The Conspiratainment Complex - the marketing of the truther genre

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Skilluminati Research: The Conspiratainment Complex

Conspiracy Theory has no history because it's never been about history -- it's about product testing.

Excerpt:

Conspiracy Theory lacks credibility because it has no history. Original research doesn't get cited so much as looted, refitted as filler content to feed new revelations to a hungry audience. They know what they like because they like what they know. It is a product that gets updated for new audiences through a self-selected succession of upstart entrepreneurs. Mae Brussel becomes Lyndon LaRouche becomes Alex Jones.

As a published field, though, Conspiracy Theory has a surprisingly strong foundation. Consider Carroll Quigley's "The Anglo-American Establishment," a masterpiece that completely unravels a powerful, and very real, conspiracy. It's written by an internationally respected Oxford professor, and it's content has never been disputed. Indeed, it is so meticulously and absurdly detailed that nobody has ever read it. There are lists of names and dates over 10 pages long throughout the text and I find myself skipping whole chapters every time I try and dig in. The information here is seldom referenced today, but it has been co-opted and integrated into the marketplace, too. Professor Quigley becomes Cleon Skousen becomes Glenn Beck.

The signal always gets distorted, degraded...and more popular every time. Dumb is accessible, people like dumb. They like aliens, they like Satanist bad guys, and they like to buy products that signify their secret knowledge. It's hard to exaggerate how hollowed out the Conspiratainment Complex has become in 2010. Conspiracy Theory is literally being taught to Americans on a chalkboard now. Remote Viewing has gone from a classified project to a mini-industry of competing DVD training packages. Even Tila Tequila is tracking the Illuminati's every move these days. This is an emerging demographic and it's going to be extremely important in the next decade.

Consider the rise of Evangelical Christianity as a political force, from the fringes to the frontline. It took decades of negotiations to turn dozens of theological disputes into a single policy platform. Once that machine clicked into place, though, things changed very quickly. This is the social movement that brought us Jimmy Carter and Ralph Reed. It's also the story of a conspiracy, involving hundreds of people, to infiltrate powerful organizations and advance a political agenda. How it happened is the real Political Science.

Rest of article to be found here: www.skilluminati.com...

The truther genre is just another market, another target demographic. The answer to the billion-dollar questions such as "Why is Glenn Beck plagiarising Alex Jones' material?"; or "Why is Geraldo discussing Building 7?"; and "Why is the mainstream taking on the memes of the formerly alternative truther/conspiracy theory movement?"; is this:

It was never a movement, it was product testing. Welcome to your friendly ATS conspiratainment channel.

great thread! evrytime i think i have a grasp or sight of somthing only to learn i was set up... its true the more you think you know the more you see how little you do

reply to post by jplaysguitar


Thanks. Yes, that article is quite thought provoking. I've been thinking along similar lines for quite some time...

S&F for starting this thread ..I am not sure which way it might go if at all ,but will post this .
Hi ...I thought I might jump right in and rant on..."Consider Carroll Quigley's "The Anglo-American Establishment"..I haven't read that one yet but will get to it I am sure...I am now reading ,General Cherep-Spiridovich The secret world government ..1926 .I sometimes wonder just why someone would write such things if for no other reason that to place into the history of the day a point of reference .I see many authors works either hidden from our realm or quoted out of context to serve as a weapon of words ...In some cases I get a feeling of anger and fear for my children's ,children's future .

I am becoming a big fan of revised history ,but am skeptical about it as well ..Some past writers can only be known in the future as being correct ....with that being said I want to place a excerpt from the book and ask if such a author would be advancing a conspiracy or revealing one in his day .....peace
How astoundingly right was Professor Charles E. Merriam of the University of Chicago, when he exclaimed in a lecture

"What advantages will we reap if science conquers all the world, except the World Government."-(The Chicago Tribune, Jan . 24, 1924) .

