Conspiracy theories are rampant on the internet and there seems to be at least one for nearly everything. From the moon landing being faked to bizarre celebrity gossip, these baseless theories are largely harmless, and most people disregard those who purport them. It can be fun to read whatever people come up with and laugh at the ridiculousness of the claims made.

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The main voice for conspiracy theories on the internet is a man by the name of Alex Jones, a conservative talk show host, who’s titular radio show is mostly known (and mocked) for very loud over-the-top outbursts on the air over a number of government conspiracies that are not happening, most famously his “Gay Frog Rant” where he claimed that tap water contained a “gay bomb” that “turns the friggin’ frogs gay,” to quote Jones himself.

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However, when it comes to other issues, Jones becomes a lot more problematic. Jones has claimed that 9/11 was an “inside job” which was created by “globalists” (a favorite word on Jones’s show) within the government in order to establish authoritarian rule and martial law upon the world, which is deeply disrespectful to the victims as it paints a picture in which their deaths came at the hands of their own government, which is flatly wrong and very disrespectful to said victims and their families.

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This is even worse when it comes to school shootings and other domestic attacks, most notably in regard to the Sandy Hook School Shooting. Throughout the years, Jones has repeatedly stated that the attack that claimed the lives of 20 grade-schoolers and 6 adults was a “false flag” attack that was staged by the government to justify the confiscation of firearms, a statement that has led to multiple defamation lawsuits, which Jones has failed to have dismissed.

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In this instance, Jones has not only claimed that the attack was government funded, but that the attack, never actually happened. This makes the assertions even more hurtful than the 9/11 claims since it entertains the thought that the children killed, for whom many of the parents are still grieving are not real people, but actors in part of some government conspiracy. To make matters worse Jones has leaked the home address of one of the families that sued him, which has resulted in vile hate mail and even death threats from Jones’s listeners being sent directly to their home address. As a result, the family has relocated seven times and currently live in hiding.

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As shown, these claims can have real consequences for real people and should never be taken lightly. Furthermore, it is highly irresponsible to make or spread such claims as it has the potential to ruin the lives of grieving families. It also breeds a culture in which truth becomes irrelevant and the humanity of others becomes meaningless.