[lbo-talk] 'Conspiracy Theories' and Clandestine Politics

Tayssir John Gabbour tayssir.john at googlemail.com
Sat Feb 24 05:40:14 PST 2007


On 2/23/07, M W <munkle55 at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/articles/l29consp.htm
>
> 'Conspiracy Theories' and Clandestine Politics
> by Jeffrey M. Bale From Lobster 29

I think leftists have been defensive too long about being called conspiracy theorists. I think it's time to call out the mainstream pundits on their conspiracy theorizing.

Liberal conspiracy theorists focus on the Cheney Cabal; Bush and co. invent loony scenarios to justify themselves. (Saddam/WMD conspiracy, various collaborations between unlikely bedfellows, etc.) Bottles of Gatorade at your store contain explosives; Osama's hiding inside your nearby postoffice box.

People know the media's a joke, less than a Comedy Central "fake news show." Rupert Murdoch claims, "... their attitudes towards newspapers are especially alarming. Only 9 percent describe us as trustworthy, a scant 8 percent find us useful, and only 4 percent of respondents think we're entertaining."

Incidentally, there's entertaining podcasts of "The Anarchism of Fools: Conspiracy Theory as a Substitute for Social Critique." I think it's pretty nuanced, and some claims are kind of surprising. (Like, ever noticed the elements within Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 which somehow share that conspiracy theory vibe?) <http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=10456&nav=&>

Tayssir



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