My Park Slope Food Coop conspiracy blues

Members shop at the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn. Formed in 1973, the Coop is one of the oldest and largest food cooperatives in America. PSFC has more than 15,500 members, most of whom work once every four weeks in exchange for a 20 – 40% savings on groceries. Only members may shop at the PSFC. James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images

Right-wing conspiracy theories dominate the news these days, but conspiracy-mindedness comes in other flavors too. It was left-wingers who once accused me of conspiracy — and made me skeptical of all varieties. 

According to Adam Enders, a professor who studies conspiracy theories and politics, "powerlessness and anxiety and uncertainty" are helping to fuel what a Politico story on living in the "golden age of conspiracy theories" calls our current "pandemic of misinformation." But years ago my own experience showed me, at a micro-level, how easy it is to fall into conspiratorial thinking.