The Web’s top 10 conspiracy theories 세계 10대 음모론

The Web’s top 10 conspiracy theories 세계 10대 음모론   An obvious truth can be difficult to face. British magazine The Economist lists Google’s 10 most searched on conspiracy theories.   영국 이코노미스트지는 19일 유명 인터넷 검색엔진 구글에 가장 많이 등장했던 '세계 10대 음모론'을 소개했다. 1. September 11, 2001 Thanks to the power of the web and live broadcasts on television, the conspiracy theories surrounding the events of 9/11 - when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington - have surpassed those of Roswell and JFK in traction. Despite repeated claims by al-Qaida that it planned, organized and orchestrated the attacks, several official and unofficial investigations into the collapse of the Twin Towers, which concluded that structural failure was responsible and footage of the events themselves, the conspiracy theories continue to grow in strength.  The theories range from those who believe the U.S. government had prior warning of the attacks but did not do enough to stop them, to those who believe the Bush administration deliberately turned a blind eye to those warnings because it wanted a pretext to launch wars in the Middle East.  Many witnesses - including firemen, policemen and people who were inside the towers at the time - claim to have heard explosions below the aircraft impacts (including in basement levels) and before both the collapses and the attacks themselves.  ◇ 9.11 음모론 = 미국 정부가 2001년 9.11 테러 관련 정보를 사전에 입수하고도 묵인했다는 주장. 심지어는 테러의 배후가 알-카에다가 아닌 미국 정부라는 의혹도 제기됐다. 이는 9.11 이후 테러와의 전쟁을 선포, 아프가니스탄과 이라크를 침공하는 등 부시 정부가 9.11 테러를 정치적으로 악용했다는 판단에 따른 것.  특히 지난해에는 석연치않은 테러 정황을 조목조목 제시한 '루스체인지'라는 동영상이 화제를 모으면서 '9.11 음모론'을 확산시켰다.  2. Area 51 and the Aliens   Conspiracy theorists believe that the remains of crashed UFO spacecrafts are stored at Area 51, an Air Force base about 150 miles from Las Vegas, where government scientists reverse-engineer the aliens' highly advanced technology. Fodder for this has come from a variety of supposed UFO sightings in the area and testimony from a retired Army colonel who says he was given access to extraterrestrial materials gathered from an alien spacecraft that crashed in Roswell, N.M. Some believe that the government studies time travel at Area 51, also known as Groom Lake or Dreamland.  The government has developed advanced aircraft and weapons systems at nearby Nellis Air Force Base, including Stealth bombers and reconnaissance planes. And the government's official line — that the details of Area 51 are classified for purposes of national security — is only seen as further proof that the military is hiding aliens or alien spacecraft.  ◇ 외계인 기지 '에어리어 51' = 미국 네바다주에 위치한 '에어리어 51(Area 51)'은 민간인의 출입이 제한된 군사 기지의 일부.  미확인비행물체(UFO) 추종자들에 따르면 미국 정부는 UFO 복제를 조건으로 외계인이 이 지역을 마음대로 드나들 수 있도록 허용하는 협정을 맺었다고 한다.  이들은 또 이 기지의 존재를 미 정부가 부인하는 것은 외계인의 존재를 은폐하기 위한 음모라고 주장했다. 3. Elvis faked his own death A persistent belief is that "the King" did not die in 1977. Many fans persist in claiming he is still alive, that he went into hiding for various reasons. This claim is allegedly backed up by thousands of so-called sightings. The main reason given in support of the belief that Presley faked his death is that, on his grave, his middle name Aron is spelt as Aaron. But "Aaron" is actually the genuine middle name for Presley. Apparently, either Presley or his parents tried to change the name to "Aron" to make it more similar to Presley's stillborn twin, Jesse Garon Presley. ◇ 엘비스 프레슬리 생존설 = '로큰롤의 황제'로 한 시대를 풍미했던 엘비스 프레슬리 1977년 세상을 떠났지만 높은 인기를 반영하듯 사망 후에도 갖가지 '설(說)'에 휩싸였다. 대표적인 것이 생존설. 각박한 연예계 생활을 견디지 못한 그가 사망을 가장해 대중의 눈 앞에서 사라졌으며, 지금은 한 은거하며 자유로운 삶을 즐기고 있다는 것이다.  