*History proves, and the Jewish Encyclopaedia confirms it, that the socalled "German, Russian, Polish and Eastern Jews" are Mongols, who accepted the Jewish Talmud, which is not the creed given to Moses . The Talmud seems more like the by-laws of a gang of murderers than a religion, yet it is strictly followed by the so-called "Jews." Among others things the Talmud teaches : "The best Gentiles must be destroyed," and similar commands . However, many politicians have the effrontery to declare that this "religion" ought also to be "respected," while it ought to be exposed in the Courts, as inciting to murder .

The talented Mr. Arthur Brisbane wrote of the United States.
Skilful propaganda has made China think that America represents contempt for Asia's people ."-(New York American, Feb . 22, 1925).
"It interests us, because the three nations are united chiefly in their dislike But why not expose the why and who is financing this skillful propaganda? The Judeo-Mongolian Soviets of Russia? Yes! But who provides the money? Mr. Gompers explained it (May 1, 1922) "The Anglo-German-American Bankers," i.e., the same 300 members of the Hidden Hand.
Brisbane adds Government . The success of it annoys Russia, ~Aile the fact that we won't admit Asiatic masses to full partnersh ,n, annoys Japan."

"Russia dislikes us because we persist in maintaining what they call a capitalistic.

Here Mr. Brisbane is "regularly fooling" his readers. Real Russia likes Americans and admires their "capitalistic Government." It is the Judeo-Mongols who are ruling Russia. Why hate America, not because she is "capitalistic," but because she is Christian and is the "backbone" of the White Race. Meanwhile the Judeo-Mongols are a "yellow" race and they are aiming to "do the devil's lust of murder,"

If I would have posted this in photo's thread ARLTR I am sure it would have been unnoticed, because of the road that doesn't fit the narrative ....too bad as it would add intrigue and a bigger dimension ...and so it goes ,that now we can add the wikileaks picture to our stories ....peace

reply to post by the2ofusr1

Originally posted by the2ofusr1
S&F for starting this thread ..I am not sure which way it might go if at all ,but will post this .
Hi ...I thought I might jump right in and rant on..."Consider Carroll Quigley's "The Anglo-American Establishment"..I haven't read that one yet but will get to it I am sure...

Both of Quigley's books are so well worth reading it should go without saying. Tragedy and Hope is a tome with utterly penetrating geopolitical analysis, a stern philosophy of history, some quite startling facts, and (more than any other quality) a complex investigation into the myriad, multidimensional causative factors to the engines driving history.
It's also a book that groans under its own weight and loses the thread of the narrative Quigley so much wanted to impart in certain sections.
The Anglo-American Establishment is a better read, and footnoted so that his sources can be checked.

It's funny that you should mention Cherep-Spirodovich, as I have only just finished a superb book by James Webb (read my review here) who breifly discusses him. It seems that he falls under the descriptive umbrella of what Webb terms "illuminated politics."

'...there were naturally the more "illuminated" members of the right wing. One of these was the Catholic General A. Cherep-Spirodovich, who had been convinced of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy as early as 1914. Then he had seen the Germans as the chief agents of the Semitic plot, and he blamed Bismarck for his own financial ruin - caused by the collapse of his shipping business on the Volga. Spirodovich appeared to think of himself as an agent of heaven: in 1903 he tired to influence the papal conclave, and after the Armistice had been signed ("thanks to my advice") he spent three years in the British Museum carrying out research into the machinations of "the Anti-Church or the executors of Satan's will - the Jews. Cherep-Spiridovich later operated from the United States."

p.295, The Occult Establishment

Webb details a whole slew of these characters who carried an "illuminated" worldview encompassing just every trope that passes through the servers at ATS. The term "illuminated" is Webb's shorthand for the enthusiast of occult ideologies, often with a political agenda, deeply interested in the notions of the "Hidden Hand" of history, the Jewish-Masonic plot to dominate the world, occult philosophies, the two-thousands year battle between Orthodox Christianity and Heterodox Gnostic-type belief systems, etc, etc. And the Russians of that era were intrenched anti-semites who blamed the Jews for everything under the sun. That most insidious forgery of the 20th century, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, was promulgated by the Tsarist secret police, if not actually created by them.
Have a read of Webb's books on this, plus Norman Cohn's Warrant for Genocide.

Regarding Arthur Brisbane and the others you have mentioned I can't say much concerning them, I know very little on them as individuals and of their work. I am, however, deeply suspicious of this recurring "Jews = the Synagogue of Satan" meme that rears its head in conspiracy culture circles.
It emanated from a regressive medieval mindset with the distrust of Christians in the era of the Black Death. That it has been so pervasive and incorrigible in its persistence is quite a marvel in the study of ideas.

reply to post by Extant Taxon
Thank you for the reply ...Webb's comments on Cherep-Spirodovich which you posted are a good description ,although I am only near the start,I see the sign's .I was reading it to find subtle hints and instances that might give me leads into my personal research .Contrary to what I have found in the bible Cherep-Spirodovich is much influenced by the dogma of his day .Starting with the Knights Templar to the founding of the Jesuits on to what main stream Christianity of today has become is troubling in my time .From sword and spear to infected blankets to nuclear bombs ,all finding a cause in a God of love ....Its a crazy history we have to piece together .....peace

The featured article from the OP was featured on the Technoccult blog:

The Conspiratainment Complex and Why I Don't Find Conspiracy Theory Funny Any More

The comments section at the foot of the page is worth reading.

Some other relevant links to the above article:

Wikipedia: Adhocracy

The article is not without fault.

The author capitalizes the phrase "Conspiracy Theory," which to me signaled that he was talking about the TV show, but as I read on I realized that he was referring to conspiracy theory as a genre of discourse.

It's only people with a predetermined agenda who claim that conspiracy theory cites no primary sources. The Northwood Documents have been cited countless times to prove the feasibility of the false-flag attack. These are the same people who would beat their chests proclaiming vociferously that agencies such as the NSA did not exist, and were merely the product of paranoid minds. The author then cites Carroll Quigley's Anglo-American Establishment, but does not cite other books by known conspirators such as Henry Kissenger, Zbigniew Brzezinsky and David Rockefeller. He also fails to mention groups such as the Project for A New American Century.

It is true that conspiracy theory gets dumbed down, watered down and flipped around just like any rumor (and like many parts of the Bible). However, it is not the facts that change, only how people report them. Unlike "established science," conspiracy theory explains past events and does not change with the times (as long as the past does not change).

The author complains that conspiracy theory is now being taught on a chalkboard, which reveals his sheer ignorance about the subject. Conspiracy theory was taught in classrooms as matter of rote until the JFK assassination. Someone out there had an interest in protecting the credibility of the Warren Commission, and so all of a sudden conspiracy theory became demonized. We forget that both the so-called "McCarthy Era" as well as the jusitifcation to invade Iraq were both based on conspiracy theories. George W. Bush never said to discount conspiracy theories, only to discount those discussing the events of September 11. Hillary Clinton became something of a conspiracy theorist during the Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings. Theories of government cover-ups of UFOs and ETs persist because they were developed before the JFK assassination.

All professional conspiracy theorists (those who peddle their theories for profit such as the John Birch Society) are then painted as extreme religious conservatives, which is a divisive stereotype bearing no basis in fact. No one from the silent majority wants to hear what "fundamental wack-jobs" have to say, right?

I'm not sure where the conspiracy here is. My best guess is that the author believes that the conspirators have infiltrated conspiracy theory circles and are now pushing out a product. However, from reading the article I get the impression that anything presented to the public en masse is immediately discredited. It must have been "dumbed down," because people are too dumb to accept anything worth understanding in depth. In other words, nothing of any appreciable intellectual value would be accepted by more than a core group of devotees. The author is another one of those anti-social pseudo intellectuals who now have an axe to grind against humans in general, after failing to transcend the limitations of the humans around him. He's convinved himself that he's special because he's blind to the countless numbers with similar experiences. Unfortunately, from this stock the conspirators take some of their most sadistic, sociopathic operatives.

And I notice that OP cites the article as it exists on a technoccult.net - website that promotes transhumanism, which is Satanic a plan developed by the Illuminati.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

The author capitalizes the phrase "Conspiracy Theory," which to me signaled that he was talking about the TV show, but as I read on I realized that he was referring to conspiracy theory as a genre of discourse.

