Conspiracy theories are rooted in paranoid thinking which is a primitive way of looking at the world. Peasants are typically paranoid and deeply superstitious, which is due in large part to their powerlessness and therefore fragile hold on survival. Central to it is a fear of ‘invasive malevolence’ and ‘imminent annihilation’ from an outer world felt as not just unsafe but destructive. That paralyzing, all-pervasive fear nowadays attaches to authority figures (illuminati for example) who are displacement symbols for malign parents, and are deemed to be ganging together to wreak havoc on the poor defenceless ones.
Paranoid thinking is also inextricably linked with schizoid ‘splitting’ into good and bad, us and them, shining white and the opposite. Nothing can be allowed to contaminate the ‘good’ which in the paranoid’s mind is his/her/their standpoint, so death-rays are turned on anyone who disagrees, points out flaws in cult (political) idols or threatens to let a sliver of factual reality in.
It’s an infantile approach to life. As the baby/toddler matures it becomes possible to tolerate ambivalence and see that people are both good and bad; situations can be right and wrong at the same time. It’s a move into complex thinking, see illustration, larger version on URL below.
As to the astrology? The last time I thought about it, see post March 2 2018, I connected it to the world wide web and specifically to the Uranus Neptune conjunction in Capricorn when it was launched on 6 August 1991. Uranus Neptune can be tinged with genius, produces ‘eureka’ moments of inspiration and is associated with religious art – but it also has this fanatical side which, even faced with incontrovertible fact won’t acknowledge there might be an alternative viewpoint.
The internet has many positive benefits, one of which is it can join together small pockets of people who might otherwise feel isolated and allow them to share their common interests and thus build up a critical mass where their particular hobby horse is concerned, which was not possible before. But, of course, it does the same for the whackjobs and amplifies what is always there in a segment of the population – and gives it a much louder voice.
Most of the conspiracy-nut leaders I’ve looked at are driven by not just anger but black rage, connected to their relationship primarily to their father but not exclusively since mother had to have a hand in their dysfunction somewhere. And that hatred/anger/ferocious fear is then projected out into society at large, hooking onto secret and not-so-secret power figures.
Uranus Neptune isn’t the only culprit since the other ‘paranoia’ signature is Saturn Neptune which were in square in 2016 tied into the North Node for Brexit and Trump’s election, when politicians and the internet disgraced themselves with nonsense, playing on fears for profit and success.
But both of these aspects do come round once in a while so it’s not entirely clear why the effect has been so strong. Neptune in Pisces will be another part of it since it, amongst other attributes, can be delusional and cling onto irrational beliefs.
Yeats’ poem The Second Coming was evidently more quoted in 2016 than ever before.:
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
He wrote it in 1919 after the carnage of World War One but it does seem to have touched a chord for the next hundred years. The 20th Century was the most murderous on record with running wars almost throughout, so there may be a touch of global PTSD in those who are more delicately balanced mentally. That’s a psycho-babble thought since regressing back to infantile levels does suggest a degree of unbearable pressure.
Really I’ve no idea astrologically why conspiracy theories have had such a field day in recent years. It is weird and scary. And it extends beyond ‘they are out to get us’ mentality. The whole transgender thing has been blown up into manic and hysterical proportions for what is a small problem in statistical terms. Those who are genuinely conflicted about gender are certainly due sympathy and help but it’s got ridiculous. And anyone who speaks out against the line laid down by the transgender lobby are subjected to the death-ray treatment. There is a definitely unhinged feeling about.
Plus, of course, some conspiracies turn out to be hard fact which doesn’t help. The big bad corporations and corrupt or thick-as-a-brick political leaders don’t do much to calm anxieties.
Social fads and moods tend to go on a pendulum swing so it’s not beyond the bounds of possibility this will swing back at some point as people get irritated and bored by the hogwash spewed out.
For conspiracy theories and online propaganda look no further than Neptune [and Chiron, our fundamental wound] transiting in its own sign of fantasist Pisces. And Pluto in Capricorn provides the backdrop, ‘Deep state’ etc, while Uranus in Aires was the David [Citizen journalist, activist] to Plutos Goliath.
