Conspiracy Theorists Need a Pep Talk
Oh, for the golden age of nutty plots: the drama, the mystery. — Nishant Choksi
Joe Queenan is alarmed at the decline in the quality of conspiracy theories—but at least one theorist gives him hope
By Joe Queenan, WSJ
Oct. 16, 2014 12:31 p.m. ET
Recently, I have experienced grave concerns that conspiracy theorists are losing their touch, that their material is losing its sharp, preposterous edge. For example, last Saturday, while I was wandering through a farmers’ market in rural England, an earnest-looking woman came up and asked me if I cared about injustice. It seemed like a trick question. I said, “Yes, why do you ask?”
“Because at this very moment Big Business and the European Union are having a secret meeting in Brussels, giving global corporations the right to sue our governments for passing laws that damage their profits,” she said. “And a secret trade deal is being negotiated right now between the EU and the U.S.A. that will allow Big Business to do whatever it wants.”
“I don’t think that’s a secret,” I wisecracked. “I think it’s called the capitalist system.”
She could see that I was not a team player, so we didn’t get much further with that conversation. Nor did I make much headway a few minutes later with a very sincere woman who thrust a gaudy flier into my hand, reading “Power to the People!” She too was irate about that secret meeting in Brussels.
(More here.)
Joe Queenan is alarmed at the decline in the quality of conspiracy theories—but at least one theorist gives him hope
By Joe Queenan, WSJ
Oct. 16, 2014 12:31 p.m. ET
Recently, I have experienced grave concerns that conspiracy theorists are losing their touch, that their material is losing its sharp, preposterous edge. For example, last Saturday, while I was wandering through a farmers’ market in rural England, an earnest-looking woman came up and asked me if I cared about injustice. It seemed like a trick question. I said, “Yes, why do you ask?”
“Because at this very moment Big Business and the European Union are having a secret meeting in Brussels, giving global corporations the right to sue our governments for passing laws that damage their profits,” she said. “And a secret trade deal is being negotiated right now between the EU and the U.S.A. that will allow Big Business to do whatever it wants.”
“I don’t think that’s a secret,” I wisecracked. “I think it’s called the capitalist system.”
She could see that I was not a team player, so we didn’t get much further with that conversation. Nor did I make much headway a few minutes later with a very sincere woman who thrust a gaudy flier into my hand, reading “Power to the People!” She too was irate about that secret meeting in Brussels.
(More here.)
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