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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Insight Into The Paranoid Mindset of David Icke and Alex Jones |
Current rating: 0 |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
08 Jan 2002
Modified: 14 Jan 2002 |
Have you ever wondered what is up with reptile-phobic David Icke?
Or have you thought that Alex Jones should cut his caffeine consumption before he gets over the edge with his militia buddies?
Do you wonder why so much of their material gets spammed by them or their true believers to Indymedia?
Then you might be interested in this interview. |
Author Jon Ronson appeared on WILL AM580’s "Focus 580" program on Monday, January 7 to discuss his new book, "Them: Adventures with Extremists". There was much discussion of the background and motivations of Icke and Jones. Several callers speculated about the mental health of those who advocate and believe in such wild theories as Icke’s reptiles who control world government and Jones’ belief that the Satanic New World Order is a sinister plot that has already taken over the U.S. government.
One factor why people like Icke and Jones promote these ideas that didn’t get mentioned during the show about the motivations that drive people to believe such wacky theories is that of profit. While it is probably true that many followers actually believe the preposterously paranormal explanations of everyday phenomenon that are offered by these conspiracy theorists because of either mental weakness or their own psychological difficulties, those who promote these ideas develop an extensive and lucrative business selling books, tapes, and "seminar" tickets. P.T Barnum’s assertion that there’s a sucker born every minute is the ultimate driving force behind those at the top of the paranoid pyramid of profit.
Indymedia Center websites have been bombarded with articles written by or supportive of the wacky expositions of Icke and Jones, which seem to serve as a low-budget marketing effort for these factually challenged authors. If you want to know more about these bizarre spawners of modern urban legends, listen to the AM580 interview (requires RealPlayer) at the link below.
AM580’s Terrorism Programs, Interviews, News, and Resources page:
http://www.will.uiuc.edu/specials/terrorism.htm |
See also:
http://www.will.uiuc.edu/ramfiles/Focus_580/focus020107b.ram
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Yer enabling my book addiction, dammit |
by The Shnoz
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
08 Jan 2002
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Well, this is the second time I've wound up buying a book online because I found an interesting reference to it on U-C Indymedia. At least this one's much less expensive than "The Authoritarian Spectre".
When we think about professional conspiracy-and-rumor-mongers like Icke, Jones, Al Martin etc., guys who are making a business out of concocting scary legends, it might be useful to remember that the entertainment industry supports entire parallel branches serving specialized markets. For example, there are record labels, publishers and broadcasters catering specifically to conservative Christians and making a good living from products that have little crossover into the "mainstream" market.
That might be what's up with these guys. Their books, tapes and whatnot could be serving the purpose of providing their devotees with the same pleasant frisson that some of us get from a good murder mystery, or the sense of belonging and special knowledge that religious literature can generate.
Perhaps some of the tinfoil hat authors are quite sincere. Some might be conscious hucksters. In any case, they're serving their market, and the entertainment industry (in which I work) might be a good paradigm for understanding it. |
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Those people are "crazy"!!! |
by I'm just crazy
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
09 Jan 2002
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The so called extreme right and left, and even the not so extreme left have alot in common, something both groups, especialy the left, wouldn't like to admit. Conspiracy theorists are often described as crazy right off the bat because what they propose, if it were true, would be to hard of a blow to peoples belife system. How many of these people are called nut jobs when the person calling them that has not looked in to what they are saying a single bit. Don't belive every thing you hear, but dont disbilive every thing you hear just because you dont like the way it sounds. If you look into some of these "crazy theories" you will find more to them than you would think. Dosen't the power elite burning an owl in rural California sound "crazy" too. |
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Those people are "crazy"!!! |
by I'm just crazy
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
09 Jan 2002
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The so called extreme right and left, and even the not so extreme left have alot in common, something both groups, especialy the left, wouldn't like to admit. Conspiracy theorists are often described as crazy right off the bat because what they propose, if it were true, would be to hard of a blow to peoples belife system. How many of these people are called nut jobs when the person calling them that has not looked in to what they are saying a single bit. Don't belive every thing you hear, but dont disbilive every thing you hear just because you dont like the way it sounds. If you look into some of these "crazy theories" you will find more to them than you would think. Dosen't the power elite burning an owl in rural California sound "crazy" too. |
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What Bothers Me More |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
09 Jan 2002
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Actually, I'm just crazy, it's the power elite's burning of innocent civilians in Afghanistan to propitiate the Gods of Oil which Bush bows down to which really bothers me. Burning some owl in the woods at a drunken frat party for the rich is child's play compared to that.
Which is it that Alex Jones spends all his time on? The one where lots of people are dying everyday? Naw, he doesn't give a damn about those who are dying in Afghanistan. He's all worried about is the effigy of an owl. That's not real; that's show business. |
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you think? |
by im just crazy
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
14 Jan 2002
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You think that all these people are doing at this drunken frat party is burning an owl. These drunken frat parties are where the power elite set into motion global forces that are responsible for the burning of Afganies in the streets. |
