New conspiracism ascribes organized power to plotters it never musters itself

Evidence

Absent political theory, another divergence from classic conspiracism follows: there is no call for collective action to free the nation from the malevolent design to subvert it. The new conspiracists imagine that the plotters they expose have an effective organization and an indomitable capacity for action. But they evidence none of that themselves. Classic conspiracism is prescriptive. The Declaration of Independence called for a war of independence. It directed a course of collective action: to dissolve the political bonds that connected the colonies to Britain, persist in armed resistance, and claim for the colonies the status of independent states. Similarly, Progressivism turned to building the apparatus of direct democracy. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 76

Categorization

• XREF: The asymmetry between imagined enemy organization and own disorganization evokes Hannah Arendt’s analysis of totalitarian movements lacking real structure. — connects to: New conspiracism obscures real power by delegitimating the institutions that render it visible — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 363; New conspiracism abandons explanatory theory and targets democratic legitimacy — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 11; New conspiracism operates without theory because its sole product is delegitimation — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 82 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• New conspiracism obscures real power by delegitimating the institutions that render it visible #corroborates (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 363
• New conspiracism inspires lone armed individuals but not organized movements #corroborates (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 78
• New conspiracism abandons explanatory theory and targets democratic legitimacy #expands (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 11
• New conspiracists replace organized political action with mass repetition and assent #corroborates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 79
• New conspiracism operates without theory because its sole product is delegitimation #expands (0.75) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 82