"I HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE MOON, SO IT'S NOT REAL"

(photo courtesy Warner Bros Pictures)

by Riley Squared (Riley Bettes & Riley Getchell)
Australia's fake. Aliens are real. Walt Disney's body was frozen. There's a ghost on Stonehill campus. These conspiracies exist in the minds of teachers, students, and proctors here at PCC.
Conspiracy theories are as old as dirt. We poked around and asked PCC students and proctors their thoughts on the matter. One of the most popular theories was that a ghost haunts the Boland dorms. Proctor Ms. Matthews believes that the ghost of Boland "plays tricks" on its residents such as putting lanyards in different spots. "The ghosts here are very friendly," Ms. Matthews explained. Tied at seven, the Ghost of Stonehill theory had some of the most believers. These beliefs stem from stories of Mary and Frederick Ames, who are rumored to have died on campus. These rumors have been debunked, but good stories often take precedence over the truth.
Another widely believed theory is one of the most far-fetched. PCC teacher Mr. Gelenian from TV Production offered his opinion on the theory that Walt Disney's body was cryogenically frozen after his alleged death. "It's too out there to be fake," Mr. G offered. This theory is not unlikely due to the resources Disney possessed. Given his public influence, the appeal of having his body frozen to use his talents in the future makes sense, though most signs point to him having been cremated.
Possibly the most likely of these conspiracies is the belief in aliens or other lifeforms in our universe. This theory is more probable due to a seemingly infinite universe and countless galaxies. A first year adds, "Reading up on all the Area 51 stuff, it could be plausible the government hides other forms of life." Journalism and Creative Writing teacher Mr. Tressel suggests there may not be humanoid life forms like we see in movies, but bacteria and plant life.

A popular theory is the idea of the Mandela Effect. This theory suggest we as a population have collective misremembrances  after a timeline alteration. The theory is named after Nelson Mandela, who many "remember" having died in prison and watching the funeral on live TV. In actuality, Mandela got out of prison and became the president of South Africa. Third year Vicky Bertocchi clearly remembers the Berenstein Bears growing up, but checked the books to find the Berenstain Bears. She also remembers the popular peanut butter brand Jif, even though everyone remembers it as Jiffy.
And last but definitely not least, Mr. Lewis shares his interesting and new conspiracies with us. "I haven't been to the moon, so it's not real, like Australia." You heard it right, not only does he believe the moon to be a projection, but that Australia does not exist. In a similar vein, he does not believe Wyoming to be anything but "a big treadmill." He also believes himself to be the Stonehill ghost mentioned earlier.
It was interesting to explore the minds and beliefs of PCC students and staff, but while conspiracies are fun to explore, sometimes it is difficult to sort fact from fiction.