The merits of these claims aside, one thing that I've learned is that some of the people who make these claims do so not based on their merit, but because they

The merits of these claims aside, one thing that I've learned is that some of the people who make these claims do so not based on their merit, but because they hate the current status quo. They hate the USA, they hate the EU, they hate "the elites", "the media", etc etc. They hate western civilization, in a nutshell. Again, the merits aside, I think it's good to keep this point in mind. As a side note, the most extreme of these people end up as cheerleaders for Russia and China, I guess because "the enemies of my enemies are my friends". You see them a lot online parroting their talking points; keep an eye on this thread and see them materialize.