Conspiracy "Freaks" used to be fringe culture, the frayed ends of the fringe, far out of the consensus view. It seems to me that the threads of the fabric of American Culture are weaving the Conspiracy motif more prominently as new threads extend the fringe further out. The term "Conspiracy Nut" doesn't quite have the oomph it once did. It doesn't connotate the same degree of wild eyed freakishness as it might have, say, in the '70's, or '80's.
I think it may be time for Americans to ask themselves if they can differentiate between various degrees and qualities of Conspiracy Theory. A theory based on facts that contradict the consensus story-line remains a conspiracy theory until the minds of the times can no longer deny it, and must accept it as true.
The theories surrounding the events of September 11, 2001 are many and varied. The notion the "9-11 Was An Inside Job", I think, has moved beyond theory, and has been increasingly accepted as fact. Who knows who was on the inside, who planned and facilitated the job? I don't know for sure, but I do know that there are too many facts puncturing the veracity of the official story for me to believe it. A majority of critical thinkers agree that the official story has no legs, yet, so much of our nations premise is rooted in this weak and unsubstantiated lie. Our wars, our political speeches, our news, our defense, our international relations, our economy, etc.: all took a turn at the false premise of 9-11. Yet, in the "public" dialogue, the subject still gets treated with the same eye rolling snarkishness as a Big Foot sighting.
The notion that George W. Bush was elected President of the United States still has traction in many peoples minds. That is not a fact that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Since taking office, Bush has done nothing to demonstrate that he perceives himself as a servant of the American public, and everything to bolster the impression that his ambition is tyranny. And yet we still call him President Bush, officially, eight years on.
A minority conspires to "manage" us as consumers and voters, and we, the former citizens, are only inspired enough to debate the style of management we are subjected to. We are not only the subjects of a pack of lies, but we maintain our subjection by living under the premise that these transparent lies are true, when we, for the most part, know that they are not.
Now take a look at this video that came out last week and consider carefully how it makes you feel:
Naomi Wolf: The Coup Happened This Week
I feel funny, but not funny ha ha.
I am posting a list of videos that will provide some perspective on our National situation, for those that feel it, but have a hard time articulating what they are feeling. These are not 5 min clips, but hour long episodes, and I recommend them as a course of study on the American Condition as we stride into the 21st Century
First: The Century of the Self - Part 1: "This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy." (Double click to view big screen)
The Century of the Self - Part 2
The Century of the Self - Part 3
The Century of the Self - Part 4
Ok. Those serve as the premise for this next BBC series:
"The Power of Nightmares" -Part 1: The rise of the Neo-Cons and Radical Islam
"The Power of Nightmares"- Part 2
"The Power of Nightmares"- Part 3
So, what do you think about all that?