Tyrants who love "conspiracy theories"

The premise of this article is that some so-called "conspiracy-theories" are fascist and marxist propaganda.

This post will prove that not only former tyrants such as Stalin and Hitler loved "conspiracy-theories" and used them to further their agenda, but also modern runner-up tyrants carry on the tradition of abusing conspiracy-theories.

Why do they do this? In order to deflect from their own evils.

1. Conspiracy Theorist Hugo Chavez

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that it’s plausible that the U.S. government was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.

1

Deflection from his own evils:

Meanwhile Chavez has removed freedom of speech in his country, closed TV and Radio Stations and jailed politicians of the opposition in order to impose his "socialist" tyranny.

2. Conspiracy Theorist Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York as a "suspect event"

2

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended Holocaust revisionists and raised questions about who carried out the September 11 attacks in a tense showdown at Columbia University on Monday

3

Deflection from his own evils:

Meanwhile Ahmadinejad suppresses free elections, free speech, womens rights, minority rights and all the other things that tyrants do.

3. Conspiracy Theorist Mugabe

Mugabe sees conspiracy all around

The flurry of conspiracy stories in the state-owned media continued all week. The Herald alleged that the MDC had sought British military intervention if it lost the March poll; another in the Sunday Mail claimed that thousands of Zimbabweans were receiving secret military training in the UK and hordes of British spies disguised as "tourists and arts promoters" were luring Zimbabweans into the British Army; and the Chronicle blamed Britain for maize shortages because "she wants to remove the present government and impose a puppet one".

4

Deflection from his own evils:

Meanwhile tyrant Mugabe continues the slaughter and mass-starvation of his entire country.

Reversal of Truth

It is common for the tyrant-"conspiracy-theorist" to reverse truth. North Koreas dictator tells his people that the United States is the enemy of freedom and progress when in fact it is the North Koreans that are not allowed to travel, express themselves freely or even surf the Internet. This satellite image of South Korea and North Korea speaks louder than words:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/46ba2c968b1b.jpg[/atsimg]

In order to justify extreme measures, Hitler had to resort to extreme conspiracy-theories, such as Jews controlling the whole world and trying to establish the "NWO", as depicted by this Nazi-Propaganda poster:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ca90366184ea.jpg[/atsimg]


These enemies of reason, freedom and honesty are championed by some "conspiracy-theorists" because they voice similar views. A widespread fallacy among anti-establishment writers is "The enemy of my enemy must be my friend".

Fascists and right-wing extremists who disseminate conspiracy-theories usually do so to justify widespread violence.

Marxists and Left-wing extremists who disseminate conspiracy-theories usually do so from a victim-mentality which seeks someone to blame for something or other.

_________________________________________________

This is a follow up to my threads...

...The Dark Side of "Conspiracy Theory", which pointed out psychological fallacies in CT.

...Zionist Conspiracy-Theory = Black Propaganda which proved the "Protocols of the Wise Elders of Zion" to be a hoax and a conspiracy-theory used by both Hitler and modern Jihadists.

...The very real conspiracy against Freemasonry which proved that Freemasonry was persecuted by Nazis, Communists and Religious Bigots who oppose masonic practices of tolerance, freedom and ethics.

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Skyfloating]

Maybe this also proves that all of us conspiracy theorists have a bit of the tyrant in us as well?

p.s. the North/South Korea pic does speak volumes... very cool

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Resinveins]

Chavez Anti-Semitism

The rising wave of anti-Semitism in Venezuela is part and parcel of this effort by Chávez's increasingly repressive regime. The complex housing the Jewish community school and cultural and sports center has been inexplicably raided twice by Venezuelan police since Chávez came to power. It is especially dangerous when law enforcement carries out these kinds of unfounded acts, since some may interpret them as justification to commit violence against Jews. When a community is singled out and bullied in this way, the danger exists for xenophobes and anti-Semites to take license from the government's actions to spread their hate.

