Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...
Zeitgeist - The Movie has apparently attracted a lot of internet attention. It links together three conspiracy theories of religion, 9/11 and shadow figures behind international finance. Or, rather, it presents three conspiracy theories, backs them up with nothing more than hearsay and leaves the viewers to draw their own conclusions.
The movie in presented in three main parts. The first advances the theory that Jesus is a myth and presents as evidence a string of ancient gods that were also -born on December 25 -of a virgin -had twelve followers -were resurrected -etc -etc -etc. Whilst I enjoy a bid of god-bashing, perhaps more than most, Zeitgeist does a terrible job here by presenting a subject clouded in uncertainty as something quite clear cut. Like much of the film, a bit of research shows that the claims they make are unsubstantiated and notoriously poorly cited.
Part 2 of the movie has yet another shot at the 9/11 conspiracy theory. There is great material in this subject area. Why did WTC building 7 fall? Why wasn't there more obvious debris at the other crash sites? There are some beautifully presented conspiracies on this and they are definitely worth looking into. Once you've read the conspiracies, have a look at the many credible sources debunking them. Popular Mechanics does a decent job here.
Part 3 then drags out another old conspiracy that the banking elite run the world. The fiat money system is a very interesting topic. A similar conspiracy movie Money as Debt does a much better job of providing genuine (and entertaining) educational material on the monetary system before launching off into conspiracy theory. Zeitgeist is lighter on the education and even heavier on the uncited conspiracy. I've yet to find a simple layman's explanation on this, but trust me:
- The federal bank does not exist to make bankers rich
- Bankers don't have a license to print as much money as they want
The best evidence I can offer for this is (recent US$ devaluation aside), the US economy has not collapsed under spiraling inflation as, say, Zimbabwe has.
Zeitgeist goes further than this with the apparently popular right-wing rant, that income tax is illegal and, um, intended to make the aforementioned bankers rich. Do Americans really see no value in the government services their tax dollars pay for? Would they really be happier in a laissez faire system?
Then, for good measure, Zeitgeist throws in conspiracies about the Council for Foreign Relations and (booga booga!) World Government. CFRs trade-wonkish policy prescriptions may excite economists, but they are a long way from an oppressive all-powerful world government that Zeitgeist claims is being built behind the scenes.
Conspiracy theories are fascinating in what they reveal about human nature and psychology. For an antidote, have a look at:
- Some more humor
- Some serious debunking and the psychology behind it
