9/11 Truthiness

Radar reports that “nearly 40 percent of Americans believe that the government conspired in, or had precise foreknowledge of, the 9/11 attacks.” That figure may sound like something only a conspiracy enthusiast could believe, but it comes to you not from late-night college radio but from a Scripps Howard poll. Cut it in half, if you like: One in five of your fellow citizens is completely bananas, and he votes. (Here and here is some recommended reading on why.)

Granted, it’s likely that a much smaller number are as far gone as the boys and girls of 9/11 Truth goon squad (Josh Strawn wrote about the “Truthers” here), but, if I may paraphrase Margaret Mead, never doubt that a group of thoughtless citizens who ought to be committed can change the world. The unholy union of camcorders and YouTube has made it easier than ever to disseminate misinformation and propaganda, especially if your day job is sitting on the couch eating Funyuns and drinking Red Bull.

The good news? Maybe they don’t believe a word of it. Maybe it really is just about showing off.

“Yeah, our actions get a lot of attention,” says [9/11 Truther Manny] Badillo, sounding glum. “But they never name us. We’ve got to figure that one out.”

And maybe I’m in the pay of the Bavarians. Now, if you’ll excuse me, these virgins aren’t going to sacrifice themselves . . .

Update: The only reply so far to my comments about 9/11 Truth is from a gentleman with concerns of his own about the official account of that day’s events. Marc Hessel writes that he has served in the U.S. Navy for five years and that “there was a lot more to the events of 9/11 than meet [sic] the eye.” He also encourages Jewcy readers to check out his post on the subject, which begins, “It gets me pretty pissed off when people go discrediting theories as to what really happened in September 2001.”

I can only assume that he means “ridiculing” and not “discrediting.” The latter implies actually disproving these theories, as, for instance, Popular Mechanics did when it published Debunking 9/11 Myths.

I’m a fan of conspiracy theories. I enjoy reading about them the same way that normal people enjoy watching shows like Blind Date. Where the fun of a dating show lies in reminding oneself that he takes a healthy approach to social interaction, the real fun of conspiracy theories lies in reassuring oneself that he has a well-stropped Occam’s razor in his mental Dopp kit.

As I write this, Larry King is on my television interviewing a host of UFO buffs about some lights seen about two weeks ago above Stephenville, Texas. The Washington Post reports:

As expected, federal officials say there is a “logical explanation,” such as light reflecting off passing planes, for the Jan. 8 incident. But residents of this town, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, remain unconvinced. . . .

The predictably dismissive response of the U.S. military, which has been repeated in several news stories, should tip people off that these “unidentified” objects might have some terrestrial, albeit no less secret, provenance. Here we come to what I’ll call the human cost of bullshit: the time and thought wasted picking apart the least likely explanations of a particular mystery, be it UFOs or the collapse of WTC-7. But crackpot theories about 9/11 are the worst, because they encourage demonstrably intelligent people to tilt at windmills—or oil rigs, if you like—when there are already ample flesh and blood enemies to worry about. I wonder why Mr. Hessel, who is part of a real fight, would find an imaginary one as appealing. I hope he’ll explain it more thoroughly than his post does.

Radar reports that “nearly 40 percent of Americans believe that the government conspired in, or had precise foreknowledge of, the 9/11 attacks.” That figure may sound like something only a conspiracy enthusiast could believe, but it comes to you not from late-night college radio but from a Scripps Howard poll. Cut it in half, if you like: One in five of your fellow citizens is completely bananas, and he votes. (Here and here is some recommended reading on why.)

Granted, it’s likely that a much smaller number are as far gone as the boys and girls of 9/11 Truth goon squad (Josh Strawn wrote about the “Truthers” here), but, if I may paraphrase Margaret Mead, never doubt that a group of thoughtless citizens who ought to be committed can change the world. The unholy union of camcorders and YouTube has made it easier than ever to disseminate misinformation and propaganda, especially if your day job is sitting on the couch eating Funyuns and drinking Red Bull.

I can only assume that he means “ridiculing” and not “discrediting.” The latter implies actually disproving these theories, as, for instance, Popular Mechanics did when it published Debunking 9/11 Myths.

I’m a fan of conspiracy theories. I enjoy reading about them the same way that normal people enjoy watching shows like Blind Date. Where the fun of a dating show lies in reminding oneself that he takes a healthy approach to social interaction, the real fun of conspiracy theories lies in reassuring oneself that he has a well-stropped Occam’s razor in his mental Dopp kit.

As I write this, Larry King is on my television interviewing a host of UFO buffs about some lights seen about two weeks ago above Stephenville, Texas. The Washington Post reports:

As expected, federal officials say there is a “logical explanation,” such as light reflecting off passing planes, for the Jan. 8 incident. But residents of this town, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, remain unconvinced. . . .

The predictably dismissive response of the U.S. military, which has been repeated in several news stories, should tip people off that these “unidentified” objects might have some terrestrial, albeit no less secret, provenance. Here we come to what I’ll call the human cost of bullshit: the time and thought wasted picking apart the least likely explanations of a particular mystery, be it UFOs or the collapse of WTC-7. But crackpot theories about 9/11 are the worst, because they encourage demonstrably intelligent people to tilt at windmills—or oil rigs, if you like—when there are already ample flesh and blood enemies to worry about. I wonder why Mr. Hessel, who is part of a real fight, would find an imaginary one as appealing. I hope he’ll explain it more thoroughly than his post does.