I think Alan Moore is fast becoming my spirit animal! For anyone interested in an interview of his, he is into the occult (that which the conspiracy theorists fear as Illuminati) and here in this interview as he talks about ‘magic’ he explains how and why the arts are fundamental to such symbolism (and I guess explains why we see so much of it in film and music videos). However, he does go onto explain that the use of it today is being destroyed by greedy money makers and being used as an advertising ploy. I love his stoic, pragmatic approach to thinking and his intelligence is incredibly sharp and insightful. Here’s the link to his interview (it’s not the best quality of video but can still be understood):
I was a 2000 AD comic fan in my youth and love Alan Moore. Thank you Jo.
I only came across him just a few months ago. Where the hell was I? I feel his works would have had an impact on my life in some way. However, I have enjoyed films of his books; V for Vendetta and The Watchmen. I love his down to earth stoicism which is a breath of fresh air in a world that runs on high-octane reactions, fear, and sound bytes!
I was peripherally involved in the ‘satanic panic’ syndrome and it’s worth disentangling what was going on.
Pluto into Scorpio in 1983 to 1995 opened up the sewers and pushed child sexual abuse into public consciousness, first via social workers in the 1980s and then psychotherapists in the 1990s treating adult survivors. In the midst of the more typical family abuse there were odd stories of multiple perpetrator abuse, sometimes in costume – Aleister Crowley Hallowe’en kit or Mickey Mouse costumes. Not all of was ‘satanic’, some neo-nazi, KKK etc etc.
Because individuals who have been massively traumatised very young have fragmented memories interwoven with demonic hallucinations, it’s immensely difficult to separate fact from fantasy. Untrained or gullible helpers can all too easily get drawn into their psychotic inner world. So mistakes were made and it became all too easy to pick off the entirety of such stories as false.
The same is true of ‘false’ memory syndrome in the 1990s which was weaponised as a way of burying emerging stories of csa, partly by accused adults trying to get out from under allegations and by the pro-paedophilia lobby (which does exist bizarrely enough). Dodgy therapists didn’t make life easier since they gave hostages to fortune.
Standing back from the whole gigantic mess, looking at it as a social phenomenon, what becomes clear is that the backlash – disinformation, confusion and denial – was a way of protecting the main bulk of society from an unbearable truth. Those who denied csa weren’t just the malign or deluded ones but also the mainstream who didn’t want their lives and/or sanity disturbed.
In this case labelling ‘satanic panic’ as a conspiracy was in itself a conspiracy.
And that would be my sense of what Trump gets up to – not that he believes the hogwash he spews out and supports, but it serves a useful function from his viewpoint. It’s an aggressive form of denial. Smear your opponent, muddy the waters and smokescreen.
It doesn’t explain why the peasants are so eager to feed off the tripe – it obviously is comforting in times of uncertainty to hang onto an idol and blindly follow their diktat whether it be Trump or Infowars or whatever.
PS. I have been continually struck in recent times by the same tone creeping in from political zealots on the net – pro-Trumpers, cybernats etc – as was there in the deny child abuse lobby. It’s an excoriating (and deeply irritating) contempt. And very aggressive as if trying to destroy any alternative view or fact. Standing up against it takes real effort. It’s much easier to retreat and leave the field to the screamers which is why the crap stays centre stage – for a while.
After my first round of therapy back in the early 2000’s my counselor advised me to read a book by American therapist Susan Forward called Toxic Parents (written 1989). I was so shocked by that book. But what I remember, apart from all those dreadful stories, was that Susan found that there was a much higher percentage of child sex abuse cases she had to deal with that came from fundamental Christian backgrounds. I found that quite interesting because if one thing sticks out in this conspiracy field, it is they are obsessed with child sex abuse ‘ala satanic rituals.’ Why is satanism always tied up with sex abuse? When you look at the awfully high child sex abuses going on in peoples homes in the Western world (1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys sexually interfered with in most cases by a male relative or friend), that’s not satanism but just vile predatory perverts taking the liberty because they can. Satanism to me is always tied into the christian duality lens. So I think its highlighting something here.
