A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America (Comparative Studies in Religion and Society)

What do UFO believers, Christian millennialists, and right-wing conspiracy theorists have in common? According to Michael Barkun in this fascinating yet disturbing book, quite a lot. It is well known that some Americans are obsessed with conspiracies. The Kennedy assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2001 terrorist attacks have all generated elaborate stories of hidden plots. What is far less known is the extent to which conspiracist worldviews have recently become linked in strange and unpredictable ways with other "fringe" notions such as a belief in UFOs, Nostradamus, and the Illuminati. Unraveling the extraordinary genealogies and permutations of these increasingly widespread ideas, Barkun shows how this web of urban legends has spread among subcultures on the Internet and through mass media, how a new style of conspiracy thinking has recently arisen, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture. This book, written by a leading expert on the subject, is the most comprehensive and authoritative examination of contemporary American conspiracism to date. Barkun discusses a range of material--involving inner-earth caves, government black helicopters, alien abductions, secret New World Order cabals, and much more--that few realize exists in our culture. Looking closely at the manifestions of these ideas in a wide range of literature and source material from religious and political literature, to New Age and UFO publications, to popular culture phenomena such as The X-Files, and to websites, radio programs, and more, Barkun finds that America is in the throes of an unrivaled period of millennarian activity. His book underscores the importance of understanding why this phenomenon is now spreading into more mainstream segments of American culture. Barkun's book pulls together many different conspiracy theories, showing how they are now interacting and cross-fertilizing one another via the internet. The internet has provided a quick and effective way for a wide variety of conspiracy theorists to begin drawing from one another, thus giving the appearance of intellectual rigor by quoting one another and supporting one another. The whole thing begins looking rather incestuous after awhile as Christian millenarians start incorporating UFO or hollow earth elements into their work, for example. For those interested in the social construction of knowledge, an examination of conspiracy theories and their proliferation since the advent of the internet would prove fruitful. I do wish that Barkun had mentioned Umberto Eco's excellent novel, "Foucault's Pendulum," in his book. I know that it is probably outside of the scope of his examination of American culture, but Eco has done a masterful job of revealing the rampant anti-intellectualism of conspiracy theorists. Please read Barkun's book. It is entertaining, enlightening, and disconcerting. I found the when I tried to discuss it with friends and relatives, there were some who actually believed many of the things he was discussing. I think that worried me most of all. Preface......Page 10 1. The Nature of Conspiracy Belief......Page 14 2. Millennialism, Conspiracy, and Stigmatized Knowledge......Page 28 3. New World Order Conspiracies I: The New World Order and the Illuminati......Page 52 4. New World Order Conspiracies II: A World of Black Helicopters......Page 78 5. UFO Conspiracy Theories, 1975 –1990......Page 92 6. UFOs Meet the New World Order: Jim Keith and David Icke......Page 111 7. Armageddon Below......Page 123 8. UFOs and the Search for Scapegoats I: Anti-Catholicism and Anti-Masonry......Page 139 9. UFOs and the Search for Scapegoats II: Anti-Semitism among the Aliens......Page 154 10. September 11 The Aftermath:......Page 171 11. Conclusion: Millennialists from Outer Space......Page 183 Notes......Page 204 Bibliography......Page 234 Index......Page 252 The Nature Of Conspiracy Belief -- Millennialism, Conspiracy, And Stigmatized Knowledge -- New World Order Conspiracies (i) : The New World Order And The Illuminati -- New World Order Conspiracies (ii) : A World Of Black Helicopters -- Ufo Conspiracy Theories, 1975-1990 -- Ufos Meet The New World Order : Jim Keith And David Icke -- Armageddon Below -- Ufos And The Search For Scapegoats (i) : Anti-catholicism And Anti-masonry -- Ufos And The Search For Scapegoats (ii) : Anti-semitism Among The Aliens -- September 11th : The Conspiracists' Response. Michael Barkun. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 221-238) And Index. In a groundbreaking work that traces the origins of common conspiracy theories--and the meta-theories behind them--a professor of political theory finds disturbing common ground in tales of UFO sightings, "black helicopters," and the assassination of JFK. (Current Affairs) "Barkun's exploration of the conspiratorial worldview combines sociological depth with a deadpan appreciation of pop culture and raises serious questions about the replacement of democracy by conspiracy as the dominant paradigm of political action in the public mind." Unravelling the genealogies and permutations of conspiracist worldviews, this work shows how this web of urban legends has spread among sub-cultures on the Internet and through mass media, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture On January 20, 2002, Richard McCaslin, thirty-seven, of Carson City, Nevada, was arrested sneaking into the Bohemian Grove in Northern California.