July 24, 2015

Millions of people believe that 9/11 was an “inside job.” While the exact number is arguable, opinion polls, especially outside the US, show that significant amounts of people think that the US government conducted some sort of false flag attack on its own citizens. The number rises when “prior knowledge of the attacks” is included. Again, a significant number of people are of the opinion that the US government either attacked its own citizens, or deliberately allowed outsiders to attack its own citizens. If Google searches are any indicator of concern, more people are afraid of chemtrails than killer bees. The popularity of conspiracy shows on television has grown immensely in the past few years. If all or some of these things are actually happening, or at least people believe they are happening, the real question is not “what else are they doing?” but “what are we going to do about it?”

The bankruptcy of conspiracy theories is shown in the near complete lack of action. Conspiracy theorists can barely muster up to the level of physical protest. Instead, they stake out territory on the internet, dealing solely in information while shirking the tangible realm. While every kind of injustice and plot is imagined, the only solution given is to spread more “information.”

At what point is enough information spread? The conspiracy theorist carries the same mindset that the many failed revolutions of the past held. Why is their movement going to be any different? The conspiracy theorist puts an unwarranted faith in some mystical point in the future where things will be set right. They expect tangible change to come from virtual agitation. Inaction does not breed action. Action does not spring from information. Only action can breed more action.

This is not to say that conspiracy theories are fake or unimportant. There are absolutely people behind closed doors controlling the machinations of society, and scheming about ways to control us all. There are absolutely shadowy figures pulling strings and calling shots. This is the enemy, make no mistake.

The conspiracy theorist’s obsession with these shadowy figures is a symptom of their denial. Unable to accept the things they see going on around them, the ways in which they are controlled, they concentrate on the unseen. This allows them to turn a blind eye to the control itself. By delving deeper and deeper into the conspiracies, the theorist immerses themselves in information, entering a willful obliviousness to reality. Unable to cope with being in chains, the conspiracy theorist focuses on analyzing the chains in detail, or even pretending the chains aren’t there. They have no interest in breaking the chains, or even lashing out against their captors. At what point do the chains, or the theories lose their importance? At what point do we stop examining the ways in which we are controlled and start fighting against them? Assuming that any and all conspiracy theories are true…What are you going to do about it?

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