Considering these stats, I wonder if there is a lot of projecting of their own shadow traumas onto those who appear to be ‘free and liberal’ in their day to day living and have a deep disgust for it? Liberal = Hedonistic (as in anything goes) = Satanic? Also, some conspiracy theorists focus on this particular vein of ‘satanic’ child abuse to labour their stories in almost disturbingly pornographic detail. I don’t know any victim, myself included, who would go into such minute detail as its often too upsetting. But I believe a predator or someone with pedo interests would and there seems to be some enjoyment in it, I fear. Also a way to spread such stories to make it somewhat palatable and put it out there? Maybe I’m overthinking it and more sensitive to such stories like this. But the graphic detail really sets off my alarm bells when they are dropped left, right and centre on forums.
One woman I removed from my facebook was always telling people about her awful childhood and sex abuse at the hands of her Jehovah Witness parents. She’s since dissolved further more into the conspiracy landscape and it’s now become ‘I’m a survivor of satanic sexual abuse by the hands of the church.’ This is hugely telling to me how it blends into something else to fit an agenda. And she’s always raging against the colluding governments, vaccines, 5G, etc., she hated Donald Trump last year. This year she’s declaring her love for him and sending him messages on Twitter! I honestly think this conspiracy crap is all tied up to a mental illness to some degree. I don’t deny some of it is true but its general insanity.
When I have brought the child sex abuse stats up in the past to the conspiracy nuts and say they would be better suited to dealing with this FACTUAL problem before focusing on WHAT MIGHT BE going on out there, I always get hit with the misogynistic whip of, ”Hey, little miss feminazi/metoo attention seeking bitch whore, go back to your hovel and focus on real problems like keeping your damn mouth shut, clean the house and do what your husband tells you. Oh sorry, you don’t have one do you because you’re too f***** ugly. LOL. Too busy focusing on this torrid, destructive third wave feminism that is destroying men like all you dumb bitches do!” By the way, they actually believe the CIA invented feminism to destroy humanity. Because as you know, women cannot think for themselves and hit a collective brick wall of saying enough is enough and we have to be told and influenced what to do by men in power! Even in countries where the CIA have no influence, “They are everywhere. Don’t ever underestimate it!” I think many of these conspiracy accusations can be sourced to an ideological group of people and their extreme narrow way of thinking more so than what they are trying to tell us what problems exists ‘out there.’
The US False memory Foundation is apparently closing today according to this report
https://themighty.com/2019/12/false-memory-syndrome-foundation-folds/
after 27 years
I suppose the counter argument is that just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you.
Late 16th Century and 17th Century England was obsessed with suspected Catholic plots to overthrow the English monarchy. Many were simply based on fantasy but the truth is Counter Refornation Catholicism did want to destroy Protestantism across Europe and the Pope did issue a Papal Bull Regnans in Excelsis in 1570 calling upon her subjects to overthrow her. Similarly Protestant hysteria about Charles I marriage to the Catholic Henrietta Maria leading to the monarchs children being bought up as Catholics was not totally ill founded as Charles II almost certainly died a Catholic and his brother James II openly declared himself one eventually losing his throne when he tried to sack Anglican bishops and replace them with Catholic ones. Of course, both Protestants and Catholic’s were absolutely convinced of the veracity of their world views but it took them two centuries of conflict to realise that they were never going to be able to force their beliefs on their opponents and that they would eventually have to engage with each other.
The internet is similarly obsessed with conspiracies. Most are nonsensical but to deny they never occur flies in the face of the fact the law itself recognises their potential to exist. Moreover even a quick reading of this thread suggests that while people are happy to dismiss conspiracy theories that don’t conform to their world view they are more than happy to subscribe to other equally factually dubious claims that do.
Personally, I think conspiracy theories thrive when people bury themselves in entrenched positions, never seriously examine other people’s views, abandon critical reason in favour of blind faith that they are right and absolutely refuse to acknowledge the fact that the answers to problems are difficult and may require compromise . As Jacob Bronowski so rightly pointed out in his 1970s TV series the Ascent of Man it is the belief in certainty that leads to the death camp.
