I just can't come up with a word that accurately describes a large class of independent, and to a certain extent, competitive thinkers of diverse ideological backgrounds suddenly falling into line and subconsciously promulgating an incorrect meme UNLESS it has funding, planning, coordination, direction, leadership, or some other element of control or coercion. It's either a conspiracy, or simply everyone else is just coming to a different conclusion than you. Of course, I can see why you might object to the "c" term, it would put the burden of proof on you and require you to point out leadership, funding, direction or at least some effort to cover it up.

You can't have it both ways: claim conspiracy but somehow expect us to believe its automatic and undirected. Except maybe--isn't that just another word for "consensus"?

I've coined the term "Lowellization" (you have my permission to use it)that you might find useful: an incorrect but not unreasonable hypothesis so persuasively argued and of such massive implications that it influences other investigators to subconsciously but honestly adopt it, therefore giving it legs it normally might not have. It helps, as in Lowell's Martian canals, that there is actually some data which supports the hypothesis, and not enough science available to actually prove it decisively one way or another.

But once the issue is politicized, and converted to some sort of PC litmus test, and linked to ideological positions, and argued and supported by commercial interests, I get suspicious. And although I KNOW you won't agree with this, I'll say it anyway: this is how I see the Right handling this. As I mentioned before, they are the ones that have all the incentive. If the Left has started to react in a similar fashion it is in response to another meme, that this is a real conspiracy designed to deliberately loot and plunder the commercial sector. When one is accused of something one knows to be false one defends oneself.

I give issues like this a lot of thought, and even though I may be wrong, I'm not anyone's lackey or useful idiot and I don't take kindly to being cast in those terms. In fact, against my better judgement, I often lash back with the same rhetoric.

Lowell had his critics too, and they turned out to be right. But it never became a political issue in his own day. Eventually, the truth came out.
The way this debate is going right now, the doubts and misgivings I have about my side are far outweighed by the shrill debating tactics of the other.