re: #442 Shiplord Kirel

I’m lucky enough to have a copy of the John Birch Society’s 1960s conspiracy primer, The Hidden Hand. This essentially alleges a continuous conspiracy that dates all the way back to the 17th century. This means that the conspiracy is alleged to predate the United States and even the Enlightenment itself. According to the theory, the Enlightenment itself is a product of the conspiracy. The ultimate objective is to destroy Christianity and traditional social structures for the benefit of a hereditary class of mostly Jewish bankers and merchants.

The JBS downplays these beliefs today but they are still current among the established membership. This of course appeals to the typical conspiracist fantasy of being part of a select group sharing some hidden, almost occult, knowledge that the larger society lacks. Ironically, this is what conspiracists typically accuse their targets of being.

Is Hidden Hand available online? Be interesting to see how their schtick evolves to 2010.