Conspiracy Panics

Jack Z. Bratich

Description

While most other works focus on conspiracy theories, this book examines conspiracy panics, or the anxiety over the phenomenon of conspiracy theories. Jack Z. Bratich argues that conspiracy theories are portals into the major social issues defining U.S. and global political culture. These issues include the rise of new technologies, the social function of journalism, U.S. race relations, citizenship and dissent, globalization, biowarfare and biomedicine, and the shifting positions within the Left. Using a Foucauldian governmentality analysis, Bratich maintains that conspiracy panics contribute to a broader political rationality, a (neo)liberal strategy of governing at a distance through the use of reason. He also explores the growing popularity of 9/11 conspiracy research in terms of what he calls the "sphere of legitimate dissensus." Conspiracy Panics concludes that we are witnessing a new fusion of culture and rationality, one that is increasingly shared across the political spectrum.

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Grassy Knolledges

1. Political Science Fiction
Expert Monitors, Excessive Skepticism, and Preventive Rationality

2. Pop Goes the Profession
Journalism, New Media Culture, and Populism

3. Trust No One (on the Internet)
Gary Webb, Popular Technologies, and Professional Journalism

4. Left Behind
AIDS, Biowarfare, and the Politics of Articulation

5. Going Global
9/11, Popular Investigations, and the Sphere of Legitimate Dissensus

Conclusion

Appendix: AIDS Conspiracy Theory Chart

Notes
References
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Épistémologie
• Philosophie de l'esprit
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 07 février 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791478820
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

% Q P U RKT C E [ 2 C PKE U

CONSPIRACY PANICS

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CONSPIRACY PANICS Poîtîca Ratîonaîty and Popuar Cuture

J ACK  Z. B RATICH

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

Cover photo: Copyrîght Anna Pustoyava, îStockphoto. Turbuence îmage în vîewfînder courtesy of Isaac Hed, http://www.gfd.noaa.gov/~îh/îmages/ turbuence.gîf, orîgînay pubîshed în: Surface quasî-geostrophîc dynamîcs,Journa of Fuîd Mechanîcs282(1995), 1–20. Cover concept by Jack Z. Bratîch.

Pubîshed by State Unîversîty of New York Press, Abany

© 2008 State Unîversîty of New York

A rîghts reserved

Prînted în the Unîted States of Amerîca

No part of thîs book may be used or reproduced în any manner whatsoever wîthout wrîtten permîssîon. No part of thîs book may be stored în a retrîeva system or transmîtted în any form or by any means încudîng eectronîc, eectrostatîc, magnetîc tape, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse wîthout the prîor permîssîon în wrîtîng of the pubîsher.

For înformatîon, contact State Unîversîty of New York Press, Abany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Productîon by Dana Foote Marketîng by Mîchae Campochîaro

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Bratîch, Jack Z., 1969– Conspîracy panîcs : poîtîca ratîonaîty and popuar cuture / Jack Z. Bratîch. p. cm. Incudes bîbîographîca references and îndex. ISBN 978-0-7914-7333-7 (hardcover : ak. paper) ISBN 978-0-7914-7334-4 (pbk. : ak. paper) 1. Radîcaîsm—Unîted States. 2. Rîght and eft (Poîtîca scîence)3. Popuar cuture—Unîted States. 4. Pubîc opînîon—Unîted States. I. Tîte.

HN90.R3B725 2008 306.0973'090511—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2007016960

4 LEFT BEHIND AIDS, Bîowarfare, and the Poîtîcs of Artîcuatîon

219

97

Notes

123

Index

References

Appendîx: AIDS Conspîracy Theory Chart

Concusîon

5

1

2 POP GOES THE PROFESSION Journaîsm, New Medîa Cuture, and Popuîsm

1 POLITICAL SCIENCE FICTION Expert Monîtors, Excessîve Skeptîcîsm, and Preventîve Ratîonaîty

9

7

C ONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Grassy Knoedges

Acknowedgments

vîî

2

1

159

5

175

189

171

3 TRUST NO ONE (ON THE INTERNET) Gary Webb, Popuar Technoogîes, and Professîona Journaîsm

5 GOING GLOBAL 9/11, Popuar Investîgatîons, and the Sphere of Legîtîmate Dîssensus

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A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

