it's a conspiracy, you see
Just as an aside, I went up to the American river this weekend to go rafting and tubing. Good times. Who knew floating down a river on an inflatable inner tube while drinking beer could be so much fun? It's kind of like being at a party, except that you can stick with the people that you meet and like and let the water carry away those you don't.
I've been lately wondering why people tend to latch on to various conspiracy theories, especially those on the "far right" and most of those on the left. To those on the left, capitalism is a big giant conspiracy, as is 9/11, global warming, and everything else. To those on the "far right," the Jews and "monied interests" are behind everything, though there's quite a bit of this sort of thing on the left also with the whole "Palestinian" issues.
I think the reason people latch on to conspiracies is that they derive some sort of psychological utility from them. If you're angry about something, rather than confront the issue you're angry about, you can focus on a distraction in the form of a conspiracy rather than the real issue. Conspiracies serve a similar purpose for those who are afraid. 9/11 Truthers are the starkest example of this. The Arabs have a history dating back to Mohammed of violence against nonbelievers. Organizations like Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood (the Ikwhan) publish articles on jihad and hatred for the West and Western values, Arabs commit terrorist atrocities all around the world. Muslims cheer and claim responsibility for 9/11. Who's responsible for 9/11? You guessed it: George W. Bush. There's just too many coincidences surrounding 9/11 for it to be another Arab act of jihad. What about Tower 7? What about the military exercises conducted on the same day by the US military? What about the stuff my aunt the air traffic controller said? What about the plane that hit the Pentagon? Did George Bush know? What about the history of false-flag operations dating back thousands of years? I don't care what Occam says!
See how the distraction works? There are infinite different rabbit trails to explore rather than introspect about what is actually making me angry or afraid. I don't have to think about my job situation, my family situation, my relationships, my mental health. Nope. I can think about how GWB knew! Meanwhile, my psychological problems can continue to deteriorate, but I can ignore them or blame them on "the system" if they reach a head. It's so perfect.
When you talk to most liberals or listen to guys like Pat Buchanan, a pattern begins to emerge. They're afraid, they're angry, they're paranoid, and the like themselves a conspiracy, whether it's based on the Jews, the government, or some other bogeyman. More amazing still, they can't see what's right in front of their faces in terms of real threats. The Arabs have a 1400 year history of doing exactly what they did on 9/11. So what?!?
PRCalDude
13 Comments
Reader Comments (13)
Conspiracy theories help us fill in the blanks of informatoin we either don't know, aren't privy to, or can't know. Unfortunatley, a lot of people view religion in the same context.
The "new and improved" American / Western Culture conciousness: Narcisism.
Narcissism provides a great source of rage.
Conspiracy theories help us fill in the blanks of informatoin we either don't know, aren't privy to, or can't know. Unfortunatley, a lot of people view religion in the same context.
I was reading a book on secret societies today and have read a lot of conspiracy stuff on the internet. Most of it is highly implausible. Some of the theories even get basic facts wrong and inadvertently disprove themselves.
For instance one internet guy I read was railing against the "Illuminati" and claimed that they had Charles Lindbergh's son murdered in order to warn him that his 'America First' opposition to US involvement in WWII would not be tolerated. A quick Google on Lindbergh revealed his son was abducted and murdered in 1932... a year before Hitler and the Nazis came to power. So no dice there.
A few are at least plausible. The Common Purpose conspiracy for instance. The totalitarian language this "leadership program" uses is very creepy ("Beyond Authority" is their slogan).
Its all just speculation though. I wouldn't claim anything was true unless I was shown irrefutable evidence.
hitchens and VDH are currently tearing up Buchanan's idiotic claims about WW2 over at NRO TV
Buchanan has gone the way of every neo-Nazi. He's infatuated with the Arabs and now believes the Jews are behind the conflict in the Middle East and if only we'd leave the ARabs alone and stop supporting Israel, we'd have no more problems with terrorism. It's all the fault of the kike, you see.
Since I am the only one personally qualified to speak to this pejorative question, she's actually my Godmother and has been the director for Philadelphia International Airport's control tower for close to 20 years. She knows more about all flight patterns, transponder signals and aircraft speeds surrounding 9/11's Eastern flight traffic than either you or I ever will. Perhaps this is why she was asked to testify for the 9/11 Commission. Put a cork in it dude.
And as for this bullsh#t assumption which has no base in scientific or psychological reality at all, this might be one of the more insulting things you've ever said to me in our continuing political debates. Since it seems you've volunteered to be my personal shrink, please, tell me what things I'm angry with other than the out of line and insulting personal remarks you enjoy making about me from time to time.
Seriously PRCalDude, at least base your personal attacks on fact(s) and not what you assume to know but clearly don't.
Thanks for the awesome river trip (in all seriousness), looking forward to having you in my wedding party.
(Yes, PRCalDude and I are friends, and I enjoy busting his balls when he crosses the line)
I believe you have just proven PCRD's point.
1. I don't know what your godmother said, and I'm all for evaluating coincidences, but not at the risk of jumping to conclusions about what I want to believe such as we find with all conspiracy theorists and truthers.
2. The statement in question is not phrased as an assumption but an as opinion. An opinion based on clinical study which would be a fact if the sources were referenced.
3. Adhominem reprisals (since the rest of us don't know the details of what was discussed on the river trip) in the face of an uncomfortable discussion just makes you look like a whiner.
Actually, I know several people that think like this, and it really has nothing to do with intelligence. Actually, that's not true. People who have more intelligence seem more prone to this sort of thing. Look at the Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. When you see pictures of DKos conventions, it's a bunch of liberal white software engineers. Stupid people don't go online and read about politics and keep track of various theories. Read through the comments on the DU and see if you can notice any trends. All the people are angry, all hate GWB for some reason (besides open borders, which is a good reason to hate him)... I bet most believe in 9/11 "truth" theories.
I do have a friend, though, who everytime I talk to him brings up something about there being Jews in Hitler's army. This leads him to believe that the Holocaust was much smaller than claimed, and that the Jews are just using it to guilt the white man into opening the borders and other things.
If I were you, I wouldn't read too much into the article. You may be in it, but you're not directly mentioned, and there are several other characters in my life and reading that prompted this article, including Pat Buchanan, other friends of mine, and readers on various other sites who always mention Jews but can't seem to give equal time to a billion Muslims who rally under the banner of "There is no God but the God..." and Surahs 9:5 and 9:29. Sorry if you were the straw that broke the camel's back. You should be more cautious how you write online, though, otherwise you'll run the risk of making my point for me, as Larry pointed out.
I wouldn't have read into the article if you hadn't graced me with the same insults in person only a few nights prior.
And as for being more cautious as to how I write online, thanks for the suggestion but I'm well in control of how my words come off, wherever they may appear. Believe it or not, they were all, and continue to be, intentional.
There's a difference between what I said and how you took it. I wasn't trying to offend you, actually. I was trying to tell you something I thought you needed to hear, as friends do. But I do apologize for my tone, if that offended you. I was/am concerned, that is all.
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Proverbs 27:6
Then you understand that this assertion effectively proves Walt's original point, making his argument a statement of fact rather than opinion?