I think some conspiracies are possible, but not everything is a conspiracy. If it were, then nothing is due to chance, and 100% of conspiracies are successful. Judging from the colossal failures of FEMA in Katrina, our war planning in Iraq, our utter failure to plan for the energy decline and Social Security shortfall, the upcoming bank failings (did the CEOs of WaMu and Wells Fargo plan to go under), I find it hard to believe our leaders are brilliant and coherent enough to work together to orchestrate a grand plan. Heck, they couldn’t even get a few people out of a flood in New Orleans, and figure out who was already paid once. To me, our government leaders are more like bumbling fools than brilliant puppeteers.
I do agree that people are too complacent, and we don’t realize how little we know. For example, people think we have a choice of political parties, but there really is only a choice between Republican and Democrat. Third parties have to jump through hoops. For example, to get on the ballot, each state has a different window (in CA, it’s 6 weeks in July -August) to get a certain number of signatures , just to have your name on the ballot! The 2 major parties essentially block other parties from getting on the ballot, and from having their ideas heard.
So I don’t take you up on your challenge to study conspiracy theories, because I doubt that too many really exist. I do not believe in the 9/11 conspiracy either (the alleged Bush planning of 9/11 as a premise to take away civil liberties and invade Iraq; evidence is demolition of Trade Towers since one airplane cannot make a tower crumble down like that, demolition of another Tower that was not even touched by a plane but was supposedly falling in a demolition-type manner, lack of airplane parts and manicured lawn untouched by any airplane tracks in front of Pentagon, and more).