Pizzagate. It's a strange example of government paranoia that has made its way through social media in the past few weeks. There are thousands of YouTube videos dedicated to both defending and debunking the conspiracy theory. Thousands of social media posts on Instagram and Facebook surrounding the evidence. Millions of people who know nothing about it.

I looked up Pizzagate myself, not because I suspected it could be true, but because the whirlwind surrounding it was far too seductive to ignore.

If you're not familiar with Pizzagate, it is a theory that began culminating when the most recent batch of emails within the Clinton campaign was released. Trump supporters began scouring through the emails in an attempt to find any hint of wrongdoing. Suspicion began when certain emails that included the owner of Comet Ping Pong, a pizza shop that has fundraised extensively for Clinton, used food references in weird places. The ongoing theory is that the references were slang for child trafficking.

It is indeed a disgusting thought to think about, but even through this, I found myself seeing the entire investigation by social media fanatics a bit of a stretch. Most seemed to be making conclusions and simply looking for evidence to support it.

But what bothered me most was not the efforts of these amateur investigators, but the public's dismissal of the entire thing. Speaking to college students about the incident, I found that most considered it nonsense.

One student, Raehanna Ahmed, was particularly articulate about the conspiracy. "What we're seeing is an explosion of conspiracy theories that are the catalyzed by dishonesty and mankind’s natural desire for explanations. If the truth is not provided, people will conjure it. Because the truth is not what really happened, but what is believed to have happened."

Ahmed's points make sense in principle. But how can we decipher what is reasonable doubt and excessive paranoia? Why do we always doubt what does not seem outright plausible?

And so the entire Pizzagate spectacle is enlightening not in its claims or the evidence towards it, but how is showcases how complacent we all are to our government.

This is not an anti-government dialectic. It is obvious--and perhaps more important than anything else--that our government offers its citizens enormous benefits, providing us with healthcare and welfare for the poor and elderly, and providing us with safety.

But many would argue that our government also fails us in many aspects, even within the various aspects of healthcare, monetary aid, military spending, and social justice. Many wonder how a government so powerful can spend so much on military aid and still watch many Americans fight against a rigged system that will never let them win.

And when we start thinking about how powerful our government is and how helpless some are, we start to wonder where the power really circulates. Our 2008 recession is an effective example of where the government's priorities are, and how the lower and middle class suffers as a result.

To those who claim our government is doing all it can and makes us aware of every decision it makes: I praise you for your optimism and acknowledge that you may be right on one level.

But to those people I also raise a fundamental question: if the government wanted to abuse power and hide something from us, could they?

I doubt that any government-loving citizen would be able to wholeheartedly make a claim other than Yes, our government could hide something from us if they wanted to by using all of the resources that they have in the name of our wellbeing.

And when we come to terms with this, another question arises. If the government can, what is stopping them?

This is not a dialogue crediting the validity of "Pizzagate," or claiming the government is a child-trafficking monopoly, or shuffling through the prospects of the Illuminati actually existing. But a country that relies on only a few sources for their well-being and information is a country that is prone to be taking advantage of. It has been taken advantage of before. Some may say it already is now.

What is the solution? A Libertarian would be pleased to hear that as long as we depend on our government, there is no solid solution to illuminate the possible malpractice and corruption that government may be involved in. But most Libertarians would also painfully acknowledge that our government is necessary (remember that Social Security?).

So what is the real solution? Ahmed has one that I can agree with. "A proportion of the population is scared and skeptical of those who represent them. It is the government’s role to disclose the appropriate amount of information to its citizens to prevent this distrust from happening." If the government is our noble saviour, it needs to be open and honest to the people it saves. Liberals, stop watching MSNBC in your attempt to avoid "conservative bias," and conservatives, turn off Fox news in your attempt to avoid "liberal nonsense," Rely on primary sources. But don't rely wholeheartedly on anything at all. Not until the government acts. And before you blame anyone on their downfalls in America, ask yourself who indeed has the power to turn the tables, if they really wanted to.