by Michael Hall
We have all heard conspiracy theories. Some can be very interesting, while others can be quite pathetic. Many of us may listen to them just for enjoyment or amusement. But there are some who spend their lives researching certain conspiracies which they believe contain substance. For example, there are those who research relentlessly to find evidence of UFOs at Roswell, or to find those responsible for the Kennedy assassination. But not all conspiracy theories lay in the past—many are now surfacing in the present. In the past few weeks, many of the major media outlets have been in a stir over controversial comments made in an interview by actor Charlie Sheen stating his belief in a conspiracy surrounding the events of September 11th. One of his remarks was that a new 9/11 investigation is needed, and he also implied that the government is behind a massive cover-up. He quoted Theodore Roosevelt when he said: “That we are to stand by the President right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public” (InfoWars). But it appears that Sheen is not alone in this view. There happens to be a large underground community of those who believe likewise. And not only do members of this community doubt the official story of 9/11, but they believe that the attacks are a part of a much wider grand conspiracy, known as the New World Order. And due to this perception, the way they see the world is totally different from what the average citizen may perceive. Because of this, the community could accurately be labeled a subculture. One of the main voices of this community is Alex Jones, who coincidentally was the individual who interviewed Sheen when he made the comments. To truly understand the literacy of the Alternative News subculture, we will examine one of the major underground media outlets for this community, Alex Jones’ InfoWars.
The InfoWars group uses a variety of different media to relay their message. First of all, they have three online websites to distribute their information: Infowars.com, Prisonplanet.com, and Prisonplanet.tv. In addition to the websites, the figurehead Alex Jones, who is based in Austin, is on the air six hours daily with his nationally syndicated radio show on the Genesis Communications Network (GCN), which can be heard over shortwave radio or listened to online via podcast. Jones has also filmed several informational documentaries and written books outlining the grand conspiracy. Not only has he performed in his own programs, but Jones has also appeared as a guest on a number of television shows, such as: 60 Minutes, 20/20, Good Morning America, and in Discovery Channel documentaries. Furthermore, Jones has starred in two feature films directed by Richard Linklater: Waking Life, and the upcoming A Scanner Darkly co-starring Keanu Reeves and Wynona Ryder. So, from this we can gather that the InfoWars group covers most of the spectrum in regards to media outlets.
The Alternative News subculture’s literacy differs from the rest of society as they perceive world events much differently than the average citizen. This is primarily due to the radically different base knowledge the group collectively draws off of. And this prerequisite base knowledge is vital to understanding the perceptions the group has about certain issues. What makes this difficult is that their altered view is not only restricted to the present, but encompasses most of recorded history. To better understand their views, InfoWars, for example, has created archives to introduce newcomers to these ideas. The website actually has a “canon” of books which they believe are essential in understanding their perception of reality. In a way, they believe there are two types of history. The first is the history we all know and have been taught, which for our purposes we will define as official history. This is the history that makes up the public’s base knowledge for interpreting world events and establishing society’s world view. The second type of history is more elusive and is played out behind-the-scenes, which we will define as hidden history. This is the history which, the group believes, has always been censored by those in control. From the pharaohs and mystery religions of the ancient Egyptians all the way up to multinational corporations and governments of today, the group believes that much of history has been hidden from the public’s eye by those individual’s in positions of power. Because of this perception, the group interprets world events and builds their world view with those concepts in mind.
Fig. 1. Number of Corporations that Control a Majority of U.S. Media (“Media”)
The community’s literacy is also at odds with the rest of society as it avoids relying solely on the information relayed by the major media outlets as they believe it is a tool for social control, and instead, they rely on untraditional sources. The group believes that much of the news the public receives has been filtered down to only what those in control want the public to know. They feel that the news media is able to do this effectively because the media itself is controlled only by a handful of corporations (See Fig. 1). For example, InfoWars tells us that one gatekeeper of concern is Rupert Murdoch, who controls FOX news and a good deal of the news publications around the country. Members therefore feel that any information obtained from the FOX news network or any of Murdoch’s other publications is only the information that Murdoch has allowed the public to hear. But it is not just the FOX network the community is skeptical of, but it is also networks and newspapers such as: ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, London Times, and the Washington Post. Some of the other names the community often associates with media control are: Tony O’Reilly, Conrad Black, and the Rockefellers. So what I have found is that InfoWars and other alternative news sites often supplement their world news coverage with information obtained from media outlets in places like England, Germany, Russia, the Middle East, South Africa, India, and New Zealand. And on occasion, I have noticed that the site also obtains information from shunned organizations, such as Al-Jazeera. In addition, a large part of the material they present is based off of individual research by members of the community. Because of these untraditional methods of relaying information, accuracy in reporting is indeed a concern. Some alternative websites I have visited have an open-admissions policy in which almost anyone can post an article and research is rarely checked. However, InfoWars is a bit more discriminatory. They do put out calls for articles, but they supposedly research the source material for the submissions before they publish the work on the site.
Fig. 2. Image of Bohemian Grove Ceremony (Prison)
The group’s view about the structure of society is much darker than traditional views. For example, average citizens believe they are apart of a well-structured democratic state in which citizens vote for individuals to represent them in the best interest of the people. Citizens believe they have the choice to vote for an array of different parties, the top two, of course, would be the Republicans and Democrats. Every few years we vote again and then next candidate takes control. However, this view is discarded as pure fantasy by the Alternative News subculture. They, in fact, believe that the whole democratic system is a well orchestrated illusion to maintain social control. A quick glance at the InfoWars site will show you how members believe that we live in a one-party state controlled not by the voters, but a hidden entity. And after further searching, you will discover what the group believes are the identities of the controllers, such as: Freemasons, Bavarian Illuminati, Skull and Bones, The Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Committee of 300. The group believes that these “elite” are all a part of an interconnected network that is attempting to establish a one world government, or as the group would say, a New World Order. The site also informs the reader that the elite take part in occult and satanic activities, which involve mock or real human sacrifices, which have their roots in ancient Egypt and Babylon. Evidence they show of this is a video of an occult ceremony in front of a giant owl at Bohemian Grove in California, which I must say looks quite disturbing (See Fig. 2). So instead of coinciding with the traditional view of our government’s leaders, this community believes that our candidates are in fact satanic members of an interlinked secret society network attempting to create a one world government.
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Fig. 3 and 4. Street Plan Symbolism in Nation’s Capitol. (Infowars; 100777)
The Alternative News community also has a language that is altogether foreign to the average citizen. That language is symbolism. From examining InfoWars and other alternative new sites, I have found that they believe that the world is full of symbols developed by the elite in every facet of ordinary daily life. According to the group, these symbols can be found in currency, corporation and organization logos, the media, literature, architecture, and even in our street plans. Members of the site learn the meanings of the symbolism in various archives, such as the “Globalist’s Illuminati Language” archive at InfoWars. One example of the hidden symbolism is the street plan of Washington D.C. (See Fig. 3 and 4). In figure 3, the group makes out an owl surrounding the Capitol Hill complex. The owl, in this subculture, is a representation of the ancient fire god Moloch who is associated with human sacrifice. Another symbol can be seen in figure 4 just north of the White House. The symbol is an inverted pentagram which has some association with the occult and Satanism. Collectively, the group views these symbols as some sort of hidden language revealing some grand conspiracy. This perception affects their everyday lives. Where ever they go, they are bombarded with symbols that they can interpret as having some hidden meaning. So, as an effect, their literacy changes the way they see the world.
The community believes that those in control are trying to develop a police state controlled by a one world government. After the September 11th attacks, legislation was quickly passed to approve the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security. According to general thought, these measures were instituted to protect American’s from the terrorist threat. No longer was America isolated from the dangers the rest of the world faced. Most of us would agree that these acts were in the public’s best interest, and that certain freedoms should be sacrificed for security. However, this view is not held by the members of the Alternative News community, and the users at InfoWars. Instead, they feel that this new legislation was intended not for protection, but for control. The community feels that we are on the path to becoming a fascist police state similar to that of Orwellian society. Searching throughout the site, you can find numerous articles on increased surveillance, such as the recent NSA wiretappings. Another big concern of the group is their prediction of a microchipped society. This paranoia definitely has an affect on the group’s literacy when interpreting world events.
Fig. 5. BBC News Headline from September 23, 2001. (Bamford)
One of the most controversial views the group has is that the September 11th attacks were engineered to bring about a police state. The common view of that day’s events are that a terrorist organization, known as Al-Qaeda, succeeded in hijacking four aircraft with the intent of committing devastating attacks on America. They were successful of hitting two targets in New York, and a target in Washington. In response to this, America invaded Afghanistan and passed legislation giving the executive branch sweeping powers to due what was necessary to protect the country from further attacks. The Alternative News community, however, has a much different view on the events of that day. They actually believe that such an attack was years in the making. InfoWars, for example, references a 1962 plan known as Operation Northwoods to support their claim. The plan was to commit terrorist attacks on our own soil, and then blame the Cubans for the attack as a pretext for an invasion of Cuba. The site also makes reference to a number of inconsistencies in the events of September 11th. First of all, the group has found problems with the collapse of the three towers in New York, specifically World Trade Center 7—the building that did not get hit by an aircraft. They believe sufficient evidence exists to prove that the collapses of all three buildings was the result of a controlled demolition. Not only that, but they say they have proof that at least 9 of the hijackers are still alive (See Fig. 5). Days after attacks, news agencies, both in the states and overseas, reported that many of the terrorist suspects came forward furious that they were being depicted as terrorists. After reviewing the evidence, I admit that I found much of the evidence compelling, but the speculations seemed fantastic. The views the group has on this issue greatly affects their attitude towards the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Overall, the Alternative News community’s radically different literacy leads to their perception of a totally different world view from the average citizen. Although still small, this community is growing as can be seen by the numerous media outlets in use by the InfoWars group. Even Hollywood stars are being attracted to this subculture. The group not only has a different perception of the present, but of all of history. They tend to avoid obtaining their information from the corporate media giants, and use more untraditional means. And it is not just their view of the media that is untraditional, but also their view of the whole political world. The community believes that there is some sort of grand conspiratorial elite planning to implement a New World Order. To support this idea, they claim to see symbolic messages in images of everyday life. In addition, they believe in an attempt to create a police state, the “global elite” engineered the attacks of September 11th. Although much of this may seem fantastic, there are many who live this reality every day. Collectively, all of these ideas have a great impact on the group’s literacy, which in turn lead to a totally foreign world view as compared to the ordinary citizen.
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