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170:. Kay classifies promoters of conspiracy theories into different groups, including those he refers to as "cranks" and "firebrands". He defines a "crank" as a person who seeks to expose conspiracies as an engrossing mission to fill one's life. He claims this type of person is usually drawn to conspiracy theories after a
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belief that "society is divided into victims and oppressors". In addition to political explanations, Kay also writes about psychological factors. He argues that many people prefer explanations for disasters which feature expansive conspiracies because it is more difficult to cope with the underlying
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Though he concedes that history provides evidence of actual conspiracies, Kay argues that farfetched and paranoid conspiracies are gaining adherents at an increasing rate in the United States. In the book, he charts a history of 20th century conspiracy theories including groups such as the
237:, Jacob Heilbrunn described the book as "remarkable", and praised the quality of Kay's reporting. But he also criticized the book for being poorly organized at points. Heilbrunn also argued that Kay exaggerates the influence of the 9/11 Truth movement on the culture of the United States.
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praised Kay for his analysis of the psychological foundations of conspiratorial thinking and his discussion of the history of such thinking. The reviewer accurately predicted that advocates of the 9/11 Truth movement would dismiss Kay's analysis as a biased
174:. He defines a "firebrand" as a person who uses conspiracy theories to promote radical political views and thus gain public attention. He claims this type of person is usually university-age when they begin promoting conspiracies.
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promotes conspiratorial thinking. However, Bunch praised Kay's explanation of the effects of deconstruction, noting the popularity of the 9/11 Truth movement among
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Kay attempts to define the factors that cause people to believe in conspiracies. He attributes some of the popularity of conspiracy theories to the influence of
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131:. Though much of the book focuses on the 9/11 Truth movement Kay also discusses conspiracy theories about the
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Though he applauded Kay's history of conspiracy theories and commentary about the role of the internet,
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While writing the book, Kay interviewed several figures in the 9/11 Truth movement, such as
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Among the
Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground
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Among the
Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground
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Among the
Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground
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faulted Kay for a "tendency toward ideological axe-grinding". Sonny Bunch of
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both faulted Kay for giving inadequate attention or explanation to the
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similarly argued that Kay unfairly exaggerated the extent to which
348:"Birthers, truthers, and other believers in conspiracy theories"
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World Trade Center controlled demolition conspiracy theories
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incompetence or vulnerability at the root of such events.
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in the United States. The book examines the history and
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of conspiracy theories, particularly focusing on the
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277:"Inside the World of Conspiracy Theorists"
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516:Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth
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248:The Paranoid Style in American Politics
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102:is a 2011 book by Canadian journalist
485:Advance-knowledge conspiracy theories
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206:professors. Bunch and a reviewer for
154:. He also blames what he sees as the
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552:Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura
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275:Heilbrunn, Jacob (13 May 2011).
106:that examines the popularity of
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346:Singal, Jesse (14 May 2011).
320:. 26 May 2011. Archived from
566:Mystery of the Urinal Deuce
386:"Beyond the Lunatic Fringe"
384:Bunch, Sonny (7 May 2011).
150:academic theories, such as
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418:. HarperCollins. p.
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660:9/11 conspiracy theories
610:The CIA and September 11
471:9/11 conspiracy theories
228:treatment of the issue.
545:A Few Days in September
390:The Wall Street Journal
314:"One born every minute"
195:The Wall Street Journal
655:2011 non-fiction books
410:Kay, Jonathan (2011).
595:American Conspiracies
200:political correctness
615:The New Pearl Harbor
605:Debunking 9/11 Myths
521:Million Muslim March
16:Book by Jonathan Kay
670:HarperCollins books
620:The Terror Timeline
495:9/11 truth movement
116:9/11 Truth movement
108:conspiracy theories
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600:Among the Truthers
538:911: In Plane Site
358:on August 10, 2011
281:The New York Times
234:The New York Times
129:John Birch Society
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393:. Retrieved
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204:liberal-arts
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184:Jesse Singal
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104:Jonathan Kay
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37:Jonathan Kay
530:Film and TV
231:Writing in
137:vaccination
649:Categories
478:Key topics
255:References
226:right-wing
164:Alex Jones
148:postmodern
141:Reptilians
112:psychology
573:Zeitgeist
178:Reception
90:670475861
42:Publisher
636:Category
241:See also
156:liberal
122:Summary
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395:28 May
362:28 May
328:28 May
291:28 May
139:, and
46:Harper
34:Author
583:Books
62:Pages
424:ISBN
397:2011
364:2011
330:2011
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166:and
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
