view . spring 2012
23
Before he detonated a truck bomb in front of the
Alfred P. Murrah building in April of 1995, killing
168 people and injuring more than 800 others,
Timothy McVeigh read
The Turner Diaries.
A novel set in 2099, the book depicts a violent
overthrow of the United States federal government
and is based on the premise that a secret cadre of Jews
have conspired to create a totalitarian government that
has confiscated all civilian
firearms, and controls both
the media and the entire
economy.
Although it’s a fictional
account, the book has been
described as “the bible of
the racist right.” It reportedly
inspired McVeigh to launch
his attack and it fuels the kind
of conspiracy thinking that
we need to start taking much
more seriously according to
Dr. Martha Lee. The political
science professor is the
author of a new book called
Conspiracy Rising: Conspiracy Thinking and American
Public Life
.
“It’s a horrifying thing to read,” Lee says of
The Turner
Diaries
, which was authored by a former leader of the white
nationalist organization called National Alliance. “It’s the
worst kind of hate literature but it gives you some insight
into how dangerous conspiracy theories can be.”
Lee’s new book argues that conspiracy theories are a
threat to democracy because they foster two paradoxical
tendencies: apathy and political extremism. People
tend either to not participate in the political process if
they believe the outcome has been pre-determined by
conspirators, or to react in violently extremist ways like
McVeigh did when they believe their rights are being taken
away by secretly controlling
regimes.
Most people, however,
view conspiracy theories as
a source of humour rather
than a real political threat,
Lee says. The book challenges
both conspiracy theories and
those who dismiss them as
trivial. It argues that vigilance
is necessary in order to
prevent conspiracy thinkers
from coming to power.
“Some of the most
significant of these conspiracy
theories challenge political
legitimacy and therefore have a potentially serious impact
on the health of democratic political regimes,” says Lee.
Conspiracy Rising: Conspiracy Thinking and American
Public Life
is available at the University Bookstore and
Amazon.com.
n
v
BY STEPHEN FIELDS
Conspiracy Rising: Conspiracy thinking and American public life
INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
CAMPUS AUTHORS
Political Science professor Martha Lee leafs through a copy of
her latest book.
