Jesse Ventura Takes the Soaring Interest in Conspiracy Theory to TV -- And Viewers Are Flocking to It ALTERNET Jan 30
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Jesse Ventura Takes the Soaring Interest in Conspiracy Theory to TV -- And Viewers Are Flocking to It
Bringing formerly taboo issues to TV, the former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler's show has caught on. Conspiracy theorists probably aren't surprised.
January 30, 2010 |
Jesse Ventura has worn many hats over his lifetime. In addition to being a body-slamming professional wrestler and one-term governor of Minnesota, he was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam and a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. In his latest career move, he is a conspiracy theory investigator.
His television show, "Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura" premiered on TruTV in early December delivering the 17-year-old channel's largest-ever premiere audience -- 1.6 million people -- and maintaining it during subsequent episodes. It held onto high Nielsen ratings despite being panned by critics because the masses love it. TruTV's slogan is "Not Reality. Actuality." This is a baffling mantra, but it's the perfect place for a show like Ventura's.
"We developed it for our audience," one that is "usually fascinated with inside worlds they don't normally have access to," said Darren Campo, senior vice president of programming at the channel. But the show is very much about Ventura's "voice," he adds.
"I'm doing this show to wake people up," Ventura says in a promo. Throughout the first season (which ended Jan. 13 but lives on through YouTube and an upcoming marathon) the former wrestler dons a little gray ponytail and a black leather blazer, expertly fitted to his massive frame, as he sternly yet charismatically commands his team of "investigators," most of whom inexplicably have British accents -- perhaps so they'll more closely recall Agent 007.
In one episode, Ventura investigates global warming, which the trailer-voiced narrator calls "the most convenient scam yet."
The episode sends Ventura and his team across the globe, speaking to all manner of global warming conspiracy theorists, including self-proclaimed investigative journalists and a couple of contrarian climate scientists -- one a physicist at MIT, and the other a blurred-out American living abroad who says he fears for his life.
While Ventura says early on that he personally believes climate change is happening, the overall thesis of the episode is that global warming is being used as an excuse to make money off our carbon footprint fears and move us closer to a global government, known in conspiracy circles as the New World Order.
Al Gore's name is trumpeted endlessly as a key financial benefactor of climate change (though Ventura calls him a "friend"), second only to mentions of the United Nations, which is presented as the shadow entity for a powerful elite that seeks to control the world -- and you.
To climate change believers, the show is hokey at best, but its action-mystery set-up is undeniably entertaining. You can see how a person might convince himself that global warming is fake when some environmentalists are trumpeting cap and trade, which the show's narrator calls pollution "permission slips." It's certainly a contradiction.
TruTV hasn't committed to a second season but "Conspiracy Theory" has found what it most likely needs to survive -- an engaged audience. The first seven episodes have already touched upon many of the most popular conspiracy theories in America today: 9/11, 2012 doomsday, government surveillance, and, of course, climate change.
Though the TruTV executive insists the show is "not political," it's propelled by Ventura's axiom, which he mentions at least twice: "The one thing I learned in government is if you want to find the answer to a question, follow the money."
Asking who benefits is a question most cynical Americans find reasonable and appealing. And a segment of that demographic takes it to an extreme, dedicating most of their waking moments to what the majority among us calls conspiracy theories.
'There's no theory in criminal conspiracy'
By general definition, a conspiracy theory is a claim that stars secretive yet powerful rogue groups who seek to control or steal from "the people" -- and it usually carries the stigma of untruth.
According to David Coady, a philosopher at the University of Tasmania in Australia, and author of Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate, the term conspiracy theory started to carry negative connotations after the philosopher Karl Popper wrote, during the Third Reich, that conspiracy theories propelled the paranoid ideologies that gave rise to totalitarian regimes such as that of Adolf Hitler.
Since the term has a derogatory slant, few conspiracy theorists self-identify as such. The term is mostly used to suggest that a particular theory is false, or that the person proposing it is unreliable. A reliable means of discrediting a story, it's often used unfairly.
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Jessies 9.11 show could have been
much more serious, but I am glad he did it & it reached millions.
When he teams with AE911 it's game over.
Sensationalized for the average Joe
I think it is obvious that most of us here at blogger have ABOVE average intelligence. If Jesse's Conspiracy Theory reaches those in the middle of the bell curve then I applaud the effort.
I Totally Agree.
It is reaching an audience that we most likely aren't, so how can you not applaud that. Plus even though he mixes in some stuff that is speculative like 2012, his approach on the topic of 9/11 was good quality. It's 1.6 Million viewers who talk and tell others and break the taboo of the topic. We have the information and facts on our side and don't need to be afraid of this coming to a head.
Hopefully he gets picked up for another season and starts doing better less sensational work. Bringing in more experts and spending more time on important topics. It's a good trend none the less. Hopefully other stations realize the potential too for this type of programming, especially as TV loses its viewers continually to the internet and more channels.
