Occasionally, I must remind myself of an important truth: While I deplore Alex Jones' dissemination of potentially dangerous misinformation and half-baked conspiracy theories, Jones and his colleagues in the alternative media are only a reflection of our society. Jones doesn't often create ideas from whole cloth; he picks up things here and there, taps into the zeitgeist, and engages some of our primal fears.
His vaccine hysteria comes from entrepreneurs on the fringes of alternative medicine who long ago rejected actual (science-based) medicine in favour of anecdotal evidence and conjecture. Legitimate concerns about pharmaceutical interests and medical malfeasance or incompetence have driven some people to reject science-based medicine outright, rather than try to address their concerns. Add to this the sad state of science education in the U.S. and Canada, the propagation of quackery by PBS and other formerly reliable media outlets, and the multibillion-a-year pseudopharmaceutical and alternative health industries.
Jones' models of world history, politics, and the New World Order agenda come mostly from John Birch literature, to which he was exposed by a family friend at an impressionable age. The JB Society and similar orgs are fed from deep wells of reactionary anti-Communism and extreme nationalism. Add to this the sad state of history education in the U.S. and Canada.
Jones' fantasies of Luciferian sacrifice and occult symbolism were handed down to him by Texe Marrs and other preachers who have welded loosely interpreted Biblical prophesies to New World Order conspiracy theories. Televangelists only a shade less paranoid than Marrs, like Jack Van Impe, thrive thanks to generous donations from viewers and their affiliations with wildly popular enterprises like the Left Behind series of books and movies.
Jones' populist invective is directly descended from that of Father Coughlin and other pioneers of far-right-wing broadcasting. Today, such broadcasters enjoy unprecedented popularity - they issue topselling books, make TV appearances, and are treated as legitimate sources of news and commentary.
And so, even though it bears his name, this blog is not all about Alex Jones. It's about all of us. When we see the irrational, the reactionary, the delusional in Alex Jones - we see it in ourselves.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Summer Repost
I posted this at Swallowing the Camel around this time last year:
I listen to Mr. Jones once or twice a week, which is about all I can handle. Any more of the guy and I'd laugh myself to death. But even I'm not laughing at him much these days. I can't even giggle when I realize that I am witnessing the last threads of sanity being plucked from the angry sweater that is Alex Jones' psyche.
Much as I hate to give Jones any credit, I think he has done such a fine job of indoctrinating his listeners that he has actually become dangerous.
Dangerous? How could an intellectually challenged, woefully misinformed Angry Redneck Suburban White Guy with a Message, having just a radio show and a handful of shoestring "documentaries" to his dubious credit, be dangerous? Well, I think anyone who tells you to avoid vaccinations, tapwater, non-organic food, soy products, and police officers could be dangerous. All of these things are good for you, in moderation.
Jones has lost his ability to reason, if indeed he ever possessed it in the first place. During today's broadcast, he declared that every single U.S. serviceman is injected with very aggressive cancer viruses as part of the New World Order's "eugenics" program. Eugenics is the practice of selective breeding to bring out desirable characteristics, but Jones has broadened the term to mean "killing everyone for no apparent reason." Common sense should tell him that indiscriminate mass killing of Americans would not benefit Them; it would destroy Their tax base and reduce the number of consumers, possibly even collapse the economy. Hasn't he noticed that the neocons urge women to squirt out as many kids as possible, to financially compensate for the imminent decline in Boomers? Hasn't he seen the horrifying effects of fertility treatments? Does he not realize that lifespans and quality of healthcare are increasing throughout the developed world? And that unvaccinated people suffer and die from diseases that could be prevented by vaccines, while vaccinated people do not suffer and die from diseases that are prevented by vaccines?
No.
Instead, he sobs, "It's eugenics", then - turning on an emotional dime - screams, "Please do not laugh at me, officers!... I used to be dumb, too, and I love you. Remember I warned you." He informs us that entire military units will soon be dying from vaccines. "You are all going to die." Break for Prison Planet online store commercial.
This meltdown was followed by half an hour of grunting, groaning, snorting, and sighing as Jones tore into each and every one of the people who phoned to pledge their undying fealty to him. One caller earned his exasperation by being from Alaska. Another frustrated him to the point of apoplexy for suggesting a modest outlay of cash for some extra media exposure. And all incurred his wrath by talking about "this or that" while not caring enough about the real issues - like foster children being killed with radiation and chemicals (no source given, of course), like the creation of AIDS, like the symbol on Obama's private plane that proves he's a globalist in thrall to the New World Order agenda...
