Were JFK conspiracy theories held in the same regard as as 9/11 truthers are now?
John F Kennedy conspiracy theories are a part of popular culture, feeding books, documentaries, movies etc. Which made me think
1. Were the people who held these views thought of as kooks in the 1960's?
2. 30 years from now could there be the same thread take hold in popular culture in relation to 9/11?
posted by Burgatron
on May 17, 2013 -
18 answers
Are there any real-life historical examples of the Small Town With A Terrible Secret horror trope? Towns where long-term, ongoing crimes (or unsavory religious practices one supposes) where purposefully covered up and kept hidden from the outside world and any attempt to investigate them resulted in the investigator being detained, thrown out, or killed?
posted by The Whelk
on Jan 4, 2013 -
35 answers
A friend of mine has become so wrapped up in conspiracy theories that it's ruining his life. Help!
[more inside]
posted by gorcha
on Oct 19, 2012 -
35 answers
Is there a name for those conspiracy maps that are so often shown in movies and TV shows? You know, the ones on cork board, with photos and index cards connected with strings.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2
on Apr 6, 2012 -
6 answers
Is there a serious, modern, non-fiction, non-kook, non-speculative history of the Bavarian Illuminati, as founded for Adam Weishaupt? I mean the German rationalist club, not the conspiracy theories surrounding it.
[more inside]
posted by Yakuman
on Dec 21, 2011 -
1 answer
I'm sick and in bed and bored out of my gourd. Recommend guilty pleasure-type movies for me! Bonus points for government conspiracy / mysteries.
[more inside]
posted by custard heart
on Nov 5, 2011 -
41 answers
I'm curious about the immediate birth of conspiracy around two aspects of Osama bin Laden's death. Wondering if any AskMeFites can provide clarity:
[more inside]
posted by kensington314
on May 2, 2011 -
25 answers
I finished reading Richard Belzer's hilarious book
UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe and it has gotten me interested in the JFK assassination. I then looked at a
YouTube video that basically used a computer sim that showed the shooting coming from the book depository. My main question: Can any mefite recommend a book or three (of the million written) on the subject that they enjoy and find convincing on the assassination? I am open to any suggestions. Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject.
posted by snap_dragon
on Apr 29, 2011 -
21 answers
I saw this French cop/conspiracy/scandal movie at French camp in the 1970s. Now that I have the awesome power of the internet at my disposal, I'd like to find it again. But I can't.
[more inside]
posted by dhartung
on Apr 20, 2011 -
7 answers
What is
really going on with Pepcid Complete and similar antacid/H2 inhibitor combos? recall was about packaging a long time ago but shelves are still empty and no explanation from "marketing"
posted by Barrows
on Jan 30, 2011 -
3 answers
Machiavelli Filter: I'm looking for games in which I can lie to, betray, manipulate and sow discord among my friends. All in the name of
supreme victory fun, of course.
[more inside]
posted by metaBugs
on Jan 11, 2011 -
51 answers
A person recently mentioned, as an aside, a Samuel Beckett essay (or play, or story) featuring the "Trade Union", which was described as the thing that conspires against ordinary individuals in the quotidian (i.e. when you forget to take your umbrella and it rains, that's the fault of the "Trade Union"; or when you can't find your car keys, that's down to the "Trade Union".)
[more inside]
posted by chavenet
on Nov 29, 2010 -
3 answers
I'm looking for a good book that discusses secret societies and/or conspiracy theories, but does so with at least some objectivity and academic rigor (footnotes, reliable sources, etc.)
[more inside]
posted by mecran01
on Apr 12, 2010 -
15 answers
I just watched
JFK. It IS a movie (hence, adapted for storytelling purposes) but I'm somewhat convinced that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination. Please reassure me that I'm not going bats--t.
[more inside]
posted by the NATURAL
on Mar 25, 2010 -
37 answers
Creep me out! Lately I've been on an "unsettling stuff" kick -- I like feeling unsettled and I find it creatively inspiring -- but I'm running low on things to explore.
[more inside]
posted by Nattie
on Dec 3, 2009 -
102 answers
Every year I am at a loss of what to get my best friend for Christmas. He is a man who really has everything. He likes electronic gadgets but they are usually fairly expensive, and he usually wants something very specific that he ends up buying himself. When I ask him what he wants, he hems and haws and just says, “Nothing, I don’t need anything.”
