Thanks for writing on a topic that I'm super passionate about. I hate the term "conspiracy theorist" too, but almost for the opposite reason--it puts "psychopath people" like Ted Gunderson and Lyndon Larouche on the same level as journalists, skeptics, and scientists. To be a theorist at least in my mind requires some level of interest in the truth. If that truth doesn't scratch some kind of "paranoia itch" for the conspiracist, the truth is not only not interesting to them, it is a problem for their racket. These people are something closer to "conspiracy fetishists" and they are a massive problem for civil society.
As you (and Martin Kilian) rightfully call-out, one of the serious dangers of the practice of this form of conspiracy fetishism is that it aids and abets real villains. While the authors over at QAnon were inventing a Hollywood Babylon story about "adrenochrome" and Deep State Pedophilia, the actual crimes of garbage-people-celebrities like Sean Puffy Combs went unseen by the usually critical, skeptical public who were distracted by rolling their eyes.
Anyhow, also thanks for the tips on the related books (including yours). :-)
BTW I have a DVD from this show from the 90s called DisInformation and Ted Gunderson is on an episode about Satanism, and is so clearly Wikipedia-article-about-Paranoia-level mentally ill.
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm not sure our positions aren't opposite one another—we're examining different facets of the same phenomenon. While I critique how the "conspiracy theorist" label dismisses challenging ideas, you rightly point out that the label problematically equates opportunistic "fetishists" like Gunderson with legitimate investigators. Your distinction between conspiracy "theorists" seeking truth and "fetishists" exploiting paranoia for personal gain perfectly complements my analysis of how parapolitical actors strategically use misinformation. The whole point is that navigating this landscape requires embracing uncertainty and distinguishing between evidence-based investigations and paranoid speculations.
The Disinfo program is great! I wish I was on the fly on the wall for the segment with Gunderson and Brice Taylor.
Thanks for writing on a topic that I'm super passionate about. I hate the term "conspiracy theorist" too, but almost for the opposite reason--it puts "psychopath people" like Ted Gunderson and Lyndon Larouche on the same level as journalists, skeptics, and scientists. To be a theorist at least in my mind requires some level of interest in the truth. If that truth doesn't scratch some kind of "paranoia itch" for the conspiracist, the truth is not only not interesting to them, it is a problem for their racket. These people are something closer to "conspiracy fetishists" and they are a massive problem for civil society.
As you (and Martin Kilian) rightfully call-out, one of the serious dangers of the practice of this form of conspiracy fetishism is that it aids and abets real villains. While the authors over at QAnon were inventing a Hollywood Babylon story about "adrenochrome" and Deep State Pedophilia, the actual crimes of garbage-people-celebrities like Sean Puffy Combs went unseen by the usually critical, skeptical public who were distracted by rolling their eyes.
Anyhow, also thanks for the tips on the related books (including yours). :-)
BTW I have a DVD from this show from the 90s called DisInformation and Ted Gunderson is on an episode about Satanism, and is so clearly Wikipedia-article-about-Paranoia-level mentally ill.
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm not sure our positions aren't opposite one another—we're examining different facets of the same phenomenon. While I critique how the "conspiracy theorist" label dismisses challenging ideas, you rightly point out that the label problematically equates opportunistic "fetishists" like Gunderson with legitimate investigators. Your distinction between conspiracy "theorists" seeking truth and "fetishists" exploiting paranoia for personal gain perfectly complements my analysis of how parapolitical actors strategically use misinformation. The whole point is that navigating this landscape requires embracing uncertainty and distinguishing between evidence-based investigations and paranoid speculations.
The Disinfo program is great! I wish I was on the fly on the wall for the segment with Gunderson and Brice Taylor.