"It's a world of YOU KNOW WHAT!" Jones bellows in disgust. "The average person is duplicitous, greedy scum. And you people with your namby-pamby this-or-that... like this NESARA bull... there is no knight in shining armor! You have to save yourselves!"
After a few commercial breaks, Jones calms down enough to explain his outbursts as a bout of depression, something that strikes him on-air "only" once a month or so. He becomes so disgusted by the NWO agenda, he says, that the bottom just falls out and he is overwhelmed by the "maggot-covered decay" that surrounds him, by the "giggling Yuppies" who refuse to take him seriously. An "epiphany" has made him realize that he simply can't articulate the "kaleidoscope of ideas" he has, so he becomes emotionally overloaded with the "wonder of God's creation... covered with crap!"
Essentially, he feels that he is a lone voice in the wilderness, and that he is shouldering too much of the responsibility for the salvation of all mankind. It's time for others to step up and do their part by plastering their communities with PrisonPlanet.com bumper stickers and warning their neighbors away from the IQ-devouring scourge that is tapwater.
This rare moment of insight ends seconds later, when Jones again begins ranting and sobbing about "vaccines causing autism in little children - that's a fact", about our "sexual congress with evil... [our] golem-like abandon", about the "rockabilly art types" (no, I don't know either), and about those who criticize him. This rant is punctuated by a sustained "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG!"
"I watch you drink out of those dark cups... and I cry for you.
My fruits are legion. And they are good.
I don't have ego anymore. I have the power of will that is mistaken for ego.
We are on a planet."
He reiterates an earlier statement that the NWO will probably kill him. They already listen to all his phone calls and threaten his wife. He then goes on to literally rebuke his enemies, old school televangelist-style, and to warn us away from the "key things" that the NWO is using to destroy our minds and bodies: sodium fluoride, vaccines, cell phones, GMO foods, TV, and "dangerous brainwashing movies like Batman", ending on the televangelistic note, "Be born again. Unlock your psyche."
Break to an ad that urges listeners to download Jones' program to their iPhones.
I listen to Mr. Jones once or twice a week, which is about all I can handle. Any more of the guy and I'd laugh myself to death. But even I'm not laughing at him much these days. I can't even giggle when I realize that I am witnessing the last threads of sanity being plucked from the angry sweater that is Alex Jones' psyche.
Much as I hate to give Jones any credit, I think he has done such a fine job of indoctrinating his listeners that he has actually become dangerous.
Dangerous? How could an intellectually challenged, woefully misinformed Angry Redneck Suburban White Guy with a Message, having just a radio show and a handful of shoestring "documentaries" to his dubious credit, be dangerous? Well, I think anyone who tells you to avoid vaccinations, tapwater, non-organic food, soy products, and police officers could be dangerous. All of these things are good for you, in moderation.
Jones has lost his ability to reason, if indeed he ever possessed it in the first place. During today's broadcast, he declared that every single U.S. serviceman is injected with very aggressive cancer viruses as part of the New World Order's "eugenics" program. Eugenics is the practice of selective breeding to bring out desirable characteristics, but Jones has broadened the term to mean "killing everyone for no apparent reason." Common sense should tell him that indiscriminate mass killing of Americans would not benefit Them; it would destroy Their tax base and reduce the number of consumers, possibly even collapse the economy. Hasn't he noticed that the neocons urge women to squirt out as many kids as possible, to financially compensate for the imminent decline in Boomers? Hasn't he seen the horrifying effects of fertility treatments? Does he not realize that lifespans and quality of healthcare are increasing throughout the developed world? And that unvaccinated people suffer and die from diseases that could be prevented by vaccines, while vaccinated people do not suffer and die from diseases that are prevented by vaccines?
No.
Instead, he sobs, "It's eugenics", then - turning on an emotional dime - screams, "Please do not laugh at me, officers!... I used to be dumb, too, and I love you. Remember I warned you." He informs us that entire military units will soon be dying from vaccines. "You are all going to die." Break for Prison Planet online store commercial.
This meltdown was followed by half an hour of grunting, groaning, snorting, and sighing as Jones tore into each and every one of the people who phoned to pledge their undying fealty to him. One caller earned his exasperation by being from Alaska. Another frustrated him to the point of apoplexy for suggesting a modest outlay of cash for some extra media exposure. And all incurred his wrath by talking about "this or that" while not caring enough about the real issues - like foster children being killed with radiation and chemicals (no source given, of course), like the creation of AIDS, like the symbol on Obama's private plane that proves he's a globalist in thrall to the New World Order agenda...
