The tragedy at 2021’s Astroworld, a concert led by rapper Travis Scott, took the media by storm this week. However, what started out as a horrific incident quickly fell prey to a quasi-Satanic panic conspiracy theory.

What actually happened?
When fans surged forward against the stage of the event, dozens were injured and nine people (the latest victim having just passed), aged 14 to 27 were killed. Organisers of what turned out to be one of the deadliest live music events in US history (mirroring something close to Woodstock), are facing barrages of questions and investigations. 

Questions as to why Travis Scott himself continued to perform, as some fans screamed for the event to stop, medics applied CPR to injured event-goers and others danced on ambulances, were also raised. Scott’s partner, Kylie Jenner, also made an appearance, accompanied by her sister and three year old Stormi. Their responses merely fit into the narrative. 

The calamity, unfortunately, was quickly seized by a slew of conspiracy theories pertaining to the nature of the event. Some were calling it a Satanic ritual – with the victims being viewed as sacrifices to some dark, almost devilish, force. But why this hellish twist?

What you need to understand about conspiracy theories – from the mildest to the far more dangerous – is that they are an intense form of coping mechanism. Horrible things happen all the time and it’s very easy for us to find ‘reasons’ for such misfortune and recklessness. These forms of thought have been around for ages – this is not a new phenomenon. 

They give simple answers to complex problems and a certain sense of ‘bonding’ with those ‘in on the knowledge’. This is the appeal but it unfortunately distracts from the real work which needs to be done. The imagery surely didn’t help – everything is warped to fit the grand narrative of the conspiracy. It’s a mythological narrative of heroes and villains, with the ‘enlightened ones’ discovering the truth and ‘winning’ in the end. 

This also shows an utter disrespect to those grieving their loved ones. In this case, 9 very young individuals. When the need to have a story of good versus evil trumps the real investigative work and the human empathy we need to show with each other as people mourn – you know something’s off. Of course this event was meaningful in the lives of many and in the cultural world as a whole.

 But the meaning shouldn’t be ‘there is an evil society sacrificing young blood to some dark entity.’ It should serve as a deeper look into systemic issues which lead to such events unfolding – how do we prevent such issues? How can we help those who need us? It should call forth our humanity through accepting responsibility and offering support, not spiral us into deeper delusion. 

#MaltaDaily