It's only people with a predetermined agenda who claim that conspiracy theory cites no primary sources. The Northwood Documents have been cited countless times to prove the feasibility of the false-flag attack. These are the same people who would beat their chests proclaiming vociferously that agencies such as the NSA did not exist, and were merely the product of paranoid minds. The author then cites Carroll Quigley's Anglo-American Establishment, but does not cite other books by known conspirators such as Henry Kissenger, Zbigniew Brzezinsky and David Rockefeller. He also fails to mention groups such as the Project for A New American Century.

I don't think the author ever said that "conspiracy theory cites no primary sources." This is what he said:

"Conspiracy Theory lacks credibility because it has no history. Original research doesn't get cited so much as looted, refitted as filler content to feed new revelations to a hungry audience. They know what they like because they like what they know."

Seems to me that he's bemoaning the lack of original and fresh research in the field of conspiratorial history, especially the stuff that becomes the predominant meme, that is dropped in the lap of the average Fox viewer these days; care of Alex Jones via Glenn Beck.

I think that the term conspiracy theory has to be held seperate from what is genuine research in the field of investigating hidden agendas and subversive groups, let's call it "conspiratorial history," as per my previous use of the term.
This is why I think the author (it's so damn presumptuous talking about what someone actually meant, but it's the only game we have in this thread) mentions Quigley's book, as it is the benchmark for any text on conspiratorial history, and is looted (just like the author says) for choice quotes by people who often have never read the book themselves.
I have, by the way, and have seen how most of those I talk to on the subject have who claim to have read Quigley's books clearly have not.
What the author says here is very, very true:

"Professor Quigley becomes Cleon Skousen becomes Glenn Beck."

Many get their Quigley info from Skousen, whose books on the subject stink to high heaven. Have you read his "work" The Naked Capitalist? A totally skewed interpretation of Tragedy and Hope? That has the odour of an agenda, so too all the PDF copies out there of Quigley's work that have key passages excised because they don't fit a particular narrative.
And then there's Glenn Beck. If I even have to detail what's wrong with that picture we're lost here.

If you happen to look back into the archives at Skilluminati it can be seen that the author is almost certainly not in the vein of such dissonant reactionaries who deny what you say. I'd perhaps suggest that he's sick of the "Idiocracy" tendency within conspiracy theory that has turned the majority of it into, yes; an entertainment genre.
I'm with the him on this one, and I've been thinking much the same for quite some time now.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

It is true that conspiracy theory gets dumbed down, watered down and flipped around just like any rumor (and like many parts of the Bible). However, it is not the facts that change, only how people report them. Unlike "established science," conspiracy theory explains past events and does not change with the times (as long as the past does not change).

I think that, again, the idea of conspiracy theory needs to be kept seperate from research into the activities of high-level subversive groups, conspiratorial history.
The term "conspiracy theory" has become massively politicised, and is too much of a charged trigger word for both those antithetical to it and those who are sympathetic and involved in the field.
But look, I'll agree with a portion of your reply here, a view to the conspiratorial view of history explains much. "Conspiracy theory," as a genre however, does nothing for me. It's damn circus side show. Any scan of the front pages of ATS and the David Icke Forum demonstrates just how much the posters are conspirataining themselves mostly to the exclusion of serious discourse. It's not all like that, of course, I mean, I still come to ATS hoping to have good conversations on the subject of conspiratorial history and find some good information. That happens, quite a bit actually, but still the majority of the subjects on these forums are rehashed, reheated hamburger candy mountain fluff.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

The author complains that conspiracy theory is now being taught on a chalkboard, which reveals his sheer ignorance about the subject.

Here, I believe that he is saying that conspiratainers and tub-thumping demagogues such as Glenn Beck regard the audience as children, hence they are taught via a chalkboard. It's an analogy, but quite literal in the method in which it is done.