"It's a world of YOU KNOW WHAT!" Jones bellows in disgust. "The average person is duplicitous, greedy scum. And you people with your namby-pamby this-or-that... like this NESARA bull... there is no knight in shining armor! You have to save yourselves!"
After a few commercial breaks, Jones calms down enough to explain his outbursts as a bout of depression, something that strikes him on-air "only" once a month or so. He becomes so disgusted by the NWO agenda, he says, that the bottom just falls out and he is overwhelmed by the "maggot-covered decay" that surrounds him, by the "giggling Yuppies" who refuse to take him seriously. An "epiphany" has made him realize that he simply can't articulate the "kaleidoscope of ideas" he has, so he becomes emotionally overloaded with the "wonder of God's creation... covered with crap!"
Essentially, he feels that he is a lone voice in the wilderness, and that he is shouldering too much of the responsibility for the salvation of all mankind. It's time for others to step up and do their part by plastering their communities with PrisonPlanet.com bumper stickers and warning their neighbors away from the IQ-devouring scourge that is tapwater.
This rare moment of insight ends seconds later, when Jones again begins ranting and sobbing about "vaccines causing autism in little children - that's a fact", about our "sexual congress with evil... [our] golem-like abandon", about the "rockabilly art types" (no, I don't know either), and about those who criticize him. This rant is punctuated by a sustained "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG!"
"I watch you drink out of those dark cups... and I cry for you.
My fruits are legion. And they are good.
I don't have ego anymore. I have the power of will that is mistaken for ego.
We are on a planet."
He reiterates an earlier statement that the NWO will probably kill him. They already listen to all his phone calls and threaten his wife. He then goes on to literally rebuke his enemies, old school televangelist-style, and to warn us away from the "key things" that the NWO is using to destroy our minds and bodies: sodium fluoride, vaccines, cell phones, GMO foods, TV, and "dangerous brainwashing movies like Batman", ending on the televangelistic note, "Be born again. Unlock your psyche."
Break to an ad that urges listeners to download Jones' program to their iPhones.
Then I'll stand somewhere else
No time to post, so I'll have to expose you directly to the wit and wisdom of Mr. Jones. Sorry 'bout that. In this piece, he talks about - what else? - eugenics, John Holdren, and the globalist monsters. He also *complains* about those who attack his message, and explains that we're probably just jealous. He could be right about that; I do envy his ability to live in a world of his own design, and I admire his extraordinary success at staving off nearly every intrusion of factual information and common sense into that world. That takes true skill.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Bugging Out
Remember the guy who's going to ground to avoid the New World Order smackdown?
It gets worse. On his YouTube channel, he has posted an explanation of his reasons for doing what he's doing. Among them:
No, there isn't any evidence that antiandrogens found in some drinking water and pesticides were placed there to sterilize the male population. And Holdren's "plan" was more like a wild suggestion; I'm sure he wasn't dense enough to think it would be implemented in his lifetime.
The truth is, however, that Holdren and co-authors Paul and Anne Erlich did discuss involuntary population control in their 1977 book Ecoscience. Erlich had published an even more alarmist book, The Population Bomb, in 1968. Holdren and the Erliches wrote that if population growth wasn't slowed voluntary, involuntary sterilization could be introduced via food and water supplies. Women could be required to have abortions. Otherwise, mass starvation would result.
The strange thing is, Paul Erlich's failed predictions of the late '60s bear an eerie resemblance to the predictions Jones has been making: Food shortages could lead to the deaths of hundreds of millions. The only difference is, Erlich did not view such catastrophes as part of a depopulation scheme, but the inevitable result of overpopulation. He believed there would be worldwide famines in the '70s and '80s if population growth was not curbed.
Erlich knows he was wrong, or at least he knows that his timeline was whack. While he's still concerned about overpopulation, his views have been tempered considerably by age and experience. I think the same could safely be said of Holdren. The things both men wrote over 30 years ago probably seem as brash and silly to them now as they do to the rest of us.
It's not time to head for the hills just yet.
It gets worse. On his YouTube channel, he has posted an explanation of his reasons for doing what he's doing. Among them:
- Flesh-eating robots. Sure, they haven't actually been developed yet, and the creators never actually said anything about using corpses for fuel (that was a fun little factoid added by the ultra-conservative media, to teach us that science is scary and that only crazy, evil bastards use it), but holy mother of god flesh-eating robots!!! RUN!!!