Contact them and tell them the more topics you want to hear about and who you want to hear from and whatever else good common sense advice you can give:
http://www.trutv.com/contact/index.html?subject_id=180&start=true
RECIPROCAL AGGREEMENT!
"Hopefully he gets picked up for another season and starts doing better less sensational work. Bringing in more experts and spending more time on important topics. It's a good trend none the less. Hopefully other stations realize the potential too for this type of programming, especially as TV loses its viewers continually to the internet and more channels."
I also agree. There is a difference in intelligence & appeal...
Many at blogger are above the average intelligence. A common denominator is being willing to look, to investigate thoroughly into matters of substance. For the most part, the masses prefer to be entertained and prefer to be spoon fed tidbits of information, while avoiding matters of substance. It becomes evident when talking to a person and observing their focus of interests.
I agree
...but I think he found the right TV formula to get 1.6M viewers..........and hold them throughout the series.
I think Jesse and his producers made the SMART move. Jesse's just getting warmed up.
Anticonspiracist history
(Excerpt from above): 'According to David Coady, a philosopher at the University of Tasmania in Australia, and author of Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate, the term conspiracy theory started to carry negative connotations after the philosopher Karl Popper wrote, during the Third Reich, that conspiracy theories propelled the paranoid ideologies that gave rise to totalitarian regimes such as that of Adolf Hitler.'
AIso very relevant in the construction of this anti-conspiracist ideology is a book by the American historian Richard Hofstadter that came out some time in the early to mid-'60s, 'The Paranoid Style and American Politics.'
I've also heard it said that the media and their 'official sources' noticeably began using 'conspiracy theory' in a derogatory way around the time of the Special Committee on Assassinations investigation in the late '70s, in an attempt to counter the committee's findings that there had indeed been shots fired from the grassy knoll in Dallas on 11/22/63.
besides global warming confusion, Ventura's program, excellent!
In the most recent issue of Flyby News, I posted an article with figures from NASA on how the last decade was the warmest ever recorded for our planet. Many are triggered by the disinformation of the energy warlords, playing the game between left and right, truth and deception, but the measurements and real science are not political or partisan. Many are fooled by the complexity of disinformation that seeks to push an elitist plan to profit and control the financial-political game for their dark motives. The cap and trade plan to create more divisive wealth and not solve the problem, treason by al gore and others is part of a plan to deceive, but not the issue of carbon saturation in our atmosphere. That is as real as thermite in the wtc dust. It is interesting that the alternet article would focus on the weakest of his programs. Even the Rock Creek Free Press and I would say the majority of 9/11 truthers are missing the science-back reality of the impact of humankind's actions on our environment. Even with environmental manipulations and global dimming to reflect the sun back into space, warming is continuing anyway.
These alternet folks hardly mentioned the science-based demolitions of sept. 11, but not Jesse. His other programs, too, had much substance, 'following the money', and trail of facts and eyewitness accounts. And yes, he is an entertainer, and pulling millions of people into thought-provoking television. He is representing the common Joe.. as well as some sort action hero that he is.. and of those he has featured like William Rodriguez, and whistleblowers. His 2012 program went into the actual government bunkers, and showed how our government is not preparing the masses for something as feasible as a direct hit of a solar flare, which happened in the 1800's.. which could wipe out our energy grid. The government could simply ground the transformers.. but as per his show on vaccines, health-harming genetically modified foods, one must be concerned on actual depopulation plans. On the whole.. i rate "Conspiracy Theories" as one of the most important shows now on television, mostly debunking the mind control condescension of that word "conspiracy." Ventura is truly a man of the people, and a friend, supporter of 9/11 truth.
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Climate emails hacked by spies
Backing up on my skepticism on a global warming hoax, I am passing this information forth from Citizens for Legitimate Government, breaking news:
'Climate emails hacked by spies' --Interception bore hallmarks of foreign intelligence agency or possibly anti-climate change lobbyists in US, says expert 01 Feb 2010
A highly sophisticated hacking operation that led to the leaking of hundreds of emails from the Climatic Research Unit in East Anglia was probably carried out by a foreign intelligence agency, according to the Government's former chief scientist. Sir David King, who was Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser for seven years until 2007, said that the hacking and selective leaking of the unit's emails, going back 13 years, bore all the hallmarks of a coordinated intelligence operation...
In an interview with The Independent, Sir David suggested the email leaks were deliberately designed to destabilise Copenhagen and he dismissed the idea that it was a run-of-the-mill hacking. It was carried out by a team of skilled professionals, either on behalf of a foreign government or at the behest of anti-climate change lobbyists in the United States, he said. "It was a sophisticated and expensive operation. In terms of the expense, there is the American lobby system which is a very likely source of finance. Right now, the American lobbyists are a very likely source of finance for this, so the finger must point to them," Sir David said.
Source: www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-emails-hacked-b...
Jesse did great work.
I hope he does a show on Chemtrails.