Totally agree. As mentioned in my earlier post conspiracies are a mix of absolute truths and obscene lies usually to drive an agenda and often a reaction to something outside that is scaring their own ideology into change. It’s because of the shocking truths that exist within conspiracy theories that many try and find and show how EVERYTHING else they despise is linked to these original sources. Facts don’t matter. Patterns do. That’s all that is needed to put gas in this twisted engine to allow it mileage.
I can see a correlation between the birth of the internet and the development of the printing press in the 15th century Europe which allowed all kinds of millenarian religious/political movements and ideas to be spread; the year 1500 was seen as significant for these groups. Norman Cohn talks about this in “Pursuit of the Millennium” where he argues that the political and social upheaval of the Middle Ages, the horror of the Black Death gave rise for a need for certainty and spiritual meaning. These ideas were rooted in biblical sources, particularly The Book of Daniel and Revelation, so you have a pre-existing bedrock of belief upon which these more militant ideas are built.
“Outsiders”, specifically the Jews in Europe were seen as part of a devilish conspiracy against Christendom: anti Semitism and antiziganism are deeply rooted into European folklore and belief – these groups were said to hold satanic rituals where infants would be sacrificed and eaten (sound familiar?). It is vital with such conspiracy believers for there to be an “other” upon which all the evils of the world are projected and this prejudice is ingrained into the collective, particularly when it comes to Jews. It appalls and saddens me that we have learned nothing from this history.
I forgot about the invention of the printing press. I was going to say back then when the church deliberately kept the people ignorant from learning so they could be more easily controlled and scared, they could be pardoned for their lack of education and their stupidity. But today, where we have the opportunity of learning all kinds of wonderful things from all kinds of cultures, past and present, people are making a choice to be stupid. And dangerous because of it. However, isn’t it interesting that religion is at the core of the fear and their ideologies in each wave of hysteria in history?
I wonder if the Satanic panic of the 70s/80s has similar astro aspects?
I did read a really good article or website page about a year ago (I must find it) that looked into conspiracy theories and looked at the Satanic panic era and they were able to find every time a collective fear emerged that resulted in Satan stories, child sacrifice, rape, pedophilia, etc., it could almost always be found to come from conservative, religious fears at a time of possible cultural change. Satanic panic emerged due to the conservatives fear of women going into the workplace and how it could potentially destroy their families and homes. The paedophilia accusations began to ramp up when a black President emerged, then when there was the possibility of a female president, it went stratospheric. The fact many celebrities are fairly liberal in their views as they embrace racial and sexual equality and feel their positions will help those who are transgender to have laws to protect them and give them a voice, is clearly repugnant and terrifying to them. For them, this is the emerging of a world in which we all end up worshipping Lucifer and it is their Christian duty to prevent it. So they do it by levelling paedophilia accusations and stories of drinking babies blood at them. Jesus would be so proud of their behaviour. But apparently these behaviours of satanic beliefs, infanticide, drinking blood, etc., and spreading it as propaganda can be traced thousands of years back to Roman politics. It was the modus operandi to bring an opponent down by destroying their reputation.
I think if the Christian fuelled conspiracy train want to tackle corruption, pedophilia, and such, they need to start with the very dark organization they are influenced by. It’s ironic, because I noticed that one of the main conspiracy beliefs was about mind control of the masses; by the media, the government, celebrities, music, internet, etc., but religion was hardly ever under scrutiny. Today, their religion and Donald Trump, who they seem to look on as some kind of saviour to help clean the sewage from the planet (and no doubt, go back to the happy clappy days of deep, dark conservatism where we can all be controlled by the patriarchy and their severe, angry God), are two of the strongest proponents in this conspiracy cult.
I must try and find that article.
