How Conspiracy Theories Are Killing America
Conspiracy theories are actually #goals
Conspiracy theories are #goals. As Hannah Arendt wrote, "the discovery of the Nazis was that the masses were not so frightened by Jewish world rule as they were interested in how it could be done."
The Nazis were quite openly inspired by their own conspiracy theories. As Himmler said, "we owe the art of government to the Jews," namely, to the Protocols which "the Fuhrer [had] learned by heart." This was a common antisemitic idea.
If you read the Protocols of The Elders of Zion (don't), that blood libel against Jewish people sounds like a blueprint for what the Nazis actually did. The table of contents is the actual content of the Nazi regime:
This fraudulent document became the basis for actual policy. "Right Lies in Might" became "right is what is good for the German people." Hidden despotism became quite visible. A prophecy of war became World War II. Hitler never objected to an global racist conspiracy. He just wanted it to be his (imagined) race.
This is what's important to understand about conspiracy theories. They're aspirational. They're motivational. They're propaganda tools, and they build their own truth in time. People think these lies will just fall over because they're stupid, but that's missing the point. Saying a conspiracy theory is not true is like saying a hammer is not true. It's just a tool, in this case to hit people. The only truth required is 'does it hurt?'
Conspiracy theories clearly and simply tell a mob what their enemy is doing, and make it acceptable to do worse. The people that use them are telling you what they consider proportional behavior. They're telegraphing what they're about to do. Conspiracy theories are not just a fiction about the past. They're a real plan for the future. Like I said, #goals. America's enemies are quite clearly communicating what they're about to do, and they've already started doing it. Listen.
American Conspiracy
Pre-Nazi America, like pre-Nazi Germany, is awash in conspiracy theories. Most Americans believe in some sort of conspiracy theory. Yes, most. In a March 2021 survey, 60% of Americans believed in at least some of the tenets of QAnon (Satanic-pedophiles, a coming storm, really out there). Meanwhile conspiracy theories like a coronavirus 'lab leak' have gone completely mainstream. It's tempting to think that this is all so stupid that it can't hurt you, but hammers are stupid and they still hurt.
The best way to hide a secret plan is to make it as stupid as possible and scream it out in public. People will just ignore you until it's too late. This has actually been happening in waves and Americans keep ignoring that they're underwater.
Trump rode racist 'birther' conspiracy theories into politics and people just laughed him off. Nobody took him seriously... until he became President. Then nobody took his coup seriously... until he attacked the Capitol. Now he's getting away with it and 32% of the population believes he never lost. It only took Hitler 33% to completely take over. This is more than enough to be completely fucked.
The idea that this could all start from dumb conspiracy theories seems, well, dumb, but this is missing the point. Ever since Helen of Troy, bullshit stories have been enough to raise armies and raze cities to the ground. Saying 'Trump's big lie is stupid, it'll never work' is like saying 'what a stupid hammer'... right before it smashes into your skull.
The Cancel Contradiction
Stupidity is a weapon, and it's impervious to logic. Obvious contradictions are not a problem at all. Just look at cancel culture. The far-white has gone from 'defending free speech' to actually censoring critical race theory and no one gives a shit. It makes no sense until you understand that every conspiracy theory only contains one fact.
We are right and our enemies are wrong. Everything we do—all the violence, all the lies—is justified. They started it.
As Arendt wrote:
Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow... instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.
Therefore, using your enemy's own (imagined) weapons on them isn't hypocrisy, it's cunning strength. Conservatives are quite open about how this is all tactical bullshit. There's no contradiction here, no more than a hammer is contradicted by also removing nails. If you're using it as a weapon, who cares? You can hit a person with either side. Remember, that's all words are here. Not things with meaning, just tools for demeaning.
#Goals
Conspiracy theories are built around this one-two punch. Accuse your enemy of something, then do it yourself. Then whatever you do is justified, because 'they did it first'. This is a lie, but who cares. It works. This also means that you can predict what fascists are going to do if you just listen to them. Whatever these people complaining about is what they're about to do.
Hitler complained about a race trying to rule the world, then he tried it himself. Republicans complained about cancel culture, then they did it themselves. At each stage these people telegraph their moves in advance and at each stage people just don't believe them. Stupidity really is kryptonite for smart people. They just can't believe they're losing to something so dumb. And so they lose.
Right now 'smart' Americans are relaxing cause they won one election. Meanwhile their opponents are trying to win all the elections. Democrats are playing to tie while their enemies are cheating to win. This does not end well. Ask Weimar Germany. Ask anyone that lived through totalitarianism. America is in the calm before the storm.
Americans really think they're playing tennis while their opponent is coming at them with a claw hammer. It's all 'haha how did they get into this country club?' until your brains are on the floor. Conspiracy theories are not dumb. They are stupid ideas which are tactically brilliant. They are the clearly telegraphed #motivation and #goals of your enemies. Take them seriously, before it's too late. I mean, what am I saying, it's already too late. This is basically an academic exercise at this point. Just don't say you haven't been told.
You can watch this in video form. You can read more about these issues here: