Friday, September 24, 2010

9/11 and the One-Size-Fits-All Explanation: 'It is the Fault of the Jews' - and the Yankees

As I've written before, blaming events of some conspiracy is quite popular. Tales of conspiracy sound cool, are full of drama and intrigue, provide a single explanation for just about everything, and allow folks to deflect blame on 'Them.

Who 'They' are varies:
  • The commies were popular among conspiracy buffs a little over a half-century ago, here in America
    • Remember McCarthyism?
  • Foreigners are a perennial favorite around the world
  • Yankee imperialism may be dropping in the charts - or not
  • And of course there's that old standby, the Jews
In some circles 'everybody knows' that the Jews are behind everything - and are running the Catholic Church. I am not making that up.

There doesn't have to be just one diabolical cabal of conspirators, of course: although I think that it's more aesthetically pleasing when there's a central conspiracy with minions. Iran's president combined two conventional bad guys in a rousing speech this week at the United Nations:
"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit the replay button once again Thursday, delivering a dubious rewrite of history that led to yet another walkout by the U.S. and its allies at the U.N. General Assembly.

"The U.S. delegation at the U.N. General Assembly walked out on the Iranian president's highly anticipated address Thursday after he unleashed his oft-repeated belief that the U.S. used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to justify a war on terror that is still being fought.

"He also claimed that most Americans and nations believe that the U.S. government 'orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grip on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime.'..."
(FOXNews)
I suppose Ahmadinejad knows his audience, and thinks implied Yankee imperialism and the Jews are a more plausible combination than, say:
  • The Illuminati and the Knights Templar
  • Freemasons and the Bilderberg Group
  • Any of the above and space-alien shape-shifting lizard people
Ahmadeinejad and the Ayatollahs (sounds like a rock group, doesn't it?) aren't the only ones to present conspiracy theories in pairs. Consider:
  • Big Oil and the Bush family
  • Obama and Islam
To true believers, of course, any of these conspiracy theories aren't theories at all: they're facts, and anybody who doesn't agree is either a dupe or a fellow traveler. Or a member of the conspiracy.

You can't argue with logic like that.

Me? I must be a dupe, a fellow traveler, or a member of Them: I don't take conspiracy theories all that seriously. Except as they affect the actions of policy makers and other leaders. Or, as in the Iranian president's case, are presented by leaders.

I don't think 9/11 was an inside job, that the Jews are running the Catholic Church, or that space aliens are targeting our nuclear bases.

Related posts:In the news:

No comments:

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Blogroll

Note! Although I believe that these websites and blogs are useful resources for understanding the War on Terror, I do not necessarily agree with their opinions. 1 1 Given a recent misunderstanding of the phrase "useful resources," a clarification: I do not limit my reading to resources which support my views, or even to those which appear to be accurate. Reading opinions contrary to what I believed has been very useful at times: sometimes verifying my previous assumptions, sometimes encouraging me to change them.

Even resources which, in my opinion, are simply inaccurate are sometimes useful: these can give valuable insights into why some people or groups believe what they do.

In short, It is my opinion that some of the resources in this blogroll are neither accurate, nor unbiased. I do, however, believe that they are useful in understanding the War on Terror, the many versions of Islam, terrorism, and related topics.