- The Army is rehearsing to take over the country right now. This is apparently a reference to the so-called "gun confiscation drill" conducted in Iowa in April and the international FEMA terror drills that are taking place. Also, the vlogger has heard stupid rumours of "burnout drills" (setting fire to citizens' homes to evacuate them from an area). After the epic fail that was Katrina disaster relief, you'd think people would be happy to see FEMA officials doing some dry runs. They could sure use the practice.
- Food shortages, riots, and martial law are imminent because THEY will cut off all water, electricity, and food supplies to major cities, to starve residents into submission. It will probably start in California. lol wut
- Swine Flu vaccinations may become mandatory. While I'm not comfortable with the idea of involuntary inoculation with a vaccine that has been developed quickly, I don't believe the vaccine is part of a "depopulation agenda". It would definitely be the first of its kind, because despite the occasional problems with contamination, no vaccine in recent history has harmed more people than it has helped.
- Obama's science czar, John Holdren, wants to impose limits on the number of children Americans can have. As the vlogger is actually holding a baby in his video, I don't fully understand why this is a concern for him. Does he really want seven more children that he'll have to hide from THEM?
- Each nation will be alotted so many babies. Only test tube babies will be allowed. The source of this info? Bertrand Russell. I love the guy, but dammit - he was one paranoid, misanthropic old mofo. Best not to take all his warnings literally.
- John Holdren plans to sterilize Americans against their will.
No, there isn't any evidence that antiandrogens found in some drinking water and pesticides were placed there to sterilize the male population. And Holdren's "plan" was more like a wild suggestion; I'm sure he wasn't dense enough to think it would be implemented in his lifetime.
The truth is, however, that Holdren and co-authors Paul and Anne Erlich did discuss involuntary population control in their 1977 book Ecoscience. Erlich had published an even more alarmist book, The Population Bomb, in 1968. Holdren and the Erliches wrote that if population growth wasn't slowed voluntary, involuntary sterilization could be introduced via food and water supplies. Women could be required to have abortions. Otherwise, mass starvation would result.
The strange thing is, Paul Erlich's failed predictions of the late '60s bear an eerie resemblance to the predictions Jones has been making: Food shortages could lead to the deaths of hundreds of millions. The only difference is, Erlich did not view such catastrophes as part of a depopulation scheme, but the inevitable result of overpopulation. He believed there would be worldwide famines in the '70s and '80s if population growth was not curbed.
Erlich knows he was wrong, or at least he knows that his timeline was whack. While he's still concerned about overpopulation, his views have been tempered considerably by age and experience. I think the same could safely be said of Holdren. The things both men wrote over 30 years ago probably seem as brash and silly to them now as they do to the rest of us.
It's not time to head for the hills just yet.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The End of Jonestown?
Or the start of another one?
In last week's interview with Paul Watson, Jones announced that when his next documentary has been completed and his book has been written, he might abandon filmmaking and broadcasting altogether. What will he do instead? Form groups to educate the public about "eugenics" and the elites' depopulation agenda.
Once again, he stated that he no longer goes to movies, or dines out, or swims with his children because he is consumed with his mission to educate the public about the elites' agenda. But this time he specified that his mission revolves around the poisoning of the air, water, and food.
"Nothing else matters."
I don't know quite what to make of this. It could be a positive sign that Jones is going to narrow his focus, which would probably alienate (or simply bore) a huge number of his followers. Sure, they're freaked over fluoride and MSG, but are they going to drop everything to fight them 24/7? Doubt it.
On the other hand, Jones' current MO is to spread his special brand of ignorance and alarmism very broadly, and thinly, over a wide array of topics. What will happen if he concentrates all his manic energy on a single topic? He might be able to convince large numbers of people to reject science-based medicine, birth control, soy, public education, vaccination, cancer research, and any number of things he links to the depopulation agenda. He might just gain a whole new following and fulfill his dream of creating a "9/11 Truth movement for eugenics". And that's a distressing thought, because his views on "eugenics" are the most dangerous ones he holds.
In last week's interview with Paul Watson, Jones announced that when his next documentary has been completed and his book has been written, he might abandon filmmaking and broadcasting altogether. What will he do instead? Form groups to educate the public about "eugenics" and the elites' depopulation agenda.
Once again, he stated that he no longer goes to movies, or dines out, or swims with his children because he is consumed with his mission to educate the public about the elites' agenda. But this time he specified that his mission revolves around the poisoning of the air, water, and food.
"Nothing else matters."
