Conspiracies vs Conspiracy Theories

Yes, there are conspiracies in this world, but let us look at the three signs of a conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theories are usually nurtured by those who don’t understand how the world works or how it is changing. Here are three criteria I came up with:

1. The theorist’s doctor/engineer friend sitting on a sofa looking at a picture or video is a more reliable expert than the dozens of professionals directly involved in the event. These dozens of professionals are all presumed to be part of the conspiracy.
2. The event disturbs some deep comfort zone within the theorist and they must set it right by hanging on to something illogical but not daring to challenge his deep-seated conviction or sense of order.
3. The theorist jumps from one straw of ‘evidence’ to another hoping to convince the skeptic. On the other hand, a real conspiracy is thrown open by just one minor devastating and incontrovertible fact, e.g. Watergate, Memogate etc.