I think that the tendency within the MSM to talk down to the viewing population as if they are infants is quite well attested in conspiracy circles.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

Conspiracy theory was taught in classrooms as matter of rote until the JFK assassination. Someone out there had an interest in protecting the credibility of the Warren Commission, and so all of a sudden conspiracy theory became demonized. We forget that both the so-called "McCarthy Era" as well as the jusitifcation to invade Iraq were both based on conspiracy theories. George W. Bush never said to discount conspiracy theories, only to discount those discussing the events of September 11. Hillary Clinton became something of a conspiracy theorist during the Bill Clinton impeachment proceedings. Theories of government cover-ups of UFOs and ETs persist because they were developed before the JFK assassination.

In what way exactly was "conspiracy theory...taught in classrooms"? Define this statement please, and provide any examples of this. Even if it's only anecdotal, I'm quite interested to see exactly what you mean here. I assume of course that you're an American relaying this, and as I'm not from the U.S. I have no way to judge the veracity of this claim.

As for the rest of your statement, yes, I agree. People in power develop "official conspiracy theories" and demonise others.

The other thing to consider is that the current post-modern state of conspiracy theory (again, as a genre) is purely an American phenomenon, that has been exported wholesale to much of the Western world.
That's not to say that it doesn't exist in native forms in other countries, it does; but the U.S. paranoid style reigns supreme, owing much to the global cultural imperialism of Uncle Sam.
And don't take the term "paranoid style" as a slight. It's not. What do they say? "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean..."

I'm sure you know how the rest of that saying goes.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

All professional conspiracy theorists (those who peddle their theories for profit such as the John Birch Society) are then painted as extreme religious conservatives, which is a divisive stereotype bearing no basis in fact. No one from the silent majority wants to hear what "fundamental wack-jobs" have to say, right?

That particular stereotype (the Christian conservative paranoid) holds about as much interest for me as that other perennial, which is less well known but equally tedious: the Gnostic/occult liberal paranoid. If you examine the face of conspiracy theory via the multitude of websites, blogs, forums, etc, dedicated to the paranoid style and the subject of conspiracies, there is that dialectic tendency writ large; the battle between religious conservative conspiracy theorists against the more hermetically inclined liberal/anarchist paranoid. The stereotypes keep resurfacing as there is a definite bifurcated inclination for the legions of the paranoid style to group this way. They hash out their Weltanschauungskriegs via their respective sacred texts, one side with the KJV and crucifixes, the other with multitudinous grimoires and wands.

It's as true as it is f**king boring.

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

I'm not sure where the conspiracy here is. My best guess is that the author believes that the conspirators have infiltrated conspiracy theory circles and are now pushing out a product. However, from reading the article I get the impression that anything presented to the public en masse is immediately discredited. It must have been "dumbed down," because people are too dumb to accept anything worth understanding in depth. In other words, nothing of any appreciable intellectual value would be accepted by more than a core group of devotees. The author is another one of those anti-social pseudo intellectuals who now have an axe to grind against humans in general, after failing to transcend the limitations of the humans around him. He's convinved himself that he's special because he's blind to the countless numbers with similar experiences. Unfortunately, from this stock the conspirators take some of their most sadistic, sociopathic operatives.

Unfortunately this paragraph has descended into simply casting aspersions and character attacks on the author, which I can't speak to any way, but I'll try to speak to the first few lines.
My thoughts is that perhaps the author thinks that "conspiracy theory," as a genre, was intended for a long time to become purely entertainment, become devalued, intellectually bankrupt, and a venue for elite-sponsored rabble rousers. So that TPTB, in a sense, own conspiracy theory, and channel the discourse related to it in an acceptable direction, and profit from it to boot. It's all perception management.
If this is so, it's pretty much what I think, at least as it relates to the U.S. The sort of mainstream coverage that the genre seems to have over there is nothing like what I know of in Britain, or the rest of Europe.
Parallels can be drawn between the rise of grand, overarching conspiracy theories and rampant xenophobic hysteria of the nascent Nazi Germany and modern America. This does not mean that I'm making the straight comparison of Nazi Germany with the U.S. right now, strictly; just that there is a mirrored sociocultural phenomenon historically here that makes for uncomfortable speculations.
When conspiracy theories enter into the mainstream, become politicised, polarise the populace, and are embedded in mainstream media public discourse, then as a metaphor this would equal a frenetically spinning weather vane for the storm that is coming.
When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, ya know?

