Naomi Klein investigates ‘conspiracy theory culture’ that has shaken her life

[mvdl]

I am looking forward to the book and am particularly curious if it will address the origin of "conspiracy cultures" as I personally feel a lot has to do with governments and media plain lying and manipulating. It keeps me puzzled why conspiracies are not simply addressed but somehow need to be silenced instead. Maybe the book will provide insight or answers.

[pjc50]

You can't address conspiracy theories because they can be generated much easier and quicker than they can be rebutted. And attempts to do so just mark you as "part of the conspiracy".

"The Paranoid Style in American Politics" (1964), prev on HN https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24964931

(Although I might be inclined to agree with you that there are real, very obvious, unaddressed "conspiracies" that kind of happen while simultaneously everyone is aware of them but can't "see" them. Mostly to do with the operation of political donations, but things like the Sackler opiate scandal had evidence ignored for years. Or the Clarence Thomas bribery allegations.)

[timeagain]

Every conspiracy contains a simple (but wrong) solution to a complex emotional issue. They’re like a “doctors hate this one trick” for politics and science.

[pjc50]

It's very modern that she's experiencing trouble because of someone who simply shares her first name, not even an unusual one or her whole name, who has become famous for being unhinged on Twitter.

[toyg]

Naomi is fairly unusual, both surnames have the same number of syllables, and both rose to fame around the same period, in the early '90s. It's not true that Wolf "became famous for being unhinged on Twitter"; she used to be considered a leftwing feminist and worked with Bill Clinton, while Klein was a radical anti-corporation leftist active in anti-G8 circles, so they were broadly "on the same side" from a mainstream perspective (although I'm sure Klein, as the most radical of the two, would strongly challenge that). It's very very easy to mistake them; I know I've been knowing their work for 30 years and still occasionally mix them up.

Wolf seems to have drifted right only fairly recently - although I'm sure she would say that it's the Overton window around her that moved instead.

[amadeuspagel]

Maybe these two actually have more in common then a first name? Maybe they're both conspiracy theorists? Maybe that's why they constantly get confused?

[danlugo92]

Today's conspiracy "crackpot theory" is tomrrow's declassified document whistleblower leak.

[amadeuspagel]

> Award-winning author and Guardian columnist Naomi Klein is to publish a book about conspiracy theories, which she has described as a departure and “more personal, more experimental” than her previous books.

Is it an autobiography?

[rasz]

were you thinking of https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/08/naomi-wolf-acc... https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50153743 ?

[bone_frequency]

As much as I can respect her hustle, it might be time for her to ride a new grift. Or maybe retire with the literal millions she made with her gigs.

[jbu]

I guess you mean Naomi Wolf, as the sub-title makes clear? Quite different people. Klein is an excellent writer and thinker. Wolf is deep in the conspiracy hole.

[_moof]

Here's a helpful mnemonic device for identifying Naomis:

If it's Klein, you're fine.

If it's Wolf, woof.