Combining Conspiracy and Philanthropy with The Rabbit Hole Club

By: Antonia Le ‘22

When many people think of conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists, it’s likely that they think of some forty-year-old guy, still living on his parents’ basement, posting about how lizards are controlling the world on websites such as 4chan or Reddit. However, this image can be as far from reality as the lizard people conspiracy theory is. In fact, at USC, the faces behind the conspiracy theories are people just like you and me.

Meet The Rabbit Hole Club. Started this semester, this club meets every Wednesday in VKC 259 in order to debate conspiracy theories, have a good time, and figure out how to do some good in the world.

The club was started out of a genuine love for conspiracy theories. Club President Philip Bliss stated, “I had always been interested in the history and the historical implications of conspiracy theories. Learning about these theories was always a fun way to learn about history.”

Bliss’s words ring true for many of the theories discussed over the past semester. For example, during one of the first meetings, the E-board gave a presentation regarding the war on drugs, especially regarding how it specifically targeted communities of color. To someone who doesn’t know much about the war on drugs, the idea that it was designed to target people of color may seem like an outlandish conspiracy theory, but it actually has ground. During the meeting, the club’s E-board gave a well-researched presentation filled with legitimate quotes and data about this claim. In a way, a Rabbit Hole Club meeting is more like a fun and relaxed history class than your typical Reddit conspiracy theory thread.

“We wanted to start this club in order to better understand history and thereby the world around us today,” said Club Vice-President Amishi Bhagat. Many of the club’s presentations seem to be made with that philosophy. Over the past semester, club members have been introduced to new information about topics such as Dick Cheney’s involvement in the Iraq War and Nestlé’s role in the Flint water crisis.

In fact, the club’s coverage of the Flint water crisis has played into one of the club’s other missions: philanthropy. The club sells t-shirts, and proceeds from the sales go to help the victims of the water crisis.

“We’ve done meetings on the Flint water crisis, which allowed us to really see what is going on in that part of the country and how crazy it is. This motivated us to make a change and do better things for these people,” said Amishi Bhagat.

“Our t-shirt philanthropy is a way of showing appreciation for what we’ve learned along the semester. But it’s also an important way to show tangible proof of that there are victims of some of the topics we’re discussing,” said Philip Bliss. “We can help bring more attention to a group of victims while also showing that ‘hey, [people who engage with conspiracy theories] are not insane after all.’”

Though the Rabbit Hole Club examines conspiracy theories with a critical eye and (in Bliss’s words) “not like a bunch of crazy conspiracy theories”, it still knows how to have some fun. When the members are not discussing real-world issues, they’re discussing some more mainstream and funny conspiracy theories, such as the existence of the Illuminati or the idea that Tupac is secretly alive.

The broad variety of topics that fit under the club’s umbrella helps encourage participation from the club’s members, even ones outside of the E-Board. Every week, somebody different gives a presentation on the conspiracy theory of their choice. Past presentations have included the theories mentioned previously, along with topics such as Princess Diana’s death and the puzzling state of the Denver International Airport.  

“We allow members to come up to us with topics they feel passionate about, and we just let them present those,” said Bhagat.

However, this is not to say that the club will sponsor a discussion on just about any conspiracy theory. “The featured conspiracy theories are just what any members want to present. However, there are a couple conspiracy theories, like the Sandy Hook theory, which are a little dicey because of their insensitivity,” said Bliss. “I would have to screen a presentation like that before the rest of the club saw it.”

It is this care and consideration that sets the Rabbit Hole Club apart from the ways that most people get exposed to conspiracy theories, namely YouTube videos or internet forums. The club’s structure also stimulates debate and constructive spread of ideas in ways that YouTube videos and internet forums often can’t.

For example, in Bhagat’s eyes, the club does not always “force serious conversations”. Instead, the club’s leaders “just kind of let the members talk about things they care about and let them enjoy their discussions.”

“We’ve been playing around with the format of the club and finally found a way to present a topic while also stimulating debate after,” explained Bliss. “After an initial presentation by a club member, we assume that whatever the presentation argued is correct. Ninety-nine times out of a 100 this argument has a few holes, so the other members are incentivized to question its merits before we come to a final conclusion as a club. Before this format, the discussions were much less organized.”

With the school year ending and one semester under its belt, the Rabbit Hole Club will have to figure out what it wants to do and how it wants to change for the 2019-2020 school year. According to Bliss, The Rabbit Hole Club could either be a “research-focused club that really goes deep into material to prove or disprove theories” or something more “fun and quirky–still doing research on topics but not dwelling on them too seriously”, instead of focusing more on philanthropy.

Regardless of what happens, the club mission remains the same: providing an outlet for USC students to have stimulating discussions that just might help make the world a better place.

If the Rabbit Hole Club seems like your cup of tea, you can get involved (or purchase a t-shirt!) by e-mailing the club at therabbitholeclub@gmail.com or Club President Philip Bliss at pbliss@usc.edu.

Want more from Trojans 360?

Visit Trojans 360 on Facebook & Twitter to stay up to date with more student content! You can also Ask A Trojan an anonymous question, and we’ll try to answer it in a future post. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

Trojans 360 is USC’s official student-run blog. Content created by students, for students.