Thank you Marjorie, what a timely post! I’ve had some personal experience of people sliding into the dark world of conspiracy theories in recent years. Both of them seem to have an answer for every reasonable challenge, or plea to look at things from another point of view. Both had very difficult relationships with their fathers. Most of this seems to have ramped up around the time of 9/11, although I was aware of some pernicious ideas before this. The internet/social media has simply made it easier for everything to balloon out of all proportion – for example, the vaccination causes autism theory. And because there are real conspiracies from time to time, and also massive medical scandals and errors, it is so hard to create a calm space for discussions of any kind.
Thinking about mass anger and hysteria, I decided to take a look at the dates for two famous witch trials. This particular collective fear existed for three hundred years, so I’m not proposing anything definitive here. However, The Pendle Witch trial in July 1612 was a very famous one, during the reign of James 1st. At this time, Neptune in Virgo (22) was making a t square with Uranus in Gemini (25) and Saturn in Pisces (15). Jupiter (4 Virgo) trined Pluto (5 Taurus).
Moving on to another famous paranoid moment, the Salem Witch Trials began on 1st March, 1692. At this time Neptune was 17 Pisces, square Saturn in Sagittarius (11), and Mars in Gemini (21). Jupiter at 11 Taurus feeds into this. Uranus had just moved into Gemini (1).
So a mutable Neptune, Saturn, with Uranus in Gemini, seem to be involved in both these instances where collective hysteria and fear of “the other” reached a public peak. Or perhaps its simply the aspects themselves.
That’s interesting Jane; the 1440s, with the development of the printing press which allowed the spread of conspiracies through pamphlets, also had Neptune in Virgo squaring a Saturn/Uranus conjunction in Gemini.
Gemini and Virgo, possibly the most agile with words and communications! Those pamphlets then endured for centuries as a means of communication, scandal sheets, and every kind of idea, truth, and falsehood. It’s interesting to think that for centuries many people could not read, so needed someone to read the pamphlets to them. So it was often a shared experience in groups-as is the current world of conspiracy theory. Plus the visual communication of woodcuts etc, and then later on fully fledged cartoons and illustrations to amplify whatever the message or polemic might be. Does any of this have a parallel with deep fake material I wonder…. Certainly, human beings have an endless appetite for sensation and story telling.
A great post and great comments, as well. As a Gen Xer, who was among the early adapters of Internet, and moderated boards by 1996-97, I have to add another aspect here: Weaponizing the trolling.
Even UseNet, a precessor to modern day Internet, had issues with trolls, and I got very used to them on sport boards, of all things, over 20 years ago. But the first time I started noticing this trolling being weaponized was around 2013. This is when I first started noticing messages pushing certain kind of message appearing on certain boards. It could have started earlier, but I can tie noticing this to a conversation I had with two friends who were “white hat” trolls themselves, mostly involved in trolling religious zealots and nazis on LGTBQ issues. Since we were operating in a limited linguistic environment, we often knew the regular commentators, their sock pupet accounts and their hours. Now, we’d start to notice increased activity from writers whose style wasn’t recognizeable and activity at office hours, as well as a very odd detail: Even if the messages weren’t on Russia, there would be positive mentions on Russia. By the time Russia invaded Crimea, this activity was discussed widely, and many anonymous boards changed their moderating practises.
Thanks Marjorie for this.
The Uranus Neptune connection is interesting. Uranus has one effect of bringing to light/ exposing hidden beliefs, facts etc. This can be beneficial but also difficult if it brings up fears, irrational beliefs, concerns etc. The effect of Saturn on this mix is to make these fears “concrete” and “tangible”. This effect is made more difficult if expanded by Jupiter.
The generation born in 1954-57 had Neptune Square Uranus in late cancer/Leo and late libra/Scorpio. This gave us Joe McCarthy and the red witch hunts in America and perhaps plays out with today’s generation in their 60s
Thank you Marjorie for this post and for all the comments. The chart of the birth of the internet was interesting, as was the reflection that it’s possible to find niches on the web that meet one exactly in the place that one is searching for (such as this site) but that works in opposite ways too and people’s desire to find others with similar views to themselves can also be manipulated by exptremists. Do mundane events have saturn returns, I wonder.