Chavez Censorship

The first step was a new media content law, adopted by the Chavez-controlled legislature last December, that subjects broadcast media to heavy fines or the loss of their licenses for disseminating information deemed "contrary to national security." Its impact was soon felt: Two of the most prominent anti-government journalists lost their jobs as anchors on morning television shows, and Venezuelans quickly noticed the appearance of self-censorship among those who remained.

Originally posted by Resinveins
Maybe this also proves that all of us conspiracy theorists have a bit of the tyrant in us as well?

p.s. the North/South Korea pic does speak volumes... very cool

One thing some of them have in common with tyrants is that they think everyone is stupid or "sheeple", as they say and they get enraged when someone disagrees with them.

That said, I still believe in plenty of real conspiracies myself, so Im not wanting to bash conspiracy-theorists in general

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Skyfloating]

More from Iran...

In an article, the Iranian daily Kayhan, which is identified with Iranian Supreme Leader 'Ali Khamenei, criticized Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry for approving the distribution of the new book in the "Harry Potter" series. The paper said that "Harry Potter" was a Zionist project in which billions of dollars had been invested in order to disrupt the minds of young people. Source: Kayhan, Iran, July 26, 2007

Now more than ever," the Iranian film's narrator says, "this tool serves to spread the dark and evil essence of Zionism and its goals."

1

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Skyfloating]

People love conspiracies.

It's like letting them onto a secret. I think it goes to a baser instinct to human nature. When you know more than someone else, it puts you in a position of power. Control.
When tyrants let people "in" on the secret, people feel part of the power structure. They become the ones "in the know".

Just my humble opinion. . .

I agree with the above post! Its all about "Knowledge" and knowing something that someone else doesn't who are focused on their everyday routines!

reply to post by mikerussellus


That would be my guess too. I was originally attracted to CTs and I remember the thoughts I had as a teenager:

To know more than others
People are stupid
I am more aware
There must be a secret to having power
Mass-media is a farce
People miss the unseen



[edit on 10-9-2009 by Skyfloating]

reply to post by Skyfloating

Exactly.
Why the draw to sites like this?
We know more. We have the "inside scoop."

As long as it's tempered with common sense, then I think, it's a healthy thing.

Speculation on the "what if" in our lives is one of the driving forces of mankind.

Religion.
Power.
Fear.

It gives us meek folks the sense of control over our own lives.

Like anything, CTs can be abused. As long as one maintains a critical mind and is skeptical enough to look beyond the seduction of CTs, then exploring them is fun, educational and keeps one's mind exercised and working.

Unfortunately, too many people are willing to believe every one that comes along and latch onto them as if they are more likely to be true than the most reasonable explanation.

There has to be a great deal of evidence for me to believe or even entertain a CT. I like to keep an open mind, but I am fairly skeptical. I wasn't attracted to CTs until fairly recently...

It's interesting that these tyrants have "used" CTs to control their people. It's an effective tool, for certain. Especially as a distraction technique. It's clear that they are distracting, even to those of us who spend our time talking about them of our free will... Or is it free will? Have the current CTs been planted as a means of distraction? It's something to think about.

I assume that most people who are attracted to CTs are generally suspicious of authority (which is a good thing to be) and are looking for an explanation as to "why things are the way they are". They are suspicious and always look behind the curtain so they won't be "fooled". But sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


-don't panic-

I agree. Misused, it becomes a weapon.
Used correctly, it is a tool for speculation.

Originally posted by mikerussellus
I think, it's a healthy thing.

Speculation on the "what if" in our lives is one of the driving forces of mankind.

Awareness is healthy (protects us from getting scammed).

Speculation is healthy (it gives us progress)

Paranoia however, takes Awareness and Speculation, mixes it with Imagination and Negativity/Fear and thats where it can become not only unhealthy but detrimental to society as a whole. (?)

reply to post by Skyfloating


Too much of anything is not good. Look at it as a bell curve. As long as you don't stray to either end, you should be doing alright.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
I assume that most people who are attracted to CTs are generally suspicious of authority (which is a good thing to be)

You wrote up a nice analysis, but allow me to filter out this part. While most of the progress we achieve, we achieved because we do things differently than "authority" told us to, different than the status quo dictates, I think a lot of the stuff found in anti-establishment-writing goes way beyond mere suspicion of authority - to hatred of authority.

