The Antics of Alex Jones

[Jeff]

Not Jones personally, but under his brand.

IMO this is almost criminally confused reasoning.

[brainpanhandler]

IMO this is almost criminally confused reasoning.

Heh. I think I just found a way around the prohibition against calling disinformationist.

[Wombaticus Rex]

This IS a new gem of InfoWars trash, great catch. We are over here dying right now.

4 minute mark is a great riff...shit is so unwatchable, though, how are they letting him just ramble?

Also, is this Alex's old 9/11 truth mini-me trying to grow a hipsterface? That's even funnier if so.

Note that the video information on the youtube page is wall to wall affiliate marketing links

[compared2what?]

IMO this is almost criminally confused reasoning.

Heh. I think I just found a way around the prohibition against calling disinformationist.

You're too kind, imo. (Jeff too, actually. I mean, I didn't hear any reasoning.)

I almost never watch or listen to that stuff, but I'm always really upset when I do. It really wouldn't take more than regular exposure to it to trigger a real mental/emotional breakdown in a lovely, whole ordinarily functioning person who happened to be sensitive to certain kinds of stressors. Such as, for example, terror.

Seriously. Even the most pornographically violent and apocalyptical video-game/movie/whatever-for-kidz that's out there is more responsible wrt to providing accessible safety exits from the nightmare than that. And so are all but the most frankly abusive punitive religions. (Not that either is really responsible; I just mean that at least they include some kind of clearly marked route to safety/victory. So even if taking it is also excessively stressful, the conceptual possibility is preserved. That's something.)

That crap's dangerous. And insidious. I condemn it.
...
I worry that I'm seeing the results here sometimes, and wish there was more I could say or do. But if there is, I can't think of it right now. Or ever. It's very frustrating.
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ON EDIT:

Um....Speaking of responsibility: Most people who are regularly exposed to Alex Jones & co. will not be driven insane by it. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. There's just way too high a chance that it will be too much for some people exposed to it to handle for it to be called responsible.

Also, it might not be crap in every regard all the time. Some of it's probably true.

[justdrew]

it's messed up: someone decides to start paying attention, checks out this AJ stuff, then before they know what's hit 'em, they're off into la-la land, alienated, self-disenfranchising, and sounding like a nut to anyone they talk to. AJ needs to just stop it. He pulls off a seriousness occasionally, says some ok stuff, but it's all mixed in with massive doses of saltpeter.

[Luposapien]

Wow. Made it about 1 1/2 minutes in to that one before I hit my limit. I'm going to assume I didn't miss any earth-shattering revelations by cutting out early? Good.

Besides, if you wanna talk about a death cult, I don't think you can really get any better than what is commonly referred to as Christianity, which I understand Mr. Jones is quite fond of. I mean, doesn't it all pretty much hinge around life here on earth being little more than an audition for the after-life? Neat trick, that.

[Wombaticus Rex]

You did miss my very favorite part:

4:00 - "...and the World Health Organization, all this other stuff. But what was interesting...and I watched -- not all the video, I skipped the first part,the question and answer and I, I watched a little bit of it. Basically, he got into science, he was into physics, and then he went to Harvard, one of these...upper crust schools, and there he learned that humans were bad, and he started studying...basically, the effects of reproduction and population. And so hiiiiiiis job now is to go around, and tell kids...that the Earth is overpopulated...and that...steps need to be taken...and...he....puts it in terms that the kids can understand...that if their generation is gonna be part of the solution...that they need to just stop having children and start using birth control and hell, maybe even get sterilized."

Note that the passage quoted above takes him almost a full minute of air time to get out.

[Luposapien]

Egads! I'm almost tempted to stick it out for the sheer entertainment value, but I don't know if I'm feeling sufficiently ironically detached today to truly enjoy it. Thanks for making the effort at transcription, though. It's a bit easier to stomach in print.

[Jeff]

For Jones the perps are the "Big NGOs" and smarty-smart eggheads with...elbow patches on their jackets? There are crises all right, but at Infowars they're always "manufactured" via sophomoric Hegelian sorcery. It's funny, yeah, sometimes. But I think it's also done irreparable harm in North America to the value of - and there's no point in not commodifying it now - the conspiracy brand.

The Earth First! Death Cult? It does have a nice ring to it!

...

Things are getting weird, and while it might be fun to make up a lot of really crazy shit and blabber about it, Earth First!ers don’t want to turn people into sheep. We want people to get fucking awesome and take back their wild natures. In fact, we’d like to see people more armed and more dangerous and more autonomous, and we’d like governments, power stations, and chain stores to crumble.

http://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/201 ... ing-to-it/

[Wombaticus Rex]

Christian and Conspiratainment commentators who take on the weighty topic of Hegelian Synthesis usually present it as something invented, an intellectual technology that was unleashed upon the world. Actually, Hegel was diagnosing a pre-existing condition of the human species. The endless iterations of Thesis and Anti-Thesis stretch back throughout the history of human culture. It is a binary trap that has always shaped us: East and West, victors and victims, war and peace. Us and them.

[justdrew]

well, he must have some serious money flowing into his burgeoning media empire, what are the sources? His radio show is probably a major source, and this new marketing thing he's doing on this 'daily news' - what other sources may there be?


and Jeff - I totally agree this is fucking shit up. It's the typical reinforcing cycle of pandering to the audience, which then demands more.

What do we know about the audience? Not just for AJ, but the C2C audience, and all the other local "weird stuff" shows . . .

wombat, anyone, you ever see any market analysis of the audiences?

[Wombaticus Rex]

wombat, anyone, you ever see any market analysis of the audiences?

Sure, daug, I got you: http://www.quantcast.com/infowars.net#!demo

http://www.quantcast.com/infowars.com#!demo

http://www.quantcast.com/godlikeproductions.com#!demo

http://www.quantcast.com/coasttocoastam.com#!demo

[justdrew]

heh, didn't realize C2C was clear channel

and GLP is Quantified, interesting.

but I was thinking more in-depth market research. Would take lots of interviews I guess, not going to get that info for free I guess. Unless - an insider leaked Jonestown's own research.

[compared2what?]

daug

There's a merchandising fortune waiting to be made in that word, I just know it.

It was also the first augmented chord in rock and roll. Or so they say. "They" being publicists for AC/DC or something, no doubt. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Off topic.

[JackRiddler]

Besides, if you wanna talk about a death cult, I don't think you can really get any better than what is commonly referred to as Christianity, which I understand Mr. Jones is quite fond of.

He's an entrepreneur and fond of whatever helps that.