The Realm of the Ridiculous: From Election Fraud to UFOs by Mick West

Mick West examines how misleading graphs and conspiracy theories about election fraud resurface, fueled by seemingly ridiculous claims that escape scrutiny. Drawing parallels to UFO conspiracies and advance-fee scams, he highlights how absurdity can be a tactic to both attract believers and deter debunking, allowing discredited theories to persist and resurface over time. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/the-realm-of-the-ridiculous-from-election-fraud-to-ufos/ About the Author: Mick West is a writer, investigator, and debunker who enjoys looking into the evidence behind conspiracy theories and strange phenomena and then explaining what is actually going on. He runs the Metabunk forum, tweets @mickwest, and is the author of the book “Escaping the Rabbit Hole”. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.