The movies that turned everything tinfoil (James Oliver, New Europaean)

[LeftishBrit]

...Conspiracy theories are nothing new, of course, from Blood Libels to Popish Plots but are flourishing now, in 2020, as never before. The pandemic has certainly stirred it up but the taste for conspiratorial thinking predates the arrival of Sars-COV-2....



Something else should be added, however. The role of culture, film and television, has sometimes been overlooked but it has been one of the most powerful drivers in all this, most especially things produced in America (when America does something, it – pretty much de facto – goes global. You can do that when you’re a global hegemon).


While it would be conspiratorial in itself to suggest a direct connection, culture helped draw conspiracy theories from the margins to somewhere more central, creating a climate where this nonsense could flourish.

(Much more at link):


https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/james-oliver-on-conspiracy-movies-6316328

[LeftishBrit]

1. I think this is a bit overstated...

Certainly there were all kinds of conspiracy theories about JFK's assassination long before Oliver Stone's film. Jim Garrison started promoting such theories not very long after the assassination.

But it's certainly an interesting article.

[Archae]

2. Garrison's original theories had a "gay murder thrill club."

Garrison watered down that part later, but he never rejected it outright.

Also his primary source, was one guy who was mentally ill.

No, Stone did get two facts correct in "JFK," Kennedy was shot in Dallas, and Garrison did put Clay Shaw on trial.

The rest of that movie was absolute horseshit.