The surprising belief in shapeshifters
The "Lizard People" Theory
Okay, let’s talk about shapeshifting.
Shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself from human to an alternate form due to the possession of a supernatural ability, divine intervention, or even familial inheritance.
Various cultures around the world believe that shapeshifting is possible.
Many Indigenous cultures are said to possess the ability to shapeshift into eagles or bears.
Haitian cultures believe in the ability to shapeshift into werewolves.
But did you know that 12 million Americans believe that the elite have the ability to shapeshift into reptiles?
I came across a list of the most commonly believed conspiracy theories. It included the usual… global warming is a hoax coming in at 37% believers…14% believe that Bigfoot exists… and sure enough right at the very bottom of the list, I found the belief that “Lizard People” control the government.
The idea is that these Lizard People come from another planet and literally feed off of negative energy so, in order to survive, they create false societal problems to pit people against each other and stir negative controversy. 12 million Americans believe this!
Shapeshifting holds cultural and mythical significance in various traditions, but beliefs in reptilian shapeshifting fall into the realm of conspiracy theories. You might be wondering why.
A conspiracy theory is a belief or explanation that suggests a secretive group or organization is responsible for orchestrating or covering up significant events or situations through secretive and malicious actions.
Shapeshifting in other cultures is not considered a conspiracy theory because it is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs, mythology, and folklore that do not attempt to persuade you that some powerful elite is engaging in secretive actions behind our backs. In many indigenous and traditional belief systems, shapeshifting is seen as a spiritual or supernatural ability passed down through generations or granted by higher powers to certain individuals, rather than a powerful and inherently manipulative group pulling the strings for all of us.
The logic remains, though, that the absurdity of the "Lizard People" theory does not lie in the impossibility of humans shapeshifting into lizards. If we can believe that humans can shapeshift into eagles, bears, or werewolves, then it should be conceivable to believe that they could also shapeshift into a reptilian form. However, the absurdity of the "Lizard People" theory stems from the fact that shapeshifting seems to be a deeply spiritual occurrence, making the likelihood of a member of the elite experiencing it extremely low.
We seem able to believe in strange things, but when it comes to the “Lizard People” theory, most of us are on the same page. You don’t need to be a member of some alien reptilian elite in order to be thought to be a snake in office. It’s easier to believe that the government is controlled by metaphorical snakes, than literal ones, and the effect is all the same.
-Felecia For The Win
Felecia is a software engineer by trade but a philosopher at heart who has amassed a following of over 500K on TikTok by talking about society. Felecia chats about social constructs, social experiments, social programming, and social psychology.