I don't know quite what to make of this. It could be a positive sign that Jones is going to narrow his focus, which would probably alienate (or simply bore) a huge number of his followers. Sure, they're freaked over fluoride and MSG, but are they going to drop everything to fight them 24/7? Doubt it.
On the other hand, Jones' current MO is to spread his special brand of ignorance and alarmism very broadly, and thinly, over a wide array of topics. What will happen if he concentrates all his manic energy on a single topic? He might be able to convince large numbers of people to reject science-based medicine, birth control, soy, public education, vaccination, cancer research, and any number of things he links to the depopulation agenda. He might just gain a whole new following and fulfill his dream of creating a "9/11 Truth movement for eugenics". And that's a distressing thought, because his views on "eugenics" are the most dangerous ones he holds.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
On a personal note....
Any vestige of respect I had for Ron Paul was just slaughtered by the movie Bruno.
This is a guy who, less than a year ago, was begging America to let him represent all Americans. And he can't handle one gay proposition with anything resembling grace. He completely lost his cool. Would he have freaked if a beautiful young woman took off her pants? Doubt it. It would have been, "No thank you, dear. I think this meeting is over." And then he would have gone along on his paranoid, racist way.
This is a guy who, less than a year ago, was begging America to let him represent all Americans. And he can't handle one gay proposition with anything resembling grace. He completely lost his cool. Would he have freaked if a beautiful young woman took off her pants? Doubt it. It would have been, "No thank you, dear. I think this meeting is over." And then he would have gone along on his paranoid, racist way.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Where's the Harm?
People have asked me, "What's so bad about Alex Jones? Sure, he's a bit of a drama queen sometimes, but it's harmless stuff. Why don't you just ignore it?"
For the most part, Jones' propaganda is harmless.
But then you have Jones fans like this guy. He's seriously preparing to go to ground, convinced that Luciferian New World Order chaos is about to crash down on the U.S.
He thinks the banker-controlled elites are about to cut off the food and water supplies, slaughter citizens who resist total control, and confiscate most private property. So he's hunkering down in an undisclosed location with a huge supply of guns, firewood, and water.
He is a devoted disciple of the late William Cooper (a UFO "whistleblower" who branched out into NWO theories), Alex Jones, Lindsey Wiliams, etc.
He believes in an indiscriminate worldwide depopulation program (even though there is no indication that such a program is underway), the "poisoning" of our food and water with things like fluoride, the Luciferian agenda of the UN, and imminent martial law in the U.S.
There is a lot of harm in subjecting people to this level of hysteria, most of it based on flimsy conspiracy theories, bizarre misinterpretations of historical events, and "Satanic panic". I know that Jones et.al. think they're doing the right thing, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
The saddest thing is, once people reach this advanced stage of dread and paranoia, there's probably no going back.
The other major hazard posed by Jones and company is that devoted listeners will ignore real problems (international terrorism, global warming, nuclear power, etc.) because they're so preoccupied with non-problems like artificial sweeteners and MSG, FEMA concentration camps, or Satanic ritual sacrifices. And because Jones tells them the real problems are only blinds crafted by the elite.
For the most part, Jones' propaganda is harmless.
But then you have Jones fans like this guy. He's seriously preparing to go to ground, convinced that Luciferian New World Order chaos is about to crash down on the U.S.
He thinks the banker-controlled elites are about to cut off the food and water supplies, slaughter citizens who resist total control, and confiscate most private property. So he's hunkering down in an undisclosed location with a huge supply of guns, firewood, and water.
He is a devoted disciple of the late William Cooper (a UFO "whistleblower" who branched out into NWO theories), Alex Jones, Lindsey Wiliams, etc.
He believes in an indiscriminate worldwide depopulation program (even though there is no indication that such a program is underway), the "poisoning" of our food and water with things like fluoride, the Luciferian agenda of the UN, and imminent martial law in the U.S.
There is a lot of harm in subjecting people to this level of hysteria, most of it based on flimsy conspiracy theories, bizarre misinterpretations of historical events, and "Satanic panic". I know that Jones et.al. think they're doing the right thing, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
The saddest thing is, once people reach this advanced stage of dread and paranoia, there's probably no going back.
The other major hazard posed by Jones and company is that devoted listeners will ignore real problems (international terrorism, global warming, nuclear power, etc.) because they're so preoccupied with non-problems like artificial sweeteners and MSG, FEMA concentration camps, or Satanic ritual sacrifices. And because Jones tells them the real problems are only blinds crafted by the elite.
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