From what I have gathered over the last 5 years ofseriously delving down the proverbial rabbit hole was an influx in ways register what information is coming at me, until recently I laughed at David Ike, then I started see evidence within his claims on the royal blood line.
Conspiracy is a word contrived for an outlandish act or event, that seems way outside the grand scheme of our day day reality... yet, what most are dubbing conspiracies can actually be proven in scientific journals, or documented files.
Believing in something for the sake of wanting it be true is paradoxically unsound.

When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

There's a saying I like to use, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

I've heard many conspiratory ideas over the last twenty years. These have ranged from unconventional aircraft to chemtrails to HAARP. Just in the last year it's been disclosed that the US government had STILL been investigating atypical aircraft as recently as a decade ago. There was what's called a "soft-disclosure" of the chemtrail program. I'm unconvinced on the HAARP one, but there have been interesting phenomena captured on satellite and mosaic radar images.

Are there others? Sure. Those three though, are the items that really pop to the front when I think about the idea of "conspiracy theories".

Many conspiracies turn out factual.
That's why so many people wear the name with a badge of honour.
Jan Karsy forced the U.S. Government to hear him out about Nazi concentration camps by going in under cover, for 4 years he was considered a conspiracy theorist, so many lives lost in the process. We should always listen to both sides of a story.

Doesn't it depend on how it is contextualized? ... Or who makes the claim? So no.

Conspiracy theorist ... are conspiracy hy•poth?e•sist with tested, well-substantiated, unifying explanations for a set of verified, proven factors..

I don't shun the word, but when what could be considered outrageous claims are made evidence should be presented to back said claims.