실제로 미국에서는 엘비스 프레슬리임을 자처하는 이들이 심심치 않게 등장해 대중의 관심을 끌기도 한다.  4. NASA faked the moon landings Some of the theories surrounding this subject are that the Apollo astronauts did not land on the Moon; NASA and possibly others intentionally deceived the public into believing the landings did occur by manufacturing, destroying, or tampering with evidence, including photos, telemetry tapes, transmissions, and rock samples; and that Nasa and possibly others continue to actively participate in the conspiracy to this day.  Those who think that Nasa faked some or all of the landings base their theories on photographs from the lunar surface which they claim show camera crosshairs partially behind rocks, a flag planted by Buzz Aldrin moving in a strange way, the lack of stars over the lunar landscape and shadows falling in different direction. Many commentators have published detailed rebuttals to the hoax claims, and these theories have been generally discounted.  ◇ 아폴로 달 착륙은 거짓 = 소련에 우주탐사의 주도권을 빼앗긴 미국이 만회를 위해 세트장에서 우주선이 달에 착륙한 것처럼 연출했다는 것이 '아폴로 음모론'의 골자다.  음모론의 근거로는 미 항공우주국(NASA)이 아폴로 11호의 달 착륙 영상 중 극히 일부(3.5%)만을 공개했고, 그마저 일부는 착색하거나 원형을 변조했다는 점이 제시된다. 또 NASA가 공개한 사진에서는 성조기가 펄럭이는데, 진공상태인 달 표면에서는 있을 수 없는 일이라는 주장도 제기됐다.    5. Shakespeare was not Shakespeare  Who really was the English language's greatest writer? Among the numerous alternative candidates that have been proposed Francis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, William Stanley (6th Earl of Derby) and Edward de Vere (17th Earl of Oxford), are the most popular. Theorists believe there is a lack of evidence proving that the actor and businessman sometimes known as Shaksper of Stratford was responsible for the body of works that bear his name. Very little biographical information exists about Shakespeare.  ◇ 셰익스피어는 없다 = 셰익스피어의 실존 여부는 영문학계 최대의 음모론이며, 18세기부터 제기돼 왔을 정도로 오랜 역사를 지녔다.  셰익스피어 작품의 실제 작가를 두고는 프란시스 베이컨, 크리스토퍼 말로, 에드워드 드 베르 등의 다양한 설이 넘쳐나고 있으며, 엘리자베스 영국 여왕의 숨겨진 사생아가 셰익스피어란 필명으로 활동했다는 주장도 나왔다.  학계에서도 이 논란에 관심을 갖고 '셰익스피어 미스터리' 해결에 나섰다.  6. Da Vinci code Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have been married, or so says the Gospel of Philip. Sure, it's the basic plot of The Da Vinci Code (the thriller also wraps in conspiracy shibboleths like Opus Dei and the Knights Templar for good measure) — but the theory finds its basis in writings from the Gnostic Gospels, which were discovered in 1945 and whose authenticity religious experts still dispute. In the Gospel of Philip, Mary Magdalene, who is referred to as Jesus' koinonos, a Greek term for "companion" or "partner," is depicted as being closer to Jesus than any other apostle. ◇ 다빈치코드, 음모론의 결정체 = 전세계 독자들의 폭발적 반응을 이끌어냈던 댄 브라운의 베스트셀러 '다빈치 코드'.  예수의 생애와 성배의 실체에 대한 의문을 스릴러 형식으로 풀어간 이 책은 레오나르도 다빈치의 작품 '최후의 만찬'을 모티프로 예수가 막달라 마리아와 결혼해 아이를 두었으며 그 후손이 오늘날에도 생존해있다는 설정으로 커다란 논란을 불러 일으켰다.    7. The reptilian elite They are among us. Blood-drinking, flesh-eating, shape-shifting extraterrestrial reptilian humanoids with only one objective in their cold-blooded little heads: to enslave the human race. They are our leaders, our corporate executives, our beloved Oscar-winning actors and Grammy-winning singers, and they're responsible for the Holocaust, the Oklahoma City bombings and the 9/11 attacks ... at least according to former BBC sports reporter David Icke, who became the poster human for the theory in 1998 after publishing his first book, The Biggest Secret, which contained interviews with two Brits who claimed members of the royal family are nothing more than reptiles with crowns. The conspiracy theorist and New Age philosopher, who wore only turquoise for a time and insisted on being called Son of God-Head, says these "Annunaki" (the reptiles) have controlled humankind since ancient times; they count among their number Queen Elizabeth, George W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Bob Hope. Encroaching on other conspiracy theorists' territory, Icke even claims that the lizards are behind secret societies like the Freemasons and the Illuminati. ◇ 파충류가 지구를 지배한다? = 조지 부시 미국 대통령을 비롯, 세계를 이끄는 지도자들은 인간의 피를 빨아먹는 외계인 파충류가 둔갑한 것이라는 기괴한 음모론도 있다.  