In Foucault’s pendulum Casaubon and Belbo (our protagonists) move from mocking conspiracy theorists from a relative distance, to creating their own elaborate theory (still all in fun), to falling for it and bringing unforeseen consequences down upon themselves when other theorists catch wind of it (at least one of our … heroes? ends up dead).

So.

”

The Templars have something to do with everything

“

Or

”

The Propaganda of Conspiracy

“

Or, perhaps more precisely,

”

Coming to see (understand?) the Erosion of Truth

“

Remember, or not, when it was all just in good fun, when you could sit like Casaubon and Belbo and spin tales of whatever for your amusement. It was all a joke, no serious topics broached, no harm done.

Some would say it still is (some would understand it never was)

What happened?

A dark mirror

We saw others erode truth, erode trust. They sat there and, all in good fun (or so they argue), suggest that maybe, just maybe, you cannot trust those who understand a subject, that a shadowy conspiracy is to blame for the state of the world.

They took our faith in humanity’s judgement.

They muddied clear waters and someone had to waste time cleaning them.

They shouted out real critiques of current power structures with accusations of aliens controlling our world’s leaders.

And we LAUGHED

.

.

.

Who’s laughing now?

We have begun to see, even before we were beginning to see we were beginning to feel (in-group cringe is such an interesting distancer)

After all this, did we, grow better, did we learn, will we?

I hope so.

 

It would be nice if that was enough, if everyone was misguided and could, with sufficient care, be guided away from reposting the funny Clinton meme without thinking about its context, be guided to understand that Actions have Consequences (it is a hard and painful process but you can help people). It would be nice if people were nice. Except; they aren’t all acting out of ignorance.

And that, that core of hatred, is the saddest part of it all.

Isn’t people arguing sideways in bad faith FUN.

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could find a happy ending for this post. I’ll leave you with a good book instead.

 

Eco, Umberto, and William Weaver. 2007. Foucault’s pendulum.