Symbols Rule the World?

[CACTUSJACKmankin]

Most classic conspiracies hinge on denialism and/or historical revisionism. 9/11, Kennedy assassination, and the moon landings all have similar patterns of argument. Each of them hinge on overly simplified discrepancies that are seen as impenetrable and the questions they pose are in the form of false premises (how did the WTC beams melt? where was the other JFK shooter? How does a flag flutter on the moon?). When exposed, the theorist engages in handwaving away the facts.

A newer brand of conspiracy theory is not so easily debunked by a simple explanation of physics. I think of this as the DaVinci Code-style of conspiracy theorism. It uses the prevalence of symbols used in architecture and popular media (particularly music) to postulate NWO, freemason, elite control of media and government. This model is based almost exclusively on connecting the dots and you either agree with the dots, agree that the dots are there but not with the NWO implication, or point out that the theorist is reading a connection that isn't there. It is completely up to each person to decide for themselves what they feel about it, which isn't necessarily wrong but it does make it far more difficult to defeat with facts alone.

This brand of conspiracy theory is not about some event in the past it's about what's happening now. It postulates that govt control is imminent and that the evidence is all around us. They believe that the elite is preparing us to be transhumanist (cyborg) slaves of the NWO and that Lady Gaga is their spokesperson.

My personal take: (1) Architecture and freemasonry (almost by definition) go hand in hand, especially in this country, so it's not surprising that their symbology is pervasive. Many of our founding fathers were Freemasons so freemasonry clearly doesn't equal tyrannical control.
(2) I know enough about mise en scene and film-making to know that much of the use of these symbols in music videos is NOT accidental. They are there for A reason, the debate is THE reason.
(3) A pattern I've noticed on the conspiracy blogs and the music video youtube pages is that they link videos whenever there is percieved NWO/masonic symbology which brings in at least thousands of views from people that otherwise wouldn't care which translates into ad revenue for the artists. So this symbology sells.
(4) 2012 is upon us so people are nervous conspiracy theorism sells.
(5) many of the followers on the blogs are evangelical christians and this is a glorious combination of hating on devil music and promoting the end times.

 

[CACTUSJACKmankin]

A good example is: http://vigilantcitizen.com/

 

[LightinDarkness]

EDIT: By the way I am using the "editorial you" here, and not referring to the OP when I say "you."

Its actually quite easy to debunk. The Vigilant Citizen brand of conspiracy theory is, to put it simply: seeing patterns because you want to see them. There is even a name for this phenomena scientifically, which escapes me at the moment, but its been well documented that humans are so desperate to find patterns to make sense of their surroundings that they will find them in places where none exist. This is exactly what it is doing: searching for "hidden symbols" and "hidden signs" in places where none exist, but because they so desperately want to believe they will "find" things which are not really there. The "hidden symbols" are either (1) completely made up, (2) real in the sense that they exist but not put there with any sinister purpose (for example, masonic symbolism is generally as positive and benevolent as you can get), or (3) real but put there to stir up just this sort of hysteria to generate youtube videos and don't have any real conspiracy behind them (for example, most things Lady Gaga does).

Its further debunked by remembering that this brand of conspiracy theory isn't new - people have been claiming that the NWO is "imminent" for 40+ years, and they've never been able to actually offer any evidence. The only thing they have is bizarre, unsupported "analysis" of pop culture that isn't believed by anyone except fellow conspiracy theorists.

My personal take: (1) Architecture and freemasonry (almost by definition) go hand in hand, especially in this country, so it's not surprising that their symbology is pervasive. Many of our founding fathers were Freemasons so freemasonry clearly doesn't equal tyrannical control.

As a freemason, I can tell you 100% that this is absolutely wrong. Freemasonry uses the tools of stone masonry as symbolic metaphors. There is nothing in it or about it that makes me want to go around secretly carving the square and compass everywhere as the Vigilant Citizen would have you believe. The only places that