The article suggests "empathy," but often this is really just patronizing. It's about relationships, not "facts." Someone who believes there is a conspiracy id

The article suggests "empathy," but often this is really just patronizing. It's about relationships, not "facts." Someone who believes there is a conspiracy identifies as an outsider to it. The only question is whether they are an outsider to their relationships as well. Discussing a conspiracy theory is usually the same as trying to explain a break-up to the person on the receiving end where the more you explain, the less convincing or final it is, with the real risk of exposing yourself to backlash. The necessary condition for a conspiracy theory is for someone to believe they are a victim, and that they are being actively disenfranchised by a group who doesn't acknowledge it. Some are falsifiable, others not so much. Quite a few are even more true than they could ever conceive of. The way I relate to the people I know whose lives are consumed by conspiracy theories is by setting clear personal boundaries for myself, so that when I inevitably diverge from their belief bubble, it's not traumatic because it's just outside the boundary on which we relate. I'd argue that if you want to deflect most conspiracy theories as a leader, professional, or even a manager, don't be empathetic, be magnanimous.