Two weeks, just about, until I submit.
I am very stressed, very tired and suffering from insomnia. You can imagine what that is like. Good for you. I am living it.
Still, I’m not here to complain. I am feeling a bit glum and harried but I think I’m going to submit on time ((Well, not exactly on time. It seems everyone gets a two week window to submit post their official deadline, which I’m going to make use of. Still, in geological terms it’s definitely in the ballpark of “on time.”)). I only have one major revision to do, plus two big-but-relatively-minor pieces to correct. It will be tight but it is not impossible, nor improbable, that in a fortnight I’ll be blogging and tweeting a “Hurray! Who wants a whisky?”
What I am here to do is say “Hello! I am still amongst the living.”
Hello.
Comments
Don’t worry, that’s the feeling before the light shines in: Then Yes! The world Trade Center was zapped with Directed Energy Weapons! I mean, just look at the burnt cars and (gasp!) round holes in the windows across the street! (drjudywood.com)
Just kidding. But take some good walks and ride a bike around town and you’ll feel a lot better.
Hey, I’m doing a new lit review on CT for the LSoE and I was wondering if you can hook me up with Turkay Nefes thesis on CT, or better his email. I can’t find it on the website. It’s like people are… hiding from the rest of us. Hmm! Here we go again.
Anything you have written recently would be very much welcome, too. Please let me know what you’re doing.
I want to thank you for the NZ Conspiracy Chart. It hangs in our office and never fails to bring a smile and a laugh. Well done!
And let me know if I can be of any help anyway.
Cheers,
Lee
LSoE? London School of Economics?
Anyway, I don’t have any details on Nefes’s thesis, although I have (as I suspect you do) copies of some of the papers he’s given. Indeed, there’s a lack of actual info on him on Google, which either means he’s taken Alex Jones and Glen Beck’s advice and hidden himself from the socialist-liberal machine or… Well, who knows. Maybe he’s turning the thing into a book.
At the mo the only thing I can offer you is notice that I have a piece forthcoming (the Rumour piece) and that the thesis is just about done. I have publication plans; I want to turn my chapter on disinformation and the role of selected evidence into a paper to publish locally (since the example I base my analysis on is a on-going question of whether there was a terrorist conspiracy operating in New Zealand in 2007CE) which I’m hoping to get on to in about three weeks time.
As for the map; cher. It was fun to put together and I’ve had complaints from some of the people mentioned on it (who don’t want to be thought of as being conspiracy theorists). I’ll update it when I can find a better piece of software to work with (or turn it into a Prezi presentation).
Anyway, I’m bound to be in contact post the submission of the PhD, when I come out of exile. We philosophers of conspiracy theories need to stick together, given (from my experience here at Auckland) the lack of support we get from some of our peers.
Yes, London School of Economics. Rom Harre’s gig at the Centre for the Philosophy of Natural and Social sciences. So there is some light through the dim.
You’re writing on disinfo/psyops? Nice! I’ve just started to dig into the morass. I’m doing interviews with the current pantheon of 911 conspiracy theorists. These usually last for as many hours as I can offer, five, six… What I call the “economy of astonishment” at work in 911 conspiracy theory has driven the new generation of theories to levels that are well, beyond astonishing. The “loose change” style theories are out of fashion with many, replaced by far more spectacular allegations. And the issue of active disinformation campaigns has become very central. But the ascent to these new theories is revealing of certain surprising epistemic weak points in our system of public information. The study is fruitful. The active Disinfo allegation is an amazing breed of skepticism, a computer virus instead of the old school hand grenade. Love to see your draft.
The NZ conspiracy theory stuff needn’t by kept local if universal lessons are to be learned, as I’m sure they are.
I’ll be sure to mention this website in my final draft–due next week, if I’m not mistaken (the thing’s around 14,000 words at this point; good lord). Your website is a great resource.
Good luck with your PhD defense!
Lee
Thanks. I submit in two days so once I’ve got that out of the way I can show you a version of the disinformation material. It’s on the Urewera/Operation 8 issue that is on-going here in Aotearoa me Te Wai Pounamu (New Zealand) and it’s mostly a story about the police being obstinate. It actually would be interesting to bring in other similar cases because I think I can tell a story about the role of disinformation and how that affects our trust in rival (sometimes conspiracy theory) explanations.