PARANOID STYLE:
FEAR AND TRUST
IN
CONTEMPORARY
AMERICA
America and the Paranoid Style
• Richard Hofstader (1964) defined belief in
conspiracy as fundamental to American politics,
a paranoid absolutist style of thinking
– “what is at stake is always a conflict between absolute
good and absolute evil, what is necessary is not
compromise but the will to fight things out to a finish.
Since the enemy is thought of as being totally evil and
totally unappeasable, he must be totally eliminated —
if not from the world, at least from the theatre of
operations to which the paranoid directs his
attention.”
• Identified as primarily right wing at the time, but
noted frequency in American history against
different groups – Jews, Catholics, Masons…
• Why so much in America?
American Conspiracy
• Why has America proved so fertile for
conspiracy theorizing/a paranoid style of
thinking?
• History?
• Social Mix?
• Economy?
• Geography?
• Is conspiracy thinking actually normal?
Style vs Action
– “As a member of the avant-garde who is capable of
perceiving the conspiracy before it is fully obvious to
an as yet un-aroused public, the paranoid is a militant
leader. He does not see social conflict as something
to be mediated and compromised, in the manner of
the working politician.” (Hofstader)
• Defined as at the margin or “outside” proper
politics = extremism, isolation, dangerous,
radical.
• But can that be so today, when conspiracy
thinking seems prevalent, when a plethora
exists, when conspiracy seems total?
Consider Trust
• Democratic government and trust
– Democracy = government by consent,
therefore question of trust vital
• Trust in?
– Veracity of elections
– Legitimacy of law and order
– Honesty of government and civil organisations
– Sense of general equity in society
The Decline of Trust
• Seems abundant evidence that such trust has
declined, cynicism risen since early 1990s
– Not just in government, but generally in almost all
areas and spheres of life (medicine, sport, religion,
finance…)
– Robert Putnam calls this Bowling Alone, the decline
of “social capital” and rise of isolation in America
– “Suspicious Minds” 2003 Atlantic article on LN
• The rise of suspicion has not been measured in
a revolution or a decline in our faith in personal
materialism, prosperity and capitalism – are we
too cynical and mistrustful to unite and organise
What changed #1
• Post Modern - literally means After or In
Reaction to the modern or enlightenment state
where technological, political, economic, social
developments have created a new phase of
human history and cultural output
• After - result of “late capitalism” = everything,
present, past and future is commodified, for sale,
and flat.
– Examples? Retro, endless recirculation of culture,
music, film, etc
• Reaction - result of rise of counter-modern
tendencies, counter enlightenment
– Examples? New Age and alternative/underground
Postmodernity
• Causes a condition where “everything is
possible and nothing is certain” Vaclav Havel
• Collapse of authority and certainty – the
objective in the world, from established and new
sources alike
• Rise of the relative and multi-perspectival
• “Postmodern subjectivity” for the individual, in
the effect the “I” is cast loose, un-moored in
larger social sense. Free but lost?
• 1996 Post Modernity Project results.
Post modern culture
• Not Definitions of fact and fiction erode
and components intermingle
• Profligate and throwaway
• New myth and folklore, eg about risky
consumerism (Coke-lore, etc)
• Mistrustful fictions, both elite and popular
– Thomas Pynchon to the X Files
• Cross-fertilisation between the fictive and
the factual
What Changed #2?
• Globalisation:
– Defined as the transformation of local or
regional concerns into global ones
– The process by which the people of the world
are unified into an interconnected society by
virtue of a combination of economic,
technological, socio-cultural and political
changes
• Giddens 1999 article on LN
– Features of globalisation identified
Risky Business
• Globalisation has led to the rise of the “Risk
Society” (Ulrich Beck)
• Perception of risk to self and surroundings
magnified by global awareness and our
increased connectivity to the world
• Frank Furedi’s “Culture of Fear” and our new
high perception of vulnerability
• Plus the fact of increased risks
– SARS, Bird Flu, Terrorism
• And who can protect you?
What changed #3
• Double whammy for postmodernity and
globalisation, was the acceleration caused
by the rapid end of the Cold War
• Forces unleashed on new “uni-polar” world
• Expansion of capitalism globally
• Extension of interconnections
• Accelerated global technological change,
notably the web and digital communication
Mistrust after the Cold War
• In the 1990s United States, in almost
unparalleled conditions of peace and prosperity,
leading edge state for the world. Victorious.
– Peace – what enemies? Prosperity – what deficits?
• Led to ironic situation during 1990s
– Fears of the global
– Fear of Government – subverting freedom which had
triumphed in Cold War
– Media – mistrust vs attack style appeals for “hypertrust” from pundits who shout loudest (Bill O’Reilly)
• Phenomena such as the Militia movement and
their ufears of UN and the American government
– Waco, Ruby Ridge, OK city, Black Helicopters (clip)
But are we still Post Modern?
• 9/11 led to apparent resurgence of state
power and of safe borders – opinion poll
confidence in government rose.
– Talk of an end to the enemy-less world after
the Cold War, of end of relativity
• But post 9/11 mistrust rebounded
– 2003 War in Iraq, 9/11 conspiracies, etc.
• Growth of a surveillance society / identity
fears / disease fears / genetic fears
Relation to conspiracy theories
• Conspiracy Culture – no longer based on belief
(as in being an advocate or running to the hills)
but on holding a suspicion = or even holding a
suspicion of a suspicion. Consumer relationship
• Relies on this profound extent of mistrust/doubt
• Trust and our relationship to fear in the
contemporary world – given voice in conspiracy
theories, our new fairy tales, our modern folklore
– which like folkfore has message and truths
within it
Contemporary Trust
• How do these tendencies reveal
themselves in contemporary relationships
for the individual?
– With others?
– With society at large
– With information and its sources?
– With the economy and prosperity
– With “others”?
Contemporary Fears?
Case Study – Glenn Beck
• Glenn Beck
• Cover story in TIME
• Fox News show every
evening
• Video 1
• Video 2
• Video 3
• Video 4
• Video 5