4 ms·
Because there used to be a single coherent narrative of "conventional truth" called "mainstream media". Sure it had a lot of propaganda in it, and was fairly he
by freshhawk 6y ago
Because there used to be a single coherent narrative of "conventional truth" called "mainstream media". Sure it had a lot of propaganda in it, and was fairly heavily controlled politically, but it took a long time for that propaganda to be discovered and acknowledged. By the time it was enough time had passed to say "oh sure, back then there were lies but only other countries put lies in their papers now".
Then the internet fragmented that, providing real time alternative narratives, around the same time that 9/11 and the wars afterwards happened. So people got very interested in the news and it was very obvious that the mainstream news was lying right now.
Now your entire worldview start falling apart, how do you know what's true and who's trying to kill you? You need to find someone else who can tell you what's happening. You aren't quite sure how this whole "critical reading" thing is supposed to work, never learned that stuff in school, but you did find some trustworthy folks who are a lot like you online who seem very confident about what's happening. Even more like you than the old people at the newspapers, and more certain about things, which means they are more likely to be right! This is great, now you will be safe and you actually understand what's happening, unlike those people who keep making things so bad.
- seppin 6y agoMedia and government does lie to you, but not about fluoride in the water. They tell you your life is sustainable (when it's not) and they cannot do anything more to help (while helping the 1% without hesitation). QAnon (like all conspiracies) start with a grain of truth, but it seems to also want to frame Donald Trump as a savior of a sick and broken system instead of its greatest and more literal manifestation.
- burke_holland 6y agoJust to be clear, the government literally does lie to you about what’s in the water. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/flints-water-crisis-reveals-government-failures-at-every-level/2016/01/23/03705f0c-c11e-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/flint...
- seppin 6y agoRight, good example. The government doesn't properly clean the water they are paid to, and the media doesn't report on it, but instead of talking about that, Alex Jones says fluoride is poison. Conspiracy theorists have plenty of actual material, but they seem to like to make shit up instead of seeking the truth of the matter.
- freshhawk 6y agoA lot of that kind of conspiracy stuff, Alex Jones and the like, has another level or two involved. Since this need for alternative narratives is a media market you get grifters who say what makes the most money and not what they actually believe. Not surprising at all, so expecting Alex Jones to seek actual truth completely misunderstands what he is doing and what he knows he is doing. But if you have a political plan and it requires some people to believe a specific thing, but it is hard to convince people (for example, because it isn't true) you have a problem. If you are smart you start to think about how there are these professional convincers who are very popular and their business model is "say things that make me money" and you come up with a pitch for them. It's not exactly news that one of the most prevalent types of actual historical conspiracies involve plans to spread untrue conspiracy theories as propaganda, but it does have that perverse ironic flavor to it since it means saying things like "no, no, these conspiracy theories are spread as part of a conspiracy"!