The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory
By Jesse Walker
3.5/5
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About this ebook
A comprehensive history and analysis of the origins, evolution, and current life, legacy, and impact of conspiracy theories in American culture and politics, from the colonial era to today.
Conspiracies have been woven through America’s social tapestry since the beginning of its history. The United States of Paranoia is a unique and fascinating look at how these commonly held beliefs—true or not—have helped shape the American cultural imagination. Using examples from colonial times to today, Jesse Walker makes the compelling argument that paranoia doesn’t just exist on the fringe of society, but is at the core of our national identity.
Walker doesn’t focus on proving or disproving a particular theory. Synthesizing intensive archival research in a pulp fiction narrative, he explores the myths that haunt our nation, breaking them into five distinct categories: The Enemy Outside, The Enemy Within, The Enemy Above, The Enemy Below, and The Benevolent Conspiracy. From J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI to Watergate, the “Matrix” phenomenon to the Birthers, Walker reveals how national myths have influenced our lives, including our view of ourselves and our government. He also identifies and explores the little-recognized rise of a subculture obsessed not with one single myth or another, but in the notion of the conspiracy phenomenon itself. This growing obsession, Walker attests, offers profound insight into what it means to be American.
Provocative, well-reasoned, and utterly compelling, the United States of Paranoia will make you rethink the world and the nation in a new and different way.
Jesse Walker
Jesse Walker is the books editor of Reason magazine and the author of Rebels on the Air: An Alternative History of Radio in America. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and their two daughters.
Read more from Jesse Walker
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Reviews for The United States of Paranoia
4 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An excellent examination of the lifecycle and evolution of conspiracies--real or imagined--throughout United States history. It illustrates how our paranoias and favorite conspiracies often say much more about ourselves than we realize.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Compelling evidence that Roger Ailes's propaganda machine would have thrived in the 19th century and earlier. Well, that's no real surprise: most of his audience are post-Enlightenment New Dark Ages throwbacks anyway.
Walker puts together a nice compendium of how the nut case conspiracy theorists of the truther and birther wackos are not unique to the 21st century. The United States has always had its pet fringe beliefs...except that they're less fringe and a lot more mainstream than folks care to admit.
Four stars because Walker spent a whole chapter on my favorite lunatic, Robert Anton Wilson.