim that this was a large-scale expedition, with militarized and scientific ships.  In reality, it was just one small ship with the goal of finding new territory where Germany could expand their whaling industry.  There is also no mention of intent to establish a base in any Nazi documents, and after the start of WWII, the Nazis don’t return to Antarctica until 1959.  The crew manning the ship also would have been nowhere near large enough to build a base the size of what is being claimed. (Soniak, 2012).  Another bit of evidence for this theory is about the Nazi’s agreeing to The Antarctic treaty.  The treaty makes Antarctica a research zone and states that Antarctica cannot be targeted in any way by bombs or missiles.  Conspiracy theorists jump on this and say why would Nazi Germany sign this agreement?  The claim is that they signed this agreement to deter other nations from visiting Antarctica and stumbling upon their base and the research being done there.  There has been no evidence found to corroborate that point (McKendry, 2017).  Additionally, some claim that Hitler himself is actually at Antarctica.  The evidence for this idea is based on the claim that a German ship arrived at an Argentinian base located in Antarctica after the war ended.  Another popular conspiracy theory is that Hitler escaped to Argentina at the end of the war, and so therefore he was picked up by a German ship, and sent to Antarctica to live at the secret bunker.  Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Hitler ever made it to Argentina or that the supposed German boat ever went to Argentina’s Antarctic base (Barraclough, 2018).

So why do so many people believe this, despite the lack of evidence?  One major reason is simply because it’s Antarctica.  The hazardous conditions make Antarctica one of the last unexplored places on Earth.  Because so little is known about the continent, this makes it a perfect breeding ground for conspiracy theories.  So much of it remains unexplored and unknown, and it makes people think that anything could be there (Barraclough, 2018).  Another contributor to this belief is that there have been some bizarre military activities that have occurred at Antarctica over the years, such as supposed German boats coming or the U.S. project “Operation Highjump”.  These strange events, and the lack of information around them, often lead people to conclude that it must be because there is something going on there that the government doesn’t want us to know about.  Rumors and speculation abound, and a conspiracy theory is born.  In this case, people are simply misinformed and not looking at the evidence correctly.  Today, much of the information concerning some of the military activities at Antarctica has been made public and now people can read up on the facts of some of these missions (Hanks, et. al, 2017).  Many believers are also guilty of engaging in confirmation bias.  A tenant of confirmation bias is that ambiguous evidence will be seen as supporting one’s theory.  There are not many records surrounding the whaling expedition in 1938, so believers will look at this event and interpret the ambiguity of the evidence in such a way that it supports their theory.

Many of these believes actually come from Flat Earth.  Flat Earther’s often propose that it is illegal to go to Antarctica and has a constant military presence, that’s why none of them can go investigate if the ice wall is out there.  There is a subgroup of flat earth who believes that part of the reason you “can’t go” to Antarctica is because of the Nazi base there.  Being a part of the flat earth community is what allows them to sustain their beliefs.  They have a whole community to engage with and back them up in their beliefs.

The idea that the Nazis built a secret base at Antarctica is not based in evidence.  To date, there has been nothing found to support it.  Its believers are simply engaging in confirmation and are misinterpreting what they claim is their “evidence”.  Most of the believers are also a part of the flat earth community, and this is what gives them the support to continue in their beliefs.  This is just one of the conspiracy theories surrounding the mysterious continent of Antarctica, and like many of the other theories, it is a long way from being confirmed.

 

 

Barraclough, B. (2018, March 20). Nazis and pyramids: What’s really going on in Antarctica? Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/11/nazis-and-pyramids-what-s-really-going-on-in-antarctica.html

 

Hanks, M., Tingley, B., Schuemann, N. L., Seaburn, P., & Seaburn, P. (2017, March 20). Antarctica’s Secret Nazi Base: Separating the Fact from “Fake News”. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2017/03/antarcticas-secret-nazi-base-separating-the-fact-from-fake-news/

 

McKendry, D. I. (2017, December 21). The Secret Nazi UFO Base Beneath Antarctica. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2017/03/31/the-secret-nazi-ufo-base-beneath-antarctica/

 

Soniak, M. (2012, March 19). Hitler on Ice: Did the Nazis Have a Secret Antarctic Fortress? Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://mentalfloss.com/article/30249/hitler-ice-did-nazis-have-secret-antarctic-fortress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sandy Hook Hoax

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Alex Kirkpatrick Blog Post 1

