What is a 'conspiracy theorist' ?

Question

is anyone else starting to get confused when people throw around the words 'conspiracy theorist'. i never know who people are referring to. its hard to know whether or not someone is talking about people that speak about 9/11 truth or people that clench to a conspiracy theory that a man hiding in a cave masterminded a conspiracy which involved a bunch of hijackers carrying boxcutters that were somehow able to get NORAD to stand down

Please not that the 9/11 Commission Report is a Conspiracy Theory by definition.

***PLEASE NOTE*** i meant

Answer 1

A person who simply questions the "official account" of a major catastrophe or event like the JFK assassination or the 9/11 terror attacks

Answer 2

A conspiracy theorist is someone who attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event (usually a political, social, or historical event) as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance of powerful people or organizations rather than as an overt activity or as natural occurrence.

I should know, my brother is a HUGE one...

He believes the US government is behind:

~ WTC attacks. (Not the first one, in the 90's, but the one from September 11.)

~ Pearl Harbor (He says, "FDR knew it was going to happen, and he really wanted to get into the war, so he ordered them to shut down the radar.")

~ The assasination of JFK

~ The Death of Marilyn Monroe

~ The Death of Princess Diana

~ And do NOT forget about Aliens...

There are sooooo many more that he knows/believes, but honestly, he's full of cow waste, so i try not to waste my mind/time on listeniing to him.

Answer 3

And some of the conspiracies they see border on the unbelievable

Answer 4

the mastermind like bin laden