http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83tnWFojtcY

It got me thinking.

I agree with you about the appeal of conspiracy theories, I’m also very interested in the conspiracy theorists themselves. Obsession is what I consider the most interesting aspect in characters and to a large extent I view these people as characters. The problem for me lies in the fact that these characters are real and potentially influential–like our punk kid filmmakers here–and that scares the shit out of me. Truthers are just as scary as Birthers, the Tea Party folks, cynics, anti-vaxxers, religious fundamentalists and others. Questions aren’t the problem. The issue is when the answers debunk their claims–as is the case with Building 7–”facts” are changed, movies are re-edited and those who oppose the cause are accused of dissent and wrong-doing. The theorists then become the machine they so staunchly opposed and generate the information that then needs to be debunked by people who end up looking like conspiracy theory conspiracy theorists to the conspiracy theorists.

Also, the questions that should be asked get lost in the haze of ignorance and “It’s a facts!”.

It’s fascinating and entertaining as hell, but scary nonetheless.

I’m often reminded of this “Kids in the Hall” sketch when I think about these types.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgi7QCu1qAo

I think some of them are just sad, angry “nutty bunnies” that are looking for something special to believe in, and that’s interesting but scary when they can shape minds. Like Glenn Beck.

I’m not a true believer (in anything) but I do find conspiratorial thinking attractive and entertaining, in the same way that I find Philip K. Dick entertaining, but there’s an extra level in that it’s entered the realm of real life and parts of it could actually be true. That’s a hell of a lot more exciting than most fiction. My favorite PKD is when he “lost his mind” in the 70s and his life and conspiracy theorizing entered his fiction to a more obvious degree. Conspiracy theories are a fascinating mixture of fiction and reality.

You’re right about these guys. Their defensiveness matches the look of smug self-satisfaction of the interviewer. To me, his smugness and inability to take this important story seriously outweighs their flaws – because he’s in a position of greater authority and sculpts how people think to a much larger degree. But yes: Loose Change isn’t perfect and conspiracy theory is the act of seeing patterns where there may not be.

BUT, these are just a couple of punk kids. There are more very normal, straight-laced engineer types who question what happened, calling attention to how the fire beneath the towers burned for months like an oven, or Building 7. There are enough questions about what happened, and enough smart people asking them, that it can lead you to ask “What the hell?” without it devolving into dogma.

It can be just another form of close-mindedness and it results in a never-ending loop that feeds on itself.

These guys need to take responsibility for their actions, not hide under the guise of “just asking questions.” In their film, they have done exactly what they are accusing this ABC reporter of doing – quote mining for dramatic flair and impact.

I understand the extreme emotion but I also think they need to step away from those emotions and look beyond they’re very limited belief system.

Dogma can be very dangerous.