[more inside]
posted by batonthefueltank
on Dec 1, 2009 -
46 answers
Browsing today's newspapers here in Scotland it would seem that there is an anti-Scottish feeling pervading the whole of the USA after the compassionate release of the Pan-Am bomber last week.
Question1: Am I right in thinking that this is the case, or is it just right wing neo-con nonsense eminating from the Fox News stable?
Question2: If this anti-Scottish feeling does exist, how best can I explain that we the UK/US public have been sold a lie by our Governments and that this guy was merely a patsy?
[more inside]
posted by cameronfromedinburgh
on Aug 26, 2009 -
60 answers
Stupid question filter : "There is no law that requires U.S. citizens to pay income tax" Is this true? Can anyone site the Law?
[more inside]
posted by nola
on Apr 27, 2009 -
33 answers
Please suggest books and films in which the antagonists are consistently clever, creating complex and elegant (evil?) plots-within-plots to befuddle the protagonist and audience!
[more inside]
posted by metaBugs
on Apr 6, 2009 -
28 answers
Am I imagining things or has there lately been a surge of right-wing opinion dominating the forums of popular sites like digg and reddit?
[more inside]
posted by drpynchon
on Mar 24, 2009 -
23 answers
Is there any factual basis to the idea that FDR knew the Japanese were going to attack Pearl Harbor, and allowed it to happen to get the U.S. citizenry behind the war?
[more inside]
posted by tzikeh
on Mar 14, 2009 -
42 answers
A while ago I read about an artist, then recently deceased, whose works consisted of the names of entities in popular conspiracy theories connected with graceful arcs (according as they were held to be in cahoots). Maybe it wasn't only conspiracy theories but also more legitimate political connections. I can't find his name or examples of his work online, and I would like to. Only you can help!
posted by kenko
on Dec 27, 2008 -
4 answers
I'm looking for accessible, credible writing about global banking conspiracies that doesn't lapse into anti-semitism or tinfoil haberdashery. Does such a book exist?
posted by mecran01
on Oct 29, 2008 -
13 answers
Did a journalist investigating the 2000 election in Florida die under suspicious circumstances? If you remember this story even slightly, help me find it.
[more inside]
posted by damehex
on Aug 23, 2008 -
9 answers
We have decided to host a conspiracy-themed party in order to celebrate our new home, and we need more drink/food/activity/decoration ideas!
[more inside]
posted by S_Alzis
on Jun 9, 2008 -
32 answers
Dear Hive-Mind, Want to help me brainstorm up a list of strange (pre-existing) theories?
[more inside]
posted by Jezztek
on May 12, 2008 -
41 answers
A friend of mine, who is highly educated (married with two kids, accomplished medical researcher), is absolutely convinced that September 11 was a huge conspiracy initiated by members of the US government. She has a detailed complex explanation for everything. She takes it deeply personally when I scoff at her, telling me I should read the evidence before forming an opinion. I see her as gullible and she sees me as ignorant. Is there an analysis available comprehensively somewhere addressing the conspiracy theorists to the satisfaction of the leading academics in the relevant areas (material engineering, aerodynamics, media relations, architecture etc)? How do you deal with people like this?
[more inside]
posted by vizsla
on Mar 19, 2008 -
62 answers
Does anyone know of any books or articles that look at conspiracy theories from an anthropology of religion or psychology point of view?
[more inside]
posted by Sangermaine
on Nov 22, 2007 -
6 answers
[ObviousFilter?] Why haven't potato chip bags adopted Ziploc-type seals? Chip-clips are just "ok," and yet I see every other fresh product adopting the Ziploc-type seals. Is this a conspiracy to make my chips go stale (aka inedible) sooner?
posted by tdabbott
on May 8, 2007 -
15 answers
i think there is a term--rhetorical or otherwise-- for the way "conspiracy theory" can serve to cloud the environment of ideas thereby rendering politically unpopular notions inert regardless of their veracity.
anybody know what im struggling to effin describe and label?
posted by oigocosas
on Apr 18, 2007 -
27 answers
What's the significance of having a front license plate with a black background and a single, wide, horizontal blue stripe?
[more inside]
posted by santry
on Nov 6, 2006 -
7 answers
Conspiracy filter: Has anyone ever experienced this strange, suspicious phenomenon on TV before?
[more inside]
posted by wsg
on Jul 6, 2006 -
19 answers
