Watch that and the Times piece by one of "Obama's brownshirts in the media" (known to you and me as David Aaronovitch) seems almost superfluous. If you want to go further with DA's conspiracy theory thing, read John H Richardson in Esquire: part 1; part 2. 9/11 conspiracy nuts to birthers: not a great leap at all.
Near the cafeteria, a man named Ernie was passing out free copies of a video called The Obama Deception. Produced by a Texas radio host named Alex Jones, it argues that the Wall Street elite created the economic crisis in order to cause a panic that would grease the skids to fascism. (Jones also believes that 9/11 was an inside job.)
Of course, the mobs (what else to call them?) against Obama are pro-free market. And not just abstract free market, but the system which currently obtains in the US (or did until this year; and, yes, I do know that that's not and never has been an ideal free market). They also believe AT THE SAME TIME that the "Wall Street elite" hate capitalism. It's not that I don't understand their thought processes: it's that what they say doesn't resemble thinking.
posted by Chardonnay Chap at 8/12/2009 06:59:00 PM
7 Comments:
Just to be clear, what are we defining as 9/11 conspiracy nuts? Because personally I tend to agree with Peter Dale Scott on 9/11.
The link should clear that up. Jones cited two seismologists for his 9/11 theory; at least one of them said he misrepresented them and his claims are not supported by the science.
Actually the whole wingnut world in america wasn't really mentioned with regard to Aaro's thesis on believing conspiracy theories. surely this invalidates a lot of his claims in general, unless he wants to start psychoanalyzing America in the same way he did the Muslim world - ie, they either believe this stuff through arrogance or an inferiority complex. Also note that this is totally not the sole domain of men, as aaro seemed to claim was the case with conspiracy theories...
Isn't this all very 'anti-American' in Decent eyes, as well? I mean, the voice of real america is Sarah 'NHS Death Panels' Palin after all.
I can't help thinking that we're mercifully spared a lot of this crap thanks to, er, the differing approach to libel and free speech over here.
Oh that Alex Jones.
I think the whole truther thing is a good example of the importance of Occam's Razor and a small bit of empathy. Imagine for a moment you're Cheney and you want your Pearl Harbour moment. Are you really going to initiate a complicated plan inolving remote controlled planes, explosives in the WTC, passengers disappeared, missiles and god knows what else that doesn't even manage to frame Iraq?
off topic - Progress Online has a review by Dave of Neal Lawson's book (complete with response by Neal Lawson) :
http://www.progressonline.org.uk/Magazine/article.asp?a=4575
Its not a terribly convincing review, is it. I mean the book might be rubbish, but all I got from the review was that DA thinks the books topic isn't even worth considering, an argument he backs up with some mangled, half-remembered, history.
the history in that review is really bad, no matter how poor Lawson's arguments are. The 'Highland Clearances' point is so awful I'm not sure what he's even trying to say.
Lawson also comes back at him, in badly spelt but not entirely unconvincing fashion, in the comments.
I think that Aaro should probably not say things like this:
one of two jokes in 200 pages that, cumulatively, feel like being hit round the head repeatedly with a polystyrene mallet
He is trying (and failing) to be funny in a sentence criticising a book for not being funny.
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