In other words:

If someone studied to be a dentist and has run a good dentist practice for the last 10 years, Im not going to be "generally suspicious" of his authority in the field, but generally trusting.

The NWO-Conspiracy-Theory The Protocols of the Wise Elders of Zion as the root of America/Europe-Hatred.

In March 1970, the Protocols were reported to be the top 'nonfiction' bestseller in Lebanon

The Charter of Hamas explicitly refers to the Protocols, accepting them as factual and makes several references to Freemasons as one of the "secret societies" controlled by "Zionists". The Article 32 of the Hamas Charter states: The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying

Hitler refers to the Protocols in Mein Kampf:

... To what extent the whole existence of this people is based on a continuous lie is shown incomparably by the Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion, so infinitely hated by the Jews. They are based on a forgery, the Frankfurter Zeitung moans and screams once every week: the best proof that they are authentic. [...] the important thing is that with positively terrifying certainty they reveal the nature and activity of the Jewish people and expose their inner contexts as well as their ultimate final aims.[53]

many Arab governments funded new printings of the Protocols, and taught them in their schools as historical fact. They have been accepted as such by many Islamist organizations, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Reportedly, Arabic editions issued in the Middle East were found on sale as far away as London.[55] There are at least nine different Arabic translations of the Protocols and more editions than in any other language including German.[48] The Protocols also figure prominently in the antisemitic propaganda distributed internationally by the Arab countries and have spread to other Muslim countries, such as Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia.[48]

The Protocols is a best-seller in Syria

Saudi Arabian schoolbooks contain explicit summaries of the Protocols as factual:

Iranian writer and researcher Ali Baqeri, who researched the Protocols, finds their plan for world domination to be merely part of an even more grandiose scheme, saying in Sobh in 1999: "The ultimate goal of the Jews... after conquering the globe... is to extract from the hands of the Lord many stars and galaxies".

More Mugabe Paranoia

instead of speaking of the immense benefits that information communications technologies (ICTs) have brought by enhancing connectivity between world communities and improving access to and the dissemination of information across the globe, Mugabe paraded his paranoid view of the information age by pursuing his attacks on the West, particularly Britain and the US.

He accused the two countries of using their ICT superiority to "challenge our sovereignty through hostile and malicious broadcasts calculated to foment instability and destroy the State through divisions".

And he used this imaginary threat to justify his government’s intention to subject all electronic communications in the country to surveillance and control.

Mugabe also claimed that the "genesis" of ICTs "lies in the quest for global hegemony and dominance on the part of rich and powerful nations of the North", The Herald (11/12 & 12/12).

Just like the book 1984, the Tyrants use propaganda about other countries supposed evils in order to hide their own.

I guess that any good thing can be misused and turned for evil purposes.

Like so many things in life CT's are a balance, between being ignorant on one end and paranoid on the other.

BH is right about people jumping onto theories without to much thought of their own, especially in politics.

I actually think the situation is a bit more serious than just a few oddballs spouting fringe-theories. Last time false CTs gained widespread momentum, the result was 77 Million dead (WWII).

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Skyfloating]

Looking at it from that angle I can see your point. Usually Dictators are most worried about losing their power due to unpopularity so will do/say near anything to retain it.

I can see the Arabs + Israelis going to war over things like this, propaganda by both sides leading to yet a another conflict.

I don't think most ordinary people of different countries hate each other, it's the governments which cause much of the problems.

Loving the thread. I'm onboard with this theory in general.

I heard recently a Chomsky talk on 9/11, where he was wondering if it's all just misdirection. He said that pentagon documents had come out that showed they had a policy of dripping out stuff about the JFK assassination, in order to keep people busy on something worthless. Keeping them stuck in the past, and away from current, probably more important issues.