The UK new years honours list was published online the other day with the adresses of those who were to be honoured. The mistake was quickly corrected, but still…
I have been looking online for the geneology of the term “new world order”. It has links to older antisemitic roots but seems to have come into popular use again with the publishing of a book in (also) 1991. This is a reference to the book.
https://www.amazon.com/New-World-Order-Pat-Robertson/dp/0849909155
Whoa Jo, what a link and comment. As a visual person, the reference to changing the meaning of symbols was powerful. I was briefly (two years) in what turned out to be a cult 40+ years ago. By the fruits…. the people were so weird. The reading list I liked, (Ouspensly Gurjeiff – sp?) was interesting but the ‘lifers’ were terrible people.
Margorie, this is why I read your blog. Usually (almost always but you don’t) admit that they just don’t know something.To me we just don’t know about all the universe’s ‘soup’ weather that is affecting us. I think there is a lot to astrology weather reports, but supposedly we do have free will and we just don’t actually know. It is seriously refreshing to read an online astrologer say that.
BTW your site is infected with viruses in the US.
Well done Jo. And thanks Marjorie for posting this. This site seems to get better and better.
I’d add 3 other factors that amplified the current paranoia. The report that came out about whites becoming the minority in America by around 2050, Barack Obama and Putin. If you thought black folk were surprised by Obama’s victory, racist whites had PTSD! White Evangelicals heading this group of course. Then in attempting to find a rationale explanation for these phenomenons, they blame the rich and powerful Jews who supposedly bankroll white destruction. And here comes Vladimir Putin with his KGB psychological manipulation training to capitalize on this anxiety in order to destabilize the “West”. He knows attacking a power like the U.S with conventional warfare is M.A.D(Mutually assured destruction). But he needs them weakened to rebuild mother Russia and conquer Europe like the good old days. So how? Use their own anxieties, ignorance and paranoia to destroy the empire from within by amplifying disinformation warfare through the ubiquitous World Wide Web and also using money and human assets to infiltrate various aspects of American society. Gun rights ring a bell! Turn them against their own and watch them crumble.
Needed a ring leader puppet to fast track the plan though. Enter Donald J. Trump.
Wow, Jo that is a marvellous comment in answer to Marjorie’s equally marvellous peice. Thank you both for these deep and searching looks into our strange times. I often feel the Earth to be a being, humanity its mind cells, and basically the Earth is having a nervous breakdown.
If I were to pinpoint one influence inspiring the extreme right wing nut jobs and the virulent social justice warriors it would be Neptune in sometimes fanatical Pisces – which has a way to run. A good old fashioned economic collapse might give people something else to worry about and snap the world out of this madness – perhaps the upcoming Saturn/Pluto conjunction will be the harbinger of economic doom – we’ll see.
Astrologically, I attribute the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories to tr. Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn, active through much of the 2010’s, which can be radical, militant and a bit libertarian in orientation. When tr. Saturn in Sagittarius squared Neptune in Pisces in 2016, mass delusion or muddled thinking was added to the equation. Out of that cauldron emerged Donald Trump, Brexit and increased right-wing nationalism globally. That is reaching a peak with Saturn conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, with Jupiter also in Capricorn this year. It’ll be interesting to see if this begins to recede a bit when Jupiter conjuncts Saturn in Aquarius later in 2020. Although I suspect that the current political trends will be with us until the mid-2020’s, when Saturn conjuncts Neptune in Aries and Pluto decisively exits from Capricorn and into Aquarius. We shall see how it all manifests.
Much of the conspiracy theories that are gaining ground have been found to be pushed by the evangelical Christians or those who are fundamentally religious and deeply conservative as some studies have found and they are one of the groups of people found to believe in them more than the average person. This article explains the higher percentages of conspiracy believers found in religious groups:
https://relevantmagazine.com/issues/issue-97/conspiracy/
About 15 years ago, I got into this for about a year, because nobody would lie about this stuff, right? In the end I had to walk a way and get my bearings because it’s the most disturbing, scary stuff, and you lose complete grip on what is reality. These days, I almost have zero tolerance for it. I have found much of it is rooted not just in religion but political beliefs also. It’s deeply anti-Semitic, misogynistic, almost all the time they create and spread sickening stories about certain celebrities/politicians that just so happen to be liberal/democrats (like republicans never do such things?), etc. I think the transgender fear has sprung from the conspiracy beliefs that the Illuminati supposedly follow a satanic order called Luciferianism in which they believe they follow a ‘transgender’ god called Baphomet and their fear is by accepting transgender rights is just the next step to accepting a ‘transgender’ god that they will push on us. Yes, it’s that ridiculous. If they actually bothered their precious little selves to pick up a book and educate themselves they would realize Baphomet has male and female physical attributes which only alludes to the divine male and female principle energies within each of us. But that doesn’t fit with their christian fueled duality belief. Or fear porn as I call it.