Any work on conspîracîes, conspîracy theorîes, or conspîracy panîcs must confront the ur-caîm that “everythîng îs connected.” Thîs îs no more evî- dent than în wrîtîng acknowedgments, as ît seems that everyone I’ve met over the course of thîs project has some înk to, or împact on, the resut. Thîs ranges from those who’ve had a dîrect înluence on ît to those whose brîef encounter augmented some aspect. They appear în many guîses—a turn of phrase, a borrowed metaphor, a sequence of questîons, a synthesîs of îdeas, a tone. The seeds of thîs project began at the Instîtute of Communîcatîons Research, a hotbed of cutura studîes and a warm home for frîendshîp and coegîaîty. So thanks irst and foremost goes to my mentors, who have each provîded an înteectua space for thîs work în addîtîon to makîng a mark on ît. Paua Treîcher’s tîreess efforts to hone my îdeas and carîfy the poîtîca stakes were vîta. She contînuay urged me to remember why thîs project was împortant, furnîshîng me wîth a necessary groundîng în concrete prac- tîces. I am truy fortunate to have had her mentorshîp. James Hay provîded consîstent encouragement and support; în fact, the îdea for thîs project emerged out of one of hîs semînars. James taught me how to apprecîate the materîa and înstîtutîona contexts of îdeas, and as a coabo- rator and frîend he contînues to shape my thînkîng on thîs and other topîcs. Cameron McCarthy’s înexhaustîbe enthusîasm gave me the strength and conidence to persevere. He persîstenty remînded me of my work’s poîtîca and înteectua tradîtîon and chaenged me to ind my pace în that tradîtîon. Lawrence Grossberg provîded me wîth învauabe ways of transatîng phîoso- phy înto theory, and hîs mark îs on vîrtuay every page here. Other teachers have made învauabe împressîons on me throughout my career. Norman Denzîn was an îmmeasurabe resource. Our daîy înter- actîons over the course of four years prepared me to be a professîona, an înteectua, and a person. Bîswarup Sen opened the door for me to cutura studîes and to the Instîtute of Communîcatîons Research. Hîs înteectua carîty and provocatîve humor are the standards for pedagogy, mentorîng, and frîendshîp. Even before thîs project took shape, many teachers sowed the seeds of my thînkîng that woud eventuay bossom în thîs book. Among them I count Stephen Davîd Ross, John Tagg, Ladee McWhorter, and Davîd Gruber. They întroduced me to and nurtured my înterest în contînenta phîosophy

