Info-Spats: Conspiracy Theorists Are Sick of Alex Jones

Info-Spats: Conspiracy Theorists Are Sick of Alex Jones

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Hath Frankenstein’s monster begun killing its creator?

Alex Jones, the boisterous voice of a cult of conspiracy that questions, quite literally, everything from the legitimacy of terrorist attacks to the use of artificial sweeteners like aspartame, might have started getting just a tad too paranoid for the community that he’s had such a huge part in building.

Whether he’s ranting incoherently about gun control on Piers Morgan or arguing that the bombing at the Boston Marathon was a government orchestrated “false flag” attack complete with actors, more and more conspiracy theorists are doing their best to distance themselves from Jones.

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The latest, and one of the most public, efforts to push back against Jones’ particular brand of government distrust comes from Films for Action, a popular hub for the promotion of alternative, independent films and media.

After being questioned numerous times at their failure to include any Infowars or Prison Planet documentaries, Films for Action took the opportunity to release a statement about why their decision to steer away from Alex Jones was a conscious decision from the get-go.

Here’s a sizeable chunk from their lengthy statement:

Unfortunately, we feel it would be irresponsible to promote Alex Jones, his websites, or any of his films. His films were always overly sensational and hyperbolic, but over the years the assertions he makes in his films and on his radio show have gotten increasingly outlandish and unsubstantiated. There are nuggets of truth and important perspectives hidden in the films, but they are buried under so many wild claims, tabloid style rhetoric, fear-mongering, and misleading conclusions that sifting the valid points from the misinformation would take more time than most folks have the patience for. See thisthisthis,this, and this, for a handful of examples.

Most skeptical people will have written off his ideas (and anything associated with it, including, likely, this site) long before the film finishes.

We believe the goal of the alternative media is to eventually become the mainstream media – a media for and by the people, rather than a media for and by corporate interests. The alternative media that we imagine is one that has the potential to be welcomed into the homes of virtually everyone. We want to demonstrate the best of what the alternative media is and could be.

This means presenting information in a credible fashion, and not promoting misinformation or misleading meta-narratives about our world. It means following diligently the ethical principles and standards of the best journalists.

Infowars appeals to a certain niche conspiracy audience, but beyond this niche, it is not of much use for reaching people ‘beyond the choir’ – in fact the presentation and substance of Infowars is quite alienating and off-putting to most people. Right now on Infowars minded sites and Facebook pages, they are focusing their attention on occult messages being placed in the movies The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games that allude to the latest two gun massacres being pre-planned events staged by the New World Order. Stuff like this has become conspiracy porn for a growing audience, which we find quite troubling, as focusing on these types of dead ends keep people distracted from doing anything that could effectively end the systems of power these websites claim to decry.

We must regretfully conclude that Alex Jones does more harm to the movement than good.

That last line seems to pretty well sum up a growing opinion for conspiracy theorists, an opinion that when it comes to spreading the “truth” – their truth, however suppressed, uncomfortable, or bizarre that “truth” may be, Alex Jones is no longer the right man for the job.

So what do you think? Has the godfather of the “Truther Movement” gotten just a little too big for his tin-foil britches? Or is Films for Action just another government disinformation agent? Share your thoughts with us (and the NSA) on our Facebook page, tweet us through a proxy @WhoForted, or drop us an encrypted line in the comments below.


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