Comments on: THE TRIUMPH OF THE PARANOID LEFT

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:51:06 +0000

It is always enjoyable to read about the bizarre coincidences that led to Ferdinand’s death (although they would have got him eventually and the war would have happened eventually because of the force of history . . . which is the real point of that story of coincidence).

I am very sympathetic to problems in critical thinking but it should be noted that this essay is a poor example of actual critical thinking.

By attributing these conspiracy theories to the ‘paranoid left’ and other versions of ‘the left’ he is missing the actual reasons for conspiracies and fanciful thinking being so pervasive. It would be easy to demonstrate that ‘the right’ is not immune from such things and his essay ironically helps prove the point.

For instance, fear is a central part of human nature and it can be manipulated by feelings of loss of control. The current administration has tweaked this mercilessly for political gain and has set the sensitivity for believing conspiracies even lower.

The results of the poll he cites do not suggest that people think that the US government orchestrated 9/11. They say that a lot of people believe that the US government had advanced warning that it might happen and didn’t act on it. They would be correct. The 9/11 Commission and other investigations have revealed this to be factual.

The 9/11 ‘Truthers’ that he refers to are conspiracy nuts but conflating them with people who think the government had warnings that they didn’t act on is dishonest. Its almost like saying that Saddam Hussein was connected to 9/11 (through Kevin Bacon, no doubt).

And Bush probably did go to war, in some large measure, for oil (and that may be a legitimate strategic aim that was smothered by the deceptive approach that his administration took).

As I pointed out earlier, I am very sympathetic to the argument that great teachers help children learn how to think and that critical thinking is in short supply. People who engage in lousy thinking and call it critical thinking are not helping.

By: Mook

Mook — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 04:29:10 +0000

Previous 2 posters Broadsword and Sirius nail it. E. Cropper, however, fails the basic critical thinking test with his dimwitted smear of Rush/O’reilly/Beck listeners. I’ll bet he thinks Glenn Greenwald is a real journalist.

By: tioedong

tioedong — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:37:59 +0000

I agree with commenters who say it was the way the question was phrased.

The Philippine police came across an early version of the 911 plot in the 1990’s, which was ignored by the Clinton administration. So did “the government” “KNOW”? Well, no, but they should have taken the PNP warning seriously.

By: Sirius Familiaris

Sirius Familiaris — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:11:40 +0000

These arenâ€™t idle questions. They are questions that must be answered by the conspiracists in order for them to prove their theories.

Whenever questions are posited that can’t be logically addressed within the framework of the conspiracy theory, the nutcases simply point their fingers and start howling that the skeptic is part of the conspiracy, too.

The point is, arguing with these people is a Sisyphean task. Personally, I’d rather shave my head with a cheese grater while chewing on tinfoil than provide an audience for any of these lunatics. If there ravings do become conventional wisdom in the years to come, I’ll gladly resign myself to insanity by becoming what Orwell termed the minority of one.

And on that note, Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Rick.

By: Broadsword

Broadsword — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 15:45:24 +0000

Two people I work with believe in, respectively, “Big Oil” price fixing, and the “They let it happen!” myth. After two or three questions, each of them said virtually the same thing, “I can’t talk with you”, “I’m not gonna argue with you” and so on. The Big OIl guy even postured threats. What I am intrigued by is the desire and need of individuals to believe their hysteria. Neither of these guys could stand even hearing questions about what they believed. The “They let it happen” guy was sure they let it happen because he couldn’t believe an aircraft’s location could not be determined. When I pointed out that the transponders were turned off,and though radar may say where a plane is, location doesn’t automatically mean knowing
which plane it is, he erupted. I’ve concluded these guys want to be angry.

By: Juan Paxety

Juan Paxety — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:39:48 +0000

I’d like to know exactly how the question was asked - could it have been interpreted to include the warnings from the FBI agent who tried to get permission to search Moussaoui’s computer and the warnings of foreigners who wanted to learn to fly, but not land, passenger jets? If the question were so broad as to include those warnings, maybe the American people aren’t as nuts as you suspect.

However, as someone who sleeps with a radio on, I hear Coast to Coast AM at night. The show was formerly hosted by Art Bell and was a funny show about UFOs, Bigfoot, ghosts, and occasionally an open line for the anti-Christ to call in. While some of the callers, and some of the guests, took it all very seriously, I always thought I could detect a chuckle in Art’s voice.

Now, however, the show is hosted by George Noory, a former news manager in Detroit and St. Louis and other places. George repeatedly says there is no such thing as coincidence. He actively promotes conspiracy theories that would cause even Alex Jones to give pause. The overall goal of the plot is to reduce the population of the earth to some absurdly low figure - 5-million, IIRC. Somehow this population reduction is supposed to benefit the rich.

Callers to the show now are rarely engaged in fun - the fear in their voices is evident. You’ve hit the nail on the head - people no longer know how to think about a topic. As someone who spent 15-years in the news business, I can tell you that the problem is particularly profound in the news media.

By: edward cropper

edward cropper — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 12:37:55 +0000

Maybe I am living in another world but I am not surprised at anything the average American voter would believe. Having served in public office for a number of years I have come to the conclusion that the average voter has the IQ of lint. They are too concerned about sports, show business trash, getting something for nothing, shopping, moronic TV, and any other distraction that will keep them from having to be a responsible citizen.
Would any thinking person pay attention to the likes of Barack Obama let alone stand there and swoon at his mundane sophomoric babble.
And that goes for the majority of public official wannabees.
Conservative commentators are too believing in the moral fiber of the average American. Voters have proven time and time again they do not really think but let someone else do it for them. Circumstances alone changes the dynamic, not facts and reality.
“Super stars” like Rush, O’reilly, Hannity, Beck, Ingraham, etc. have a captive audience who don’t think for themselves, but lap dog their hero.
Most high profile bloggers have the same followers, and get the same me-to responses.

By: kreiz

kreiz — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:12:10 +0000

The good news (?) is that this isn’t just an American issue. Gallup reported a few years back that 80% those polled in 6 Arab countries believed that 9/11 was a set-up by Israeli intelligence. So it’s a mistake to think that uninformed, misguided paranoia is a uniquely American problem. Now I feel so much better.

By: Conspiracy Theorists on the Rise? « The Van Der GaliÃ«n Gazette

Conspiracy Theorists on the Rise? « The Van Der GaliÃ«n Gazette — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 10:04:05 +0000

[...] More at Right Wing Nut House. [...]

By: tHePeOPle

tHePeOPle — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 07:29:55 +0000

9/11 was written all over the walls before it happened. It’s probably more comforting for people to believe that a conspiracy allowed it to happen, as opposed to believing that colossal stupidity and ineptitude caused to be overlooked. I’ve read much of the 9/11 commission’s report.

If you don’t believe that many elements both corporate and government (if the two are even distinguishable) ached for some kind of 9/11 then you are truly blinded. Everything is revealed when you follow the money. Following the money is as enlightening as it is horrifying.