Out To Get You
In Standpoint.Online, Nick Cohen writes about conspiracy theories. First, they're probably more dangerous than actual conspiracies. Second, they no know politics--they're as common on the Left as the Right. Third, even otherwise rational people can be overcome.
The only part of his piece that struck me as odd was his list of nutty theories that he felt his readers may actually give some credence to:
I am not sure, however, that you can say, hand on heart, that you have not thought for a fleeting moment that maybe there just might be something in the following propositions:
That Nato governments and their tame journalists invented the "atrocities" committed by Slobodan Milosevic's Serbia and her allies in order to justify a war to expand the empire of neo-liberalism into the southern Balkans;
That Prince Philip, along with the British and French intelligence services, arranged the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, because she was about to marry a Muslim;
That the 9/11 atrocities in New York and Washington were an "inside job" organised by a rogue faction within the US intelligence agencies or maybe the Bush administration itself to justify war in the Muslim world;
That Israel warned Jews to stay away from the World Trade Centre on 9/11 but allowed the slaughter of gentiles to stoke up hatred of Muslims;
That the Jews, once again, formed a "lobby" in the US that pushed America into a needless war against Saddam Hussein;
And that the Bush and Blair administrations knew in advance that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction worthy of the name but lied and went to war under a false prospectus.
Most of the people I know wouldn't waste a second with these notions (even the last one). Then I remembered--this is being read over in the UK, where they have different biases (including the worldwide habit of seeing Zionists behind everything).
I might add Nick's readers don't disappoint. Most of the comments seem to be about how these conspiracies were true.
The only part of his piece that struck me as odd was his list of nutty theories that he felt his readers may actually give some credence to:
I am not sure, however, that you can say, hand on heart, that you have not thought for a fleeting moment that maybe there just might be something in the following propositions:
That Nato governments and their tame journalists invented the "atrocities" committed by Slobodan Milosevic's Serbia and her allies in order to justify a war to expand the empire of neo-liberalism into the southern Balkans;
That Prince Philip, along with the British and French intelligence services, arranged the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, because she was about to marry a Muslim;
That the 9/11 atrocities in New York and Washington were an "inside job" organised by a rogue faction within the US intelligence agencies or maybe the Bush administration itself to justify war in the Muslim world;
That Israel warned Jews to stay away from the World Trade Centre on 9/11 but allowed the slaughter of gentiles to stoke up hatred of Muslims;
That the Jews, once again, formed a "lobby" in the US that pushed America into a needless war against Saddam Hussein;
And that the Bush and Blair administrations knew in advance that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction worthy of the name but lied and went to war under a false prospectus.
Most of the people I know wouldn't waste a second with these notions (even the last one). Then I remembered--this is being read over in the UK, where they have different biases (including the worldwide habit of seeing Zionists behind everything).
I might add Nick's readers don't disappoint. Most of the comments seem to be about how these conspiracies were true.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:20 AM
6 Comments:
he could have added
-That Obama is a Muslim and his wife disparages "whitey"
-Anything the Swift Boat veterans said
-That current policies are socialist
Name one thing the Swift Boat Veterans said that was wrong. Almost everything they claimed was a matter of public record. The rest was the word of 200+ veterans against one politician who'd already been caught lying about his Vietnam record. The only lie everyone believes about the Swift Boat Veterans is that no one responded, when in truth the media as a whole, along with John Kerry's team, attacked them constantly, using far more space than the Veterans did--all of which they had to pay for because the media had ignored the true stories they had to tell about Kerry disparaging his fellow veterans and returning his medals.
Obama's wife has disparaged America as a mean country that she was never proud of. It's Obama's minister who has attacked whitey. Obama himself has used his Muslim ties when it's been convenient.
Whether or not our current economic policies are socialist is a diversion used by people who don't want to talk about our current economic policies. Whether or not the government taking over two of our biggest car companies, the financial sector and the health care industry is socialist or not is a philosophical debate. What's not at issue is that this is big government intervening in our economy as never before.
I actually think the more off the wall a whacko theory is, the more people will at least give it a second thought.
Like the suggestion that aliens crashed in Roswell, NM. Or the belief in Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster.
It may be that these truly bizzare theories are more "believable" because they are non-threatening and sort of fun to believe in. Whether or not Sasquatch roams the great Northwest is irrelevant to one's daily life, while if the gov't blew up the WTC, we are all in extreme danger of losing our liberties.
That Israel warned Jews to stay away from the World Trade Centre on 9/11 but allowed the slaughter of gentiles to stoke up hatred of Muslims.
I know we are supposed to laugh at these things, but this one just makes me angry.
The very top floors of one of the WTC towers contained some kind of bond-trading company. (I don't understand finance so I can't recall exactly what they did.) It was run by two brothers, who were Jewish, as were quite a few of the employees.
On 9/11, one of them was away from the office. I remember seeing him on television. He had just lost his brother and many dear friends. The image stuck with me: an adult man in a business suit sobbing uncontrollably. It's not something I see much.
So when I hear about "the Jews escaping" it just makes me mad.
Current policies aren't socialist? Hell, Nixon's policies were socialist. What planet do you live on, Anon1?
Lawrence:
The name of the firm is Cantor Fitzgerald, and the man you saw sobbing is Howard Lutnick. And I feel precisely the same way.
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