aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Labeling Avery: conspiracy theorist extraordinaire

There are Pearl Harbor conspiracy theorists and JFK conspiracy theorists and now 9/11 conspiracy theorists.

I’ve pretty much ignored them all. I am surprised to find that some smart students I know don’t, they actually believe these theories. It was one of those smart students who showed me 22 year old Dylan Avery’s documentary film, ”Loose Change,” which posits that 9/11 was a government sponsored gold heist. Or something like that.

Predisposed to be unconvinced, I nonetheless found it interesting for its production values and the fact that 21st century conspiracy theorists have access to such sophisticated means to get their message heard. Today Salon takes a look at the success of “Loose Change” and shines a spotlight on the thousands of online sleuths who believe the U.S. government was behind the terror attacks.