>Chuck wrote:
> >
>>
>> I think that this really boils down to racism.
>
>THis is, I think, very nearly the _whole_ reason behind most
>conspiracism. Stupid arabs couldn't do anything that clever, it must
>have been done by the kind of guys that brought us the Bay of Pigs.
>
No, it isn't even close to the whole reason behind "conspiracism". At heart, most conspiracy theories seem to have a strong element of denial that there is any systematic root cause.
Take for instance the UFO "conspiracists". The problem for them is that there is no evidence of alien contact with our planet. Now it could be that this stems from the fact that there actually has been no such contact, but if you don't want to accept that for some reason you'll look for some way to reconcile the two. Easy - there has been contact, but "they" are conspiring to conceal it.
Turning to political events, it seems to me that the same thing is going on. In this case the problem is that the "conspiracists" can't reconcile various unpalatable yet undeniable realities with their deeply indoctrinated belief that their beloved political system is incapable of producing such effects.
Once again, belief in a secret conspiracy is the solution. You don't have to blame the system, its only a few bad apples. Sometimes, the bad apples must be at the very top to have the power, but that's no problem either. As long as it doesn't threaten the deeply ingrained belief in the goodness of the "American Way".
It all operates on an unconscious level of course. (I'm not suggesting a conscious conspiracy, but rather that people instinctively clutch onto any theory or idea which allows them to cling to their fantasy that the "American Way" is thoroughly good.)
Its more common in the US simply because the indoctrination of Americans to believe that their system is the best of all possible systems is so pervasive. All that "...Justice and freedom for all" stuff that American kids are made to chant while holding their hands over their hearts on every occasion possible. Sickening really, I mean it really turns my stomach to watch it and I know I'm not alone. People the world over look away in embarrassment when Americans do it without the slightest idea how ridiculous it makes them look.
The real problem of course is that they come to believe it, at a deep and unconscious level. Yet of course the real world is very different and they can see that too. So they have to come up with some way to reconcile the two realities.
911 "conspiracists" are no different, except of course they are often people reconciling somewhat different versions of reality to the average American. Whereas the "American way is great and good" "conspiracists" are an embarrassment to the American way, the 911 "conspiracists" are equally an embarrassment to those who think like, for instance, Chomsky. the 911 "conspiracists" want to worship the victims of American policy, as if just because they are victims of American policy that makes all opponents of the American Way some kind of saints. So they couldn't have done it, it must have been the great Satan that did this to itself, to discredit Saint Osama.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas