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A Bestiary of the 9/11 Truth Movement: Notes from the Front Line Two social scientists describe their experience confronting the 9/11 Truth movement in the United Kingdom after they published a paper linking conspiracy theories with extremist ideology. They argue that the 9/11 Truth movement is composed of three groups and that each accepts the conspiracy meme for different reasons.

JAMIE BARTLETT and CARL MILLER

(Hardwig 1991); an ideological response “I was fifty-five years old when I began to understand the world in my view. ... I’m to structural inequalities (Fenster 1999); actually quite certain, and I don’t want to believe it . . . that the people we call the gov- 1 and a natural human tendency to seek ernment murder us in order to start wars that make money for them.” order in an ever more complex, confusing world (Popper [1945] 2006). Once im- n his article “The Conspiracy Meme: Why Conspiracy planted, it is incredibly difficult to shake. Theories Appeal and Persist” (SI, January/February Over the past year we have been watching and confronting one particu- I 2011), Ted Goetzel suggests conspiracy theorizing is a lar version of this meme: the 9/11 Truth meme—a way of thinking that spreads, survives, or dies ac- movement. In August 2010, we released cording to a process analogous to genetic (termed mimetic) a paper about conspiracy theories, “The Power of Unreason.” Within hours, the selection. The conspiracy meme competes with others, such online conspiricist community hit back. as the scientific meme or the fair debate meme, as a way of Our paper was featured, or mirrored, on describing and making sense of the world. literally thousands of websites, blogs, and discussion forums; appeared as a Conspiracy theorizing is, according entific evidence.” It is a surprisingly re- topic on conspiricist radio shows; was to Goetzel, a rhetorical meme that silient and successful meme, a growing mentioned in a dozen YouTube videos; “transforms scientific controversies into body of scholarly literature suggests, be- and attracted hundreds of pages of human dramas. ... It uses controversial cause of a growing mistrust in “experts” comments and critique from the 9/11 facts and speculations to undermine sci- and established sources of knowledge Truth movement.2

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The crucial point is that “The Power Many of these comments came from ment is composed of different kinds of of Unreason” was not actually about the people who freely confessed that they people who are involved in the move- 9/11 Truth movement. As a study of had not read our paper. ment for different reasons and derive the role of conspiracy theories in ex- Quickly, the focus turned onto our different types of fulfillment and satis- tremist and terrorist groups, it mentions organization, Demos, a non-govern- faction from this engagement. This is a 9/11 Truth sparsely and incidentally. ment public education charity. The story of a dominant meme finding fertile That the 9/11 Truth movement re- Greek letter theta, taking the place of ground in several psychological habitats. sponded in such an aggressive manner the o in the Demos logo, became the We’ve observed groups from three of prompted us to analyze the response it- eye of the Illuminati.4 As authors, we these habitats. The first can be called self as a means of understanding this were roundly accused of being part of the “hardcore” group. Much of the noise broadly nonviolent movement that the conspiracy itself: at best unknowing, of the 9/11 Truth movement is caused nonetheless represents a damaging cul- naive, and myopic writers; at worst dis- by a relatively small, tight-knit group of tural habit. information specialists or government highly connected, highly motivated in- The response illustrated, and contin- agents openly supporting state terror- dividuals. They are prodigious produc- ues to illustrate, Goertzel’s conspiracy ism.5 This technique of folding any dis- ers of information and theories who theory meme in action. First, the online senters into an ever-growing conspiracy spot anomalies and technical inconsis- conspiracy community wrapped the re- is precisely what Goertzel predicts: cas- tencies. They are veterans of the John F. Ken nedy assasination and Moon-land- ing-hoax theories, and so their worldview favors the “super-conspiracy,” linking conspiracies to a hidden overarching, sin- The recommendation to teach ister master plan (Cline 2007). critical thinking in schools In our debates with them, hardcore 9/11 Truthers claim to be interested only became “pushing propaganda in “facts”: the physical “fact” of the free fall speed of the Twin Towers, the col- on our children.” The recommen- lapse of World Trade Center (WTC) dation to introduce alternative 7—which to them proves a demoli- tion—or the “fact” that traces of super information into conspiracist sites thermite have been identified in the Lower Manhattan dust by Steven Jones. became a dark, Orwellian plot Their arguments, however, are not to end free speech. scientific at all, because the methods used are nonscientific: proponents de- cide on the answer and then search for corroborating evidence while ignoring the overwhelming peer-reviewed, inde- port around faulty preconceptions. The cade logic. Here, it was a spontaneous, pendent research that suggests that, for paper was misrepresented in an exag- semi-concerted effort to discredit the example, WTC 7 collapsed in a manner gerated, distorted, inaccurate way that report and its arguments. consistent with severe damage from was soon recycled and re-presented According to various polls, belief in falling debris and fire (National Institute within the conspiricist community. The the 9/11 conspiracy is incredibly high. In of Standards and Technology [NIST] recommendation to teach critical the United Kingdom, only 56 percent of 2008). This self-avowedly dispassionate thinking in schools became “pushing the population believes al-Qaeda was re- search for truth is emotional.7 The propaganda on our children.” The rec- sponsible for the attacks; some smaller hardcore group’s involvement in 9/11 ommendation to introduce alternative polling suggests that as many as one- Truth is monochrome and Mani chean: information into conspiracist sites be- third of Americans consider it “very it’s a “good/bad,” “black/white” struggle came a dark, Orwellian plot to end free likely” or “somewhat likely” that U.S. against an oppressive influence whose speech. The key finding that terrorist government officials either al lowed or existence hardcore members believe organizations often use conspiracy the- actually carried out the attacks on Sep- they are on the cusp of proving. ories as part of their propaganda be- tember 11, 2001.6 In fact, it is not quite The second layer could be called the came “Demos accuses the 9/11 Truth as simple as that. Based on our encoun- “critically turned” group. It is often a Movement as [sic] being terrorists.”3 ters, we believe the 9/11 Truth move- source of surprise that many young stu-

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dents and political activists are part of —accurate quotation, avoid- The hardcore group claims to share at the 9/11 Truth movement. Some are ance of misrepresentation, and fidelity least the same epistemological rules—ra- influenced heavily by that heady bundle of source—and their contributions, al- tionalism, empiricism, and a grounding of postmodern theory and the critical most entirely devoid of genuine intent of basic scholarly practice and conduct— turn that Geoffrey Elton so memorably to find truth, are almost always nakedly as skeptics. Yet the emotionalized sub- termed “the intellectual equivalent of and transparently propagandistic. For strate of this conduct makes broad at- crack” (Elton [1991] 2002). Their ap- them, it is the thrill of the chase and tempts at logical reasoning—such as proach and language center on the participating in a largely online struggle pointing out the cascade logic suggested dizzying ideas of relativism and subjec- that animates their involvement, not the by Goetzel—insufficient. Any chance to tive truth and the post-structural de- end result. believe conspirators exist is good enough construction they allow and demand Though the conspiracy theorizing for them. Any hanging anomalies or (Sokal and Brickmont 1998). meme is the same, its success within the unanswered challenges of the official But more than anything, the criti- 9/11 Truth movement depends on quite narrative will be taken as proof of the cally turned’s membership in 9/11 Truth different characteristics depending on its conspiracy. So the necessary response arises from anger at the political order adherent. These unlikely comrades in here is most painstaking: their claims they will soon inherit. It is too closed. arms have joined to make a formidable must, as far as is possible, be rebuffed fact There is too much power in the hands movement. The hardcore group supplies by fact, anomaly by anomaly, with the of too few. Their sense of justice and much of the physical organization and scientific tools they claim to be using. idealism is rudely confronted by a world structure: its members organize events, The critically turned might not ac- of state espionage, links between big discussions, and marches; distribute cept this approach, because conspiracy business and government, and lies over weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). These are as significant as any specific theories about WTC 7 or the size of the Though the conspiracy theorizing hole in the Pentagon outer wall. Their meme is the same, its success interests often span to other forms of re- sistance against perceived oppression within the 9/11 Truth movement and injustice: support for Palestine, af- filiation with the anti-war movement, depends on quite different and hatred of greedy bankers. It is this characteristics depending on group that produces much of the cool, countercultural content of the move- its adherent. These unlikely ment. A recent YouTube video about Demos was set to the electronic dubstep comrades in arms have joined to track “Could This Be Real ( Joker make a formidable movement. Remix).”8 Some of the most popular conspiricist films, such as Loose Change and Zeitgeist, make great use of atmos- pheric drumbeats and eye-catching graphics. leaflets; and edit the “peer reviewed” theories for them fit in with what they Finally there is a much larger, more journals. The critically turned have done see happening in the world—it is part diffuse group, which we term the il- much to manufacture its broad appeal— of a bigger story. The use of logical rea- literati. They are people for whom giving it a countercultural street cred soning could help. Highlighting cas- membership in 9/11 Truth is as much a and, through the production of content cade logic might stick, as might em - social and recreational pursuit as an ex- and the skillful exploitation of virtual phasizing other tools of logic and ercise in critical inquiry.9 Their involve- networks, exposure to millions. The il- rhetoric. For example, why would the ment is predominantly through web 2.0 literati form the group’s mass-member- American government, if it wanted to social networking. Often this user-gen- ship backbone. They provide the thou- keep this secret, fly planes into the Twin erated commentary really acts as inter- sands of comments and millions of Towers before bringing them down active entertainment mas querad ing as a YouTube hits on which the movement’s with a controlled demolition? Was fly- public-spirited, free-thinking quest for exaggerated claims of popularity and in- ing fully fueled passenger jets into the the truth. They are the worst offenders fluence are founded. So can anything be Pentagon and the center of U.S. busi- for flouting the basic tenets of good learned from this? ness not sufficient? Why did the U.S.

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8. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqLOtQb1DwE. 9. See Cass Sunstein for a study of reputational cascades, in which people “profess belief in a , or at least suppress their doubts, because they seek to curry favor.” Memes must exist within a Sunstein and Vermeule, University of Chicago Law and Economics Research Paper human ecology. Conspiracy Series, Paper No. 387, p.12. 10. UK children’s media literacy. 2009. Ofcom. theorizing is not only, or even . Digital lifestyles: Young adults aged 16–24. predominantly, an intellectual 2009. Ofcom. London. process. It is “whole-person”: References Cline, Austin. 2007. Flaws in reasoning and ar- both emotional and social. guments: Subjective validation, seeing pat- terns and connections that aren’t really there. That is why changing the About.com (September 10). Elton, Geoffrey R. (1991) 2002. Return to Essen- tials: Some Reflections on the Present State of dominant meme must be Historical Study. Cambridge: Cambridge Uni- versity Press. done in person. Fenster, Mark. 1999. Conspiracy theories: Secrecy and power in American culture. Minne apolis: University of Minnesota Press. Goertzel, Ted. 2011. The conspiracy meme: Why conspiracy theories appeal and persist. government not plant WMDs in ing, discussing, and arguing face-to- SKEPTICAL INQUIRER 35(1) (January/Febru- ary): 28–37. Iraq—a far easier and equally impor- face. The 9/11 Truth movement has Hardwig, John. 1991. The role of trust in knowl- tant subject? successfully done that. The skeptics edge. Journal of Philosophy 88(22). n National Institute of Standards and Technology. The illiterati have not actually must continue to do the same. 2008. Final report on the collapse of World looked at much of the material, but it Notes Trade Center building 7. fits not only with their worldview but Popper, Karl. (1945) 2006. Conspiracy theory of society. In Tom Rockmore and Daniel also with an explicit position to which 1. A direct quote from a very angry man at an event we attended (publicized by 9/11 Breazele, eds, Rights, Bodies and Recognition: they have committed socially and Truthers as “Demos vs. 9/11 Truth”). He sat New Essays on Fichte’s Foundations of Nat- in the front row directly across from coauthor ural Right, 13–16. around which they have formed an Riso, Lawrence P., et al. 2007. Cognitive Schemas identity. This makes ideas very difficult Carl Miller and yelled this fairly typical out- burst into his face. (Available online at and Core Beliefs in Psychological Problems: A Scientist–Practitioner Guide. Washington, DC: to dislodge (Riso et al. 2007). Neither www.vimeo.com/16395101, approximately American Psychological Association. forty-six minutes and twenty seconds into the facts nor logic are likely to do much Sokal, Alan, and Jean Bricmont. 1998. Fashion- here. We can only address the real video clip.) able Nonsense. New York: Picador. 2. See, for example, www.infowars.com/govern - structural inequalities that condition a ment-think-tank-calls-for-infiltrating- Jamie Bartlett is the milieu as fertile for such beliefs. This, conspiracy-websites an www.911truth.org/ head of the Violence and of course, is a major endeavor. Some article.php?story=20100829144303310 (both Extremism program at ac cessed October 11, 2010). Demos, one of the United smaller changes may help too, such as 3. See the Demos blog for a good overview of the Kingdom’s leading think more critical thinking in schools: a re- response at www.demos.co.uk/blog/engaging-. tanks. He is a leading cent study by an independent organiza- 4. http://seeker401.wordpress.com/2010/09/06 /demos-calls-for-governments-to-infiltrate- commentator in the tion in the United Kingdom found that conspiracy-sites (accessed October 11, 2010). United Kingdom on 43 percent of sixteen- to twenty-four- 5. http://kevboyle.blogspot.com/2010/10/demos religious and political year-olds base their trust in web con- me ets-911-truth.html (accessed Octo ber 11, 2010). extremism. He is co author of “The Power of tent on how the site looks, while 32 6. See www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/art - Unreason” (2010). percent of twelve- to fifteen-year-olds icles/international_security_bt/535.php and believe that search results are Lev Grossman’s article “Why the Conspiracy Carl Miller is a freelance 10 Theories Won’t Go Away,” Time magazine in researcher and an hon- listed in order of accuracy. 2008 (www.time.com/time/magazine/article / orary research fellow at Memes must exist within a human 0,9171,1531304,00.html). King’s College London. ecology. Conspiracy theorizing is not 7. See, for instance, the “personal validation ef- fect”: a cognitive bias of considering a piece He has written and con- only, or even predominantly, an intel- of information to be correct if it has a per- sulted for the European lectual process. It is “whole-person”: sonal significance. See B.R. Forer’s 1949 ar- Union and the Interna- both emotional and social. That is why ticle “The Fallacy of Personal Validation: A classroom Demonstration of Gullibility,” tional Atomic Energy changing the dominant meme must be Journal of Abnormal Psychology (volume 44, pp. Agency. He is coauthor done in person: the hard graft of speak- 118–21.) of “The Power of Unreason” (2010).

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