Comprehensive resources on the one grand conspiracy theory.
January 25, 2016 9:20 AM Subscribe
Watching the X-Files last night with my father he said that he believed in all of it and that it the show was soft disclosure of what's really happening. He seems to believe in EVERY conspiracy theory out there. Are there any resources, preferably books (or other sources) with a skeptical point of view that review all theories in a comprehensive manner? Non-skeptical point of views might be useful as well.
My guess about soft disclosure is that its a distraction from the reality of the existence of extraterrestrial or preparing us for the truth. I asked him what is not actually a conspiracy as he he seems to believe them all; alien cover ups and the fact that there are numerous species either defending us or out to destroy us, The Illuminati, the Clintons are covering up 30 murders, The trilateral commission, Hitler living under Antarctica, Freemasons, Protocols of the Elders of Zion (yuck), etc. etc. Are there any resources that provide a pretty complete overview of all the conspiracies that these people seem to believe? I'd like to see how it all comes together.
My guess about soft disclosure is that its a distraction from the reality of the existence of extraterrestrial or preparing us for the truth. I asked him what is not actually a conspiracy as he he seems to believe them all; alien cover ups and the fact that there are numerous species either defending us or out to destroy us, The Illuminati, the Clintons are covering up 30 murders, The trilateral commission, Hitler living under Antarctica, Freemasons, Protocols of the Elders of Zion (yuck), etc. etc. Are there any resources that provide a pretty complete overview of all the conspiracies that these people seem to believe? I'd like to see how it all comes together.
Crank.net has been around for a long time. It doesn't seem to have been materially updated in a long time, but it's still encyclopedic.
posted by adamrice at 9:58 AM on January 25, 2016
posted by adamrice at 9:58 AM on January 25, 2016
Surveys have shown that if a given person subscribes to one conspiracy, they're likely to believe in others as well. It's a way of thinking, a world view, even. If you can, look into picking up a copy of Michael Barkun's excellent Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America, now into its second edition:
What do UFO believers, Christian millennialists, and right-wing conspiracy theorists have in common? According to Michael Barkun in this fascinating yet disturbing book, quite a lot. It is well known that some Americans are obsessed with conspiracies. The Kennedy assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2001 terrorist attacks have all generated elaborate stories of hidden plots. What is far less known is the extent to which conspiracist worldviews have recently become linked in strange and unpredictable ways with other "fringe" notions such as a belief in UFOs, Nostradamus, and the Illuminati. Unraveling the extraordinary genealogies and permutations of these increasingly widespread ideas, Barkun shows how this web of urban legends has spread among subcultures on the Internet and through mass media, how a new style of conspiracy thinking has recently arisen, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture.posted by Sonny Jim at 10:23 AM on January 25, 2016
I wonder if Adam Curtis documentaries would hurt or help…
posted by OwlBoy at 10:32 AM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by OwlBoy at 10:32 AM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
How old is your father, and has he always been like this? I regret to say that this kind of thing seems to happen to quite a few people as they age; my own father (a liberal Roosevelt Democrat all his life) started babbling about Mexicans invading the house as he got close to 90. In any case, I doubt whether exposure to rational anti-conspiracy arguments will accomplish anything; you may simply have to learn to take it in stride.
posted by languagehat at 12:54 PM on January 25, 2016
posted by languagehat at 12:54 PM on January 25, 2016
I found Debunk It!: How to Stay Sane in a World of Misinformation by John Grant and The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories by James McConnachie sitting next to each other on the library shelf. Neither of them is perfect, but they are useful.
There is also Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, which is good for understanding the rationale behind some people's belief system.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 12:56 PM on January 25, 2016
There is also Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time, which is good for understanding the rationale behind some people's belief system.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 12:56 PM on January 25, 2016
Response by poster: I'm not asking this question because I am concerned about my father. (I am concerned though) I'm asking to learn more about it. It's fascinating to me that smart people fall for this stuff and as far as I can tell they fall for everything and not just a few things here and there even when one conspiracy contradicts another.
posted by Che boludo! at 1:21 PM on January 25, 2016
posted by Che boludo! at 1:21 PM on January 25, 2016
Oh, OK, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying, and I'm sorry you have to go through this with your dad.
posted by languagehat at 5:28 PM on January 25, 2016
posted by languagehat at 5:28 PM on January 25, 2016
Are there any resources that provide a pretty complete overview of all the conspiracies that these people seem to believe?
I am saying this with my tongue partially in my cheek, but yes - the extremely long public lectures of David Icke. He seems to have pulled a similar trick of creating what is essentially a Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory. There are even some somewhat reasonable ideas woven into the mix, which certainly helps illustrate how people can take the gradual leaps from believing something reasonable to something very unreasonable.
At their heart all conspiracy theories are about fear of no one being in control. It is much, much more pleasant for some people to believe that sinister human forces are controlling everything for nefarious ends, than to believe that nothing is controlling anything for no ends whatsoever.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 8:54 PM on January 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
I am saying this with my tongue partially in my cheek, but yes - the extremely long public lectures of David Icke. He seems to have pulled a similar trick of creating what is essentially a Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory. There are even some somewhat reasonable ideas woven into the mix, which certainly helps illustrate how people can take the gradual leaps from believing something reasonable to something very unreasonable.
At their heart all conspiracy theories are about fear of no one being in control. It is much, much more pleasant for some people to believe that sinister human forces are controlling everything for nefarious ends, than to believe that nothing is controlling anything for no ends whatsoever.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 8:54 PM on January 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
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posted by Ipsifendus at 9:48 AM on January 25, 2016 [3 favorites]