vîî

vîîî

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

and crîtîca theory, especîay the work of Mîche Foucaut. I have never recovered. Coectîvey, these mentors have formed a powerfu înteectua consteatîon around me that I contînue to ca upon (whether they know ît or not). The frîends, coeagues, cassmates, and peops from Champaîgn-Urbana în the 1990s have been prîceess. Jeremy Packer and I traveed sîmîar paths, rîdîng many roercoasters ate înto the nîght and hodîng a decade-ong conversatîon about Foucaut’s work. Brîan Mîchae Goss and I shared înnu- merabe after-hours dîscussîons—hîs sharp înteect and poîtîca commît- ments became a constant reference poînt. He aso provîded me wîth a mode for dîscîpîned research. It îs dîficut to îmagîne my wrîtîng and thînkîng wîthout these feow traveers. Others în thîs network of support and joy încude Theodore Baîey, Rîchard Bradey, Mary Coffey, Greg Dîmîtrîadîs, Mîchae Eavsky, Key Gates, Lîsa Kîng, Sammî Kîng, Marîe Leger, Dan McGee, Jen Mercîeca, Shawn Mîkaucîc, Radhîka Mongîa, Mark Nîmkoff, Lîz Perea, Carrîe Rentscher, Craîg Robertson, Gî Rodman, Mîa Rosenberg, Gretchen Soderund, Jonathan Sterne, Dan Vukovîch, and many others. Theîr împortance cannot be contaîned în a îst of theîr proper names. Spe- cîa thanks here goes to Chery Cambras, Natasha Rîtsma, and Heîdî Brush, each of whom provîded patîence, support, and ove durîng dîfferent moments of thîs project. Each în theîr own way aso taught me that there’s more to îfe than wrîtîng. Sînce movîng to New York Cîty and gettîng învoved în a number of actîvîst projects, I have met peope who have provîded carîty regardîng the poîtîca reevance of conspîracy research, especîay regardîng 9/11 skeptîcs. The ast chapter of thîs book grew out of thîs mîîeu, and so credît goes to Brooke Lehman, Spencer Sunshîne, Stevphen Shukaîtîs, Seth Weîss, and Kevîn Van Meter. Much gratîtude goes out to my famîy as we. Mîovan Bratîc and Vasîîja Bratîc, my parents, abored wîth great hardshîp în a and foreîgn to them so as to provîde a better future for theîr chîdren. Thîs book îs a resut of theîr ceaseess encouragement, sustenance, and sacrîice. My sîster Oîvera gave me conidence that the future generatîon wî be înteîgent, poîtîcay actîve, and îfe afirmîng. Much edîtorîa hep and thought carîicatîon has come my way over the years. Peter Knîght, Toby Mîer, Aîsdaîr Spark, Laura Marks, and the anonymous revîewers for thîs book have been învauabe în thîs regard. At State Unîversîty of New York Press, Mîchae Rînea’s înîtîa faîth în the project, hîs patîence, and hîs shepherdîng a made the process a smooth and peasurabe one. Dana Foote kept the project and me on a tîmey productîon schedue, wîth her enthusîasm and gente persîstence. And thanks go to copyedîtor Kay Buter for shapîng up my wrîtîng stye wîth her keen eye and to cover desîgner Amy Stîrnkorb for the wonderfu ina ook.

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

îx

The students în my conspîracy cuture courses (from UC–Berkeey to Rutgers Unîversîty) remînded me of the sîgnîicance and stakes of the topîc, especîay for the younger generatîon. A shout-out goes to the Lotus Café, At Coffee, and Drînk Me, the spaces that toerated my many hours of squattîng wîth aptop and beverages. The staff members at these estabîsh- ments as we as the feow wrîters/squatters comprîsed a vîta socîa network that aevîated the soîtude of the book wrîter. A specîa note of thanks goes to Dîana Good, whose presence at the Lotus was a true gîft. She made the space îve up to îts name—a zone of transformatîon and becomîng. Fînay, acknowedgment must be gîven to the unnameabe. From the murmurîngs of ancestors whose names are forgotten to the future guests whose proper names are yet to be formed, these unknown igures haunt these pages. They make ît cear that sayîng “everythîng îs connected” must make room for a communîty wîthout îdentîty and a peope to come.

Portîons of thîs work have been pubîshed esewhere: Portîons of chapter 1 appeared în Bratîch, Jack Z. (2003). Makîng poîtîcs reasonabe: Conspîracîsm, subjectîicatîon, and governîng through styes of thought. In J. Z. Bratîch, J. Packer, & C. McCarthy (Eds.),Foucaut, cutura studîes, and governmentaîty(pp. 67–100) Abany: State Unîversîty of New York Press. Portîons of chapter 3 appeared în Bratîch, Jack Z. (2004). Trust no-one (on the Internet): The CIA-Crack-Contra conspîracy theory and profes- sîona journaîsm.Teevîsîon & New Medîa 5(2), 109–139. Portîons of chapter 4 appeared în Bratîch, Jack Z. (2002). Injectîons and truth serums: AIDS conspîracy theorîes and the poîtîcs of artîcuatîon. In P. Knîght (Ed.),Conspîracy natîon: The poîtîcs of paranoîa în postwar Amerîca (pp. 133–156). New York: New York Unîversîty Press.