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Conspiracy Theory: Justice or Entertainment?



Thanks to Zac and Albion for inspiring the real question behind the questions about conspiracy theory. I asked a couple of days ago what are the most played-out conspiracy theories?

What I should have asked in addition to that is: are you interested in conspiracy theory as entertainment, or do you actually expect to help bring somebody somewhere to justice? If so, how do you expect your actions to do that? A lot of people also talk about “raising awareness”.

A post on occult blog Key23 offers some classic leftist techniques raise awareness - whatever that means:

Sticker and poster hi-volume areas. Make B&W prints at work and carry a wheatpast spray bottle and a brush around town. Hit cross-roads and intersections, bus & train stops, bar & restaurant bathrooms, overpasses, poles and utility boxes, cargo trucks and taxis.

It all sounds very subversive, certainly. But I’ve never heard anybody actually explain successfully what’s the value in raising awareness? We talk about it like we’re sure it’s a good thing and that we know what happens after awareness has been raised. But meanwhile, everybody knows that smoking is bad for you, but people still smoke. Maybe if we raise just a little bit more awareness…! We also hear the phrase “critical mass” thrown around in conjunction with this. We expect that at some point our efforts to “raise awareness” will reach a “critical mass” at which point we’ll be personally absolved from having to actually do anything ourselves! Well, we figure, we helped raise awareness and after that, we’ll just let the critical mass handle itself. *Wash hands - rinse - repeat*

I’m not going to lie. Personally I find conspiracy theory extremely entertaining. Or else I wouldn’t spend so much time with it. It’s the puzzle that seems to draw in all other puzzles - at least for me anyway. Do I hope people are brought to justice? Sure! Do I expect anyone will be because of anything I do? Not a fucking chance! Do I think I’m raising awareness? Probably. Does that matter in any practical way? I have no freakin’ idea…







6 Reader Responses

  1. albion Says:
    July 17th, 2005 at 2:40 am

    maybe ‘entertainment’ wasn’t the right word, i understand you’re after more than that here. yes, there’s certainly much to be entertained by. and i don’t deny that i love a ride in the ol’ mystery machine. but the whole nazi-warmonger-drug-dealer-paedophile phantasmagoria is, well, pretty damn unjust, and in a way that i think transcends politics. i liked your distinction between ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ conspiracies, and i really did have to ask myself, why am i doing this? why the morbid fascination with the underside of the national security state? i think it’s good for everyone to make that distinction for themselves. as for me, once i had fantasies of being a conspiracy theorist as sort of being a giant-killer, freeing the information and whatnot. but after awhile it becomes obvious that we can talk about shit till sunrise, nobodys listening. at this point i think its just useful for people to figure out for themselves as best they can whats ‘really’ going on, if for no other reason than to better be able to judge how to react in the event things get really bad.

  2. Garrett Kelly Says:
    July 17th, 2005 at 3:13 am

    forgive me if this is old news:

    http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC09/Myers.htm

  3. Jacob Says:
    July 17th, 2005 at 4:02 am

    I hope you don’t mind, but I’d just like to quote a previous post of mine since it pretty much answers the question as to the value of raising awareness:

    No, I meant that…. like someone’s music can have a profound affect on your awareness, and as people become more aware they usually start making good decisions simply as a function of their being. The idea of expanding your own awareness, and sort of sharing that in your work is a more profound thing than focusing on crap like what car you’re driving.

    I mean that stuff that matters too, but it’s still not gonna change shit if it’s not affecting how people think and pattern their behavior.

    that was from the billy corgan thinger.

    But meanwhile, everybody knows that smoking is bad for you, but people still smoke.

    Substantially less people are smoking now than there were in the 50s or even the early 90s.

    Maybe if we raise just a little bit more awareness…! We also hear the phrase “critical mass” thrown around in conjunction with this. We expect that at some point our efforts to “raise awareness” will reach a “critical mass” at which point we’ll be personally absolved from having to actually do anything ourselves! Well, we figure, we helped raise awareness and after that, we’ll just let the critical mass handle itself. *Wash hands - rinse - repeat*

    Okay, what’s the point of doing something? I mean we kinda stopped littering as much, but the government is still dumping toxic waste wherever it’s convenient.

    I’m not going to lie. Personally I find conspiracy theory extremely entertaining. Or else I wouldn’t spend so much time with it. It’s the puzzle that seems to draw in all other puzzles - at least for me anyway. Do I hope people are brought to justice? Sure! Do I expect anyone will be because of anything I do? Not a fucking chance! Do I think I’m raising awareness? Probably. Does that matter in any practical way? I have no freakin’ idea…

    Any ways, it’s pointless to argue, because I know we already agree, you’re doing what you like, because you like it; not because of any ambitious contrivance–I completely dig that, but that’s also the sort of thing that affects the most change. “Follow your bliss”, “we need more alive people”, all that good stuff.

  4. human? Says:
    July 17th, 2005 at 9:58 am

    but what is conspiracy theory?

    at this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.

    and is a thirst for knowledge nessecarily enterainment? as much as it is our nature?

    im a “conspiracy theorist” i suppose, because i was kicked out of high school and never went to college. i wasnt about to stop learning, in fact, i see what happened to me education wise, was because i felt like i was being lied to. what i was being told didnt make sense…..

    you either can think of things as conspiracy or coincidence… and i know things arent all coincidence….

    i guess i really just have a gut feeling… and have to roll with it, because i really dont like being lied to…

  5. Occult Investigator Says:
    July 17th, 2005 at 12:35 pm

    at this point it seems that anyone who chooses to educate themselves outside of the established system of education ends up a conspiracy theorist.

    That’s a really great point

  6. Jason Bradfield Says:
    July 18th, 2005 at 9:10 am

    Raising awareness works. There are far fewer smokers now than in the past. Furthermore, smoking in public places has been banned in NYC and Cali and will be banned in DC soon.

    Some people smoke aggressively for the same reason some people stay in abusive relationships, abuse drugs, remain alcholohics, or engage in other self-destructive behaviors - they have not figured out how to summon the will power to stop.

    However, without awareness raising efforts things would be considerably worse. Don’t compare reality to an ideal, compare it to where we would be without awareness.



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