Definition of the term "Conspiracy Theory"

[MacCruiskeen]

"Conspiracy Theory" [n. pej.]: Any suspicion of serious ruling-class wrongdoing not yet vindicated in a court of law.

NOTE: Though "conspiracy theory" purports to be a neutral descriptive term, it is in fact an epithet and a powerful deterrent to critical thought. The terms "conspiracy theory" and "paranoid nonsense" are functionally equivalent and thus interchangeable.

[MacCruiskeen]

Jamey Hecht:

THE TERM ‘CONSPIRACY THEORY’

This phrase is among the tireless workhorses of establishment discourse. Without it, disinformation would be much harder than it is. “Conspiracy theory” is a trigger phrase, saturated with intellectual contempt and deeply anti-intellectual resentment. It makes little sense on its own, and while it’s a priceless tool of propaganda, it is worse than useless as an explanatory category.

http://www.911inquiry.org/Presentations/JameyHecht.htm

[yathrib]

My friends and family have me tagged as a conspiracy theorist, and it colors their perception of everything I say or do. If I say that the sky is blue, they ask "is that one of those wacky theories you get from the internets?" They also assume that I'm up for any crazy belief that comes along, like Gerald Posner's Saudi Arabian Doomsday Machine. My parents were very surprised and disappointed that I was skeptical about that one.

[slow_dazzle]

"anti-intellectualism" is rife and it too is a term aimed at rubbishing any considered debate. Add to that the creation of a thug caste as the cheerleaders and it becomes well nigh impossible to get anywhere.

Solutions? Difficult to see a sudden volte face because the lead in time to creating real awareness is considerable. The damage is caused in the school years because our education system is not geared towards critical thinking; it's more rote learning. (See Gatto for example)

I suspect it will take a major impact upon people's lives through economic depression or a similar crisis before they will start to ask what is really going on. People don't like being taken out of their comfy lives and the PTB know that only too well. As long as people don't feel threatened they are content to focus on maintaining that comfort.

The late J K Galbraith called it "The Culture of Contentment".

[Jeff]

Jamey Hecht:

THE TERM ‘CONSPIRACY THEORY’

This phrase is among the tireless workhorses of establishment discourse. Without it, disinformation would be much harder than it is. “Conspiracy theory” is a trigger phrase, saturated with intellectual contempt and deeply anti-intellectual resentment. It makes little sense on its own, and while it’s a priceless tool of propaganda, it is worse than useless as an explanatory category.

http://www.911inquiry.org/Presentations/JameyHecht.htm

Hecht's paper is brilliant. It was the highlight for me of the conference.

Conspiracy is a hypothesis, not a theory. The theory is Deep Politics.

[MacCruiskeen]

They also assume that I'm up for any crazy belief that comes along, like Gerald Posner's Saudi Arabian Doomsday Machine

Well, this is how it works, yathrib. When people say "That's a conspiracy theory!", they are not actually arguing with you; they're simply shouting you down (or laughing you into silence). They are not responding rationally to anything you've said. They are not showing that you have the facts wrong, and they are not demonstrating any flaws in your argument. They are simply declaring the topic out of bounds - literally taboo:

Common etymology traces the word back to the Tongan tabu (or tapu)[1][2] meaning "under prohibition" or 'not allowed'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboo

Which is not to say that there aren't often good, rational reasons to be careful about breaking taboos. I know a journalist who nearly lost her job because of her involvement in a symposium on 9/11. I know two others who actually did lose their jobs with a TV station after they had produced a programme about Flight 93.

[MacCruiskeen]

Naturally, you don't always have to threaten people's lives or livelihoods in order to get them to shut up:

- I wonder why standard operating procedures weren't observed on September 11th.

- Aw, don't tell me you've joined the ranks of the conspiracy theorists!

- No, I'm just wondering why standard operating procedures were not observed on September 11th.

- This is bat-shit crazy stuff. I thought you were a smart guy!

- I'm just asking a simple question. Can you tell me why standard operating procedures were not observed on September 11th?

- C'mon, [*Sigh*]...the Commission spent months looking into all that.

- Yeah, but they gave no convincing answers.

- Well, shit happens, what you gonna do? Hey, c'mon, this conspiracy shit is really boring, y'know?

- I'd just like some answers, that's all.

- Hey, lighten up, man! What's wrong with you? It's a comforting myth that everything has to be rationally explicable. Have a beer.

- But...

- Next you'll be telling me Elvis is alive someplace! Hey, barman, two Heineken.

- ...

Etcetera.

[Wombaticus Rex]

^^For real, that dialog might have been intended as a joke, but I got chills, cuz I've had that conversation, right down to the 2 heineken at the end.

Well, minus the elvis/bigfoot part.

[bubblefunk]

Me too, Wombaticus, except the conversation was WITH the barman. And he definitely did NOT buy me a drink.

They hate being called that, by the way. "Barkeep" is even worse.

[water]

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feeling disappears
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

[theeKultleeder]

The damage is caused in the school years because our education system is not geared towards critical thinking; it's more rote learning. (See Gatto for example)

Yeah, and the same networks that control the production of mass media also own the textbook publishing business.

"The same experts and academics that operate so effectively in the news business also stand to make a lot of money in the textbook industry."

http://spelunkingtheeideosphere.blogspo ... -ii-q.html

[theeKultleeder]

"Conspiracy Theory" [n. pej.]: Any suspicion of serious ruling-class wrongdoing not yet vindicated in a court of law.

NOTE: Though "conspiracy theory" purports to be a neutral descriptive term, it is in fact an epithet and a powerful deterrent to critical thought. The terms "conspiracy theory" and "paranoid nonsense" are functionally equivalent and thus interchangeable.

Here's a quote from a book I'm reading right now, "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" by John Perkins:

I vacillated between viewing such people as an actual conspiracy and simply seeing them as a tight-knit fraternity bent on dominating the world... They were men drawn together in a loose association by common beliefs and shared self-interest, rather than an exclusive group meeting in clandestine hideaways with focused and sinister intent. (Confessions of an Economic Hitman pg 56)

John Perkins... is an activist and author. His best known book is Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, an insider's account of exploitation or neo-colonization of Third World countries by a cabal of corporations, banks, and the United States government...

I think his rep among some RI'ers may be boosted by the following:

The U.S. State Department posted a criticism of Confessions, and of Perkins himself, on its "Identifying Misinformation" site [1], calling his allegations "a total fabrication"...

[Wombaticus Rex]

MacCruiskeen, thanks a billion for that Hecht link, that slipped right through the cracks for me. Much appreciated.

[Wombaticus Rex]

ALSO, I just got a PDF of "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" if anyone reading this wants to tear into it:

http://www.skilluminati.com/docs/Confes ... erkins.pdf

[slow_dazzle]

those who want a copy can get one from the usual outlets...