New conspiracists replace organized political action with mass repetition and assent
Evidence
Instead of collective action, the new conspiracists call for repeating and spreading their claims—“liking,” tweeting, and forwarding. Repetition takes the place of organized political action. What Trump, for instance, wants is not the architecture of an organized political party or even an organized movement but a throng that assents to his account of reality. “You know what’s important,” he said about his fantasy of illegal Clinton votes, “millions of people agree with me when I say that.” Affirmation of his reality is the key act, as if by itself that is enough to collapse the globalists’ world order, end “fake news” and “hoaxes,” and repair humiliating national weakness. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 79
Categorization
- DEFINE: Clarifies the distinguishing feature of new conspiracism: assent to a reality-account substitutes for collective action.
- XREF: connects to: New and classic conspiracism share urgency but differ fundamentally. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 51; New conspiracism ascribes organized power to plotters it never musters itself — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 76; New conspiracism inspires lone armed individuals but not organized movements — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 78 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Repetition within echo chambers, not evidence, produces conspiracist assent
#corroborates(0.90) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 129 - New conspiracists assent forcefully without believing or disbelieving their claims
#expands(0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 108 - Conspiracist assent is a debased form of political participation rather than paralysis
#expands(0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 133