The Sandy Hook Hoax

On December 20th, 2012, the country stood by in shock as they watched the news unfold about the events that occurred that morning at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. On that morning, Adam Lanza walked into the school armed with a rifle and two handguns and shot 20 school children and 6 adults. As people around the nation watched parents grieve the loss of their children, most agreed this was a national tragedy. Except for some. As the story continued to develop, so did the idea that the shooting was fake. While the population of people who believe this shooting was a hoax is small, it is fascinating the theories they have come up with to try and prove this event was a hoax. The popularity of this idea peaked in the aftermath of Sandy Hook and has since declined, but there are still people who are avid believers. It is of significance that there are people out there who believe this event was faked because it discredits the real suffering and grieving that the families went, and are still going through. Information about Sandy Hook and why some believe it is a hoax can be found all over the internet. Most notable is a YouTube video with over 10 thousand views, that gives all the reasons why the shooting was fake. This belief is extraordinary because it goes against all logic. No one would even think to consider that all these families are grieving the loss of children who are actually still alive. This belief seems impossible, which by definition, makes it an extraordinary belief.

Believers in this theory offer several explanations of why this event was a hoax. They claim that it would be incredibly hard to hit moving children as many times as Lanza did. Another belief is that all the parents there are actually trained crisis actors sent there by the government. This idea comes from a brief bit of video footage showing two parents smiling and laughing. Many feel that these people must be actors because who would be able to laugh and smile after the death of your child? Another reason that some believe this event was faked is because there are supposed sighting of the dead children. One child, Emilie Parker, is supposedly seen posing in a picture with President Obama days after the shooting. On the other hand, there are reasonable explanations for why these beliefs might be false. Adam Lanza was armed with a semi-automatic shotgun, capable of firing hundreds of rounds in minutes, so it’s very possible he was able to hit children multiple times. As for the claim that the parents were crisis actors, that video clip was taken out of context. Both parents were in an interview reliving found moments of their children. It was not Emilie Parker in that picture, but instead her younger sister, wearing one of Emilie’s dresses.

I believe that this a prime example of cognitive dissonance. People simply don’t want to believe that Adam Lanza was capable murdering 20 young children, so instead find it more comforting to believe that the whole thing was a set up and those children are alive somewhere. The reality is that those who believe this event was a hoax are simply misinterpreting the “evidence”. As discussed above, the various reasons they give for this being a hoax can usually be explained with a quite simple explanation. This is a good example of Ockham’s razor. The reasons given by believers are a prime example of pseudoscience. Many of their reasons give the appearance of science. They are bold and seem like they could be true, but upon further inspection they fall apart. For example, saying it impossible to hit as many children as many times as Lanza does seem realistic until you find out that he was equipped with a semi-automatic rifle. Many claims also seem to fall under the category retreating to the supernatural. Every time they are presented with evidence that contradicts their beliefs they change the belief a little, or say that the evidence isn’t good enough. Many believers claim that one of the deceased, Noah Polzner, is actually alive. When his grieving father released Noah’s death certificate to show that his son was actually dead, suddenly that wasn’t good enough and they needed Noah’s body exhumed.

Believers in this theory come from a diverse population made up of the young and old, white and black, and from various regions across the country. I believe that the biggest social influence that helps them to sustain this belief is the government. Many believers of the conspiracy think that the government orchestrated the event and is then trying to cover it up in various ways, such as employing crisis actors. So naturally, when the government denies their claims, it is interpreted as “of course the government would say that”. Thus, believers are engaging in post hoc theorization, which allows this belief to continue. They are rationalizing the government’s explanation to fit their beliefs.

Sandy Hook was an awful tragedy that forever changed the lives of the people living in Newtown, Connecticut. While most people believe that this was a horrible act of violence committed by a mentally ill individual, some believe that the whole thing is an elaborate hoax put on by the government. While at first it might seem that the claims this group make appear to be scientific, after further inspection these claims all have another, simpler, more logical, explanation, and as Ockham’s razor says, “the simplest explanation is often the best”. Believers of the hoax are able to keep their beliefs alive by engaging in cognitive dissonance and post hoc rationalization. Some might question why it matters that there are people out there who believe this event was fake. Belief in the hoax takes away from the fact the 20 real children were really murdered. It disrupts the grieving process of the parents and lifts the burden of guilt off Adam Lanza’s shoulder and places it on the government shoulders. It’s important to discredit these beliefs when possible because further adherence to these beliefs will only continue to overshadow the true victims here; the 26 people who died that day.

  1. C. (2019, January 02). Connecticut Shootings Fast Facts. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/us/connecticut-shootings-fast- facts/index.html
  2. Mikkelson, D. (2012, December 15). FACT CHECK: Was the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting a Hoax? Retrieved February 11, 2019, from https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sandy-hook-exposed/
  3. Weideman, R. (2016, September 06). Lenny Pozner Believed in Conspiracy Theories. Until His Son’s Death Became One. Retrieved February 11, 2019, from http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/09/the-sandy-hook-hoax.html