All things esoteric are regarded as evil and satanic too. Basically, anything other than the white, privileged christian view of the world is satanic. Which at its root is somewhat true because Satan just means adversary/opposition to the church. You could be an atheist or believe in pink flying elephants and you would be a satanist. When I was trying to understand what they fear so much, especially all this freemasonry stuff, I came across a book I thought would help. It turns out it was written by a top Biblical female scholar who even thought symbolism found in Hinduism was the devils work! It’s just vicious pig-ignorance at its best and the digital platforms give it the freedom to spread. Many books and conspiracy theory channels on youtube are also pushed by religious zealots. There is another author who writes such books and very known in these circles that I found out is also from a Jesuit background. It’s all very disturbing.
I can’t tell you how many people I keep constantly removing from my facebook account due to the conspiracy memes and beliefs they post. I recently called out someone who posted some memes about celebrities talking about exposing satanic sexual abuse in Hollywood. The story had already been debunked (as has pizzagate, sandy nook, etc) and told her. She wouldn’t take responsibility and played the victim card. She too is a staunch Christian. I don’t have anything against religion. But I do against stupidity. And I speak as someone who stupidly got caught up in it for a while. My fear is someone who truly believes such things will do a Charles Manson on some well-knowns because they believe people wouldn’t lie to them about such things and the world needs to be rid of such ‘devils.’ Interestingly though, when hundreds of priests and a number of republican politicians get caught doing sexually deviant things (meaning getting caught and charged = FACTS), they are very quiet.
The problem with conspiracy theories are they are one disturbing tapestry of absolute sickening truths, half-truths, and obscene lies all mixed in with an agenda and the only thing that binds them is correlations and little fact. An interesting article here is from someone who eventually woke up from the grip of conspiracy theories and who started to see the gaping holes in this awful cult:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/matauryn/2017/10/01/awakening-conspiracy-theories/
He puts a quote in by writer Alan Moore: “The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control. The truth is more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless.”
– Alan Moore (Magic Words): The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore
I personally find this rudderless world where nobody is in control more comforting actually. I’m not interested in entertaining conspiracy theories that a bunch of psychopathic Jews rule over us and will kill us all off or all celebrities are raping babies and eating them on satanic alters to become more successful. It’s a world based in insanity. Perhaps they should start looking at the sexual and violence abuse statistics going on in their own homes before projecting it outwards?
Thanks Jo. It has always struck me as odd that the conspiracy nuts tend to be misogynistic, anti-semitic and racist, as well usually as homophobic. The first three show a terror amounting to hatred of the ‘other’ and an inability to tolerate difference.
In the USA the evangelical mob may have a good deal to answer for but it’s less true of the UK. The Middle East which isn’t Christian is also rife with conspiracy theories. Everything bad that happens is put down to malignant forces in the police/government – which are a) frequently true; and b) the result of the disenfranchised feeling totally powerless. So Pluto may have a hand in this somewhere.
Great quote that from Alan Moore. If you look at the thinking patterns of paranoid-schizophrenics they obsessively join together all manner of disparate things that have no connection – as if they are trying to gather up the shattered pieces of vase and glue them back together.
Accepting that a chunk of life is random is truly difficult and scary – more so for the astrologically-inclined who are constantly trying to pin point an order and a pattern to what happens. My take is that part of existence dances to an order and part of it just whirls around in an arbitrary ‘shit happens’ fashion.