Originally posted by vcwxvwligen

And I notice that OP cites the article as it exists on a technoccult.net - website that promotes transhumanism, which is Satanic a plan developed by the Illuminati.

Are you attempting humour here? A touch of irony? If so, well done. I giggled.

reply to post by Extant Taxon


I saw this in your tag and had to respond.

The entire idea of conspiracy theory was invented and promoted as a shield for the intelligence community.

The statement quoted in your OP concerning "Tragedy and Hope" proves, beyond a doubt, that conspiracies are very real, but it is at that point that the complication starts, and it is purposeful complication.

This idea of perception management of "conspiracies" is based upon the ideas of hallucinations, delusions, and reality in Psychology, and it relies upon the methods of delivery developed by Public Relations gurus like Edward Bernays....
The way to control perception is to sell people the ir-rational and use it to motivate their behavior.
Hitler called it the big lie technique.

If someone is delusional, then the delusional person is seeing something that they believe is reality. So telling them that they are delusional is the absolutely wrong approach, because that is no different than mocking them.
And it is based upon the fact that the science of Psychology supposes that the observer of the delusional individual has a firm grasp on what is real.

Now hallucinations are a bit different, because a person realizes that what they are experiencing is not being experienced by an outside observer. These people are generally easy to work with, but once again, the "soft" science of Psychology assumes that an objective reality outside of our own mind exists.
Quantum mechanics has thus far shown this idea of an "objective reality" outside of ourselves to be a false idea.
It is referred to as monism.

The plot to completely destroy the money system and gain control of all of the world's resources through corporate fronts described in "Tragedy and Hope" is reality and should not be called a conspiracy.
If it were a conspiracy then it would be hidden, but it is obvious to anyone with eyes.

The subversion of our culture and education system by pop culture and the institution of collectivism as a cultural norm was foretold by the Reece Commission's investigation of non-profit entities. The same non-profits that are run by the same people in Prof. Quigley's book!!!!

This is not conspiracy. This is truth, but what the intelligence community has done is use assets like Alex Jones and David Icke to associate these frightening realities with a load of garbage that most would say are delusions or hallucinations.
So.... As a result it is impossible to see the forest for the trees, and anything undesirable that could possibly thwart the plans that are plainly laid out in both Prof. Quigley's book and in the details of the findings of the Reese Commission can be placed along side rodeo clowns like Glenn Beck.

This is not a "phenomenon", but a well placed design.

A conspiracy, if you will.

One of the earlier conspiracy writers back in the 50’s was Edith Roosevelt, the granddaughter of Theodore Roosevelt. Her entire family was literally the CIA, all of them. So when she was writing about the illuminati and the New World Order, one can be almost completely certain that she was being used by the CIA as well. It would be ridiculous to assume that she was exposing the evils of the government without her family's approval.

So we’re left with the question, what’s truth and what’s disinformation?

I think there’s enough proof that conspiracies do happen. While the conspiracy theory genre is now largely mere entertainment, it’s reasonable to assume that it’s not made to be just entertainment, but to mislead and discredit any real theories.

The line separating what’s real from what’s fiction is so blurred now that unless we disregard all conspiracy writers along with the mainstream media, then it’s nearly impossible to know where this world is truly headed and what anybody’s real motives are. Nothing less than credible original sources and logic should be used when forming opinions.

I’ll check out that book by Quigley, I’ve heard of it but never read it, so thanks for the suggestion.

Originally posted by Josephus23
reply to post by Extant Taxon

 

This is not a "phenomenon", but a well placed design.

A conspiracy, if you will.

Yes, I see that there is most probably design behind the conspiratainment complex, in that is the noise inserted to drown out any true signal.

Originally posted by Epiphron

I’ll check out that book by Quigley, I’ve heard of it but never read it, so thanks for the suggestion.

Quigley's books are essential reading, I recommend them highly.