Fifty years later, JFK assassination echoes in today's distrust of government

November 5, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Of all the legacies left by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 50 years ago, one of the most enduring may be its significant contribution to Americans’ distrust of their government, says a University of Florida professor who studies conspiracy theories.

While that skepticism began to emerge after World War II, the Kennedy assassination and subsequent rumors of a cover-up during the investigation marked a significant turning point – the beginning of a national loss of innocence and autonomy magnified by the Vietnam War, Watergate and even the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, says Victoria Pagán, a professor of classics at UF and author of two books on conspiracy theories in ancient Rome that shed light on our perceptions of this modern phenomenon.

“As a human response to a critical lack of information, distrust and suspicion are at the heart of conspiracy theory,” Pagán said. “So when the Warren Commission failed to explain the assassination of JFK to everyone’s satisfaction, a culture of distrust set in.”

Even the Tea Party, with its signature wariness of Washington, may owe a small debt to the events in Dallas half a century ago – and possibly even to events in Roman history, Pagán said.

“The power of conspiracy theory is in its residual effects: It’s always much easier to allege than refute,” she said, “and once alleged almost impossible to erase. The Romans knew this, too.”

Pagán is the author of “Conspiracy Theory in Latin Literature” and “A Companion to Tacitus,” both published in 2012. She can be reached at 352-273-3696 (office), 352-284-9854 (cell) or vepagan@ufl.edu.