I would argue that conspiracy theories got much of their start with the aftermath of JFK's assassination, and that had a lot to do with the nature of how U.S. politicians dealt with the general public following World War II up to the 1960s. Take a look at the Kennedy / Nixon debates and look at how Nixon debated then. Ideas of negativity towards government were supposed to be foreign; government was a force to be trusted. However, with increased declassification of information, we find that such trust was misplaced, and there is a deep-seated feeling that we are being lied to in the name of "national security."
Indeed, perhaps due to our inherent demand for information, we distrust any groups that we feel do not represent us, and any group with disproportionate power that meets in secret is going to make us highly suspicious. In this respect, the Bush Administration has been a failure, as it, regardless of its intentions, has chosen this route. It should interest one to know that a provision of the Homeland Security Department bill allows for secret meetings. This will not, in any regard, help, and it is my view that conspiracy theories, which waned tremendously in the 1990s, is going to have a huge upsurge in popularity.
It should interest you to know that the "theory" about Israel knowing about the WTC attack ahead of time originated from Al-Jazeera reporting on the extremist, David Duke, former GOP Lousiana state representative, former GOP presidential candidate, and former KKK member. However, Al-Jazeera commented on David Duke as if he represented the mainstream thought of America, so now the Arab world has yet another reason to hate us, even if it comes from the mouth of an utter asshole.
At the same time, I would argue that the American media likely does the same stunt, in regards to reporting on Israel and Palestine. Notice that when Israelis die, we get names, pictures, and emotional reactions. Notice that when Palestinians die (often in Israeli retaliatory strikes), we get nothing of the sort. "They deserved it." But here's the thing: the Arab world does get this coverage on Palestine, while the Israeli deaths are nameless. I don't think we often fathom how much media really does influence us, and we really need to take the initiative to find out the "truth," because if you think we're just going to get it from our standard news sources--and I don't care where you live--you're not going to get it. You will always get the news reported as favorable to the dominant hegemony within one's nation or cultural body.
Melon