최초로 이러한 음모론을 내놓은 영국 소설가 데이비드 아이크는 세계가 '일루미나티'라는 비밀 조직에 의해 운영되고 있으며 이 조직을 조종하는 세력은 파충류 외계인이라고 주장하고 있다.  8. The AIDS virus was created in a laboratory Based on the theories of Dr. William Campbell Douglass, many believe that HIV was genetically engineered in 1974 by the World Health Organization. Dr. Douglass believed that it was a cold-blooded attempt to create a killer virus, which was then used in a successful experiment in Africa. Others have claimed that it was created by the CIA or the KGB as a means to reduce world population.  ◇ 에이즈 음모론 = 에이즈(후천성면역결핍증)는 특정 지역의 인종을 몰살시키기 위해 일부 과학자가 만들어낸 질병이라는 주장이다.  실제로 미국 흑인들 가운데 상당수는 미 정부 과학자들이 흑인 사회를 통제하거나 없애버리기 위해 이 병을 만들어냈다고 믿고 있는 것으로 조사되기도 했다.  9. The assassination of John F. Kennedy  JFK was shot on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas at 12.30pm . He was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife - Jacqueline Kennedy - in a motorcade. The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 1963 to 1964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 1976 to 1979, and other government investigations concluded that the President had been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald - who was himself shot dead by Jack Ruby while in police custody.  But doubts about the official explanation and the conclusion that Oswald was the lone gunman firing from the Texas Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza where Kennedy was hit surfaced soon after the commission report. Footage of the motorcade taken by Abraham Zapruder on 8mm film supported the growing belief that at least four shots were fired - not the three that the Warren Commission claimed. The moments of impact recorded on the film also suggested that at least one of the shots came from a completely different direction to those supposedly fired by Oswald - evidence backed up by testimony of several eye witnesses. Many believed that several shots were fired by gunmen hiding behind a picket fence on a grassy knoll overlooking the plaza.  In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed. The HSCA also concluded that there were at least four shots fired and that it was probable that a conspiracy existed. However, later studies, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, have called into question the accuracy of the evidence used by the HSCA to support its finding of four shots.  ◇ 존 F. 케네디 암살 배후는 마피아 = 지난 1963년 발생한 존 F. 케네디 전 미국 대통령 암살 사건은 당시 케네디 전 대통령에게 총구를 겨눴던 리 하비 오스왈드의 단독 범행으로 결론났으나 세간에서는 암살 배후가 마피아라는 음모론이 끊임없이 제기돼왔다.  최근에는 오스왈드와 그를 암살한 잭 루비의 대화 녹취록이 공개돼 케네디 암살 음모설을 둘러싼 논란이 다시 불거졌다.  10. Princess Diana An obvious truth can be difficult to face. On Feb. 18 2008, Mohamed al Fayed told a British inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and his son Dodi, that the pair was murdered in a conspiracy that included the British royal family, secret service and government. In fact, the court proceedings are showing that the pair was the victims of their drunken chauffeur.  ◇ 영국 왕실 다이애나 암살설 = 지난 1997년 교통사고로 사망한 다이애나 전 영국 왕세자비의 사인 심의회가 영국에서 진행되고 있는 가운데 다이애나의 죽음을 둘러싼 음모론이 난무하고 있다.  대표적인 것이 영국 왕실의 다이애나 암살설. 사고 차량에 동승했던 다이애나의 연인 도디 알 파예드의 아버지 모하메드 알 파예드는 다이애나가 당시 도디의 아이를 임신하고 있었기 때문에 엘리자베스 2세 여왕의 부군인 필립공이 MI6 등 영국 정보기관 요원들을 동원해 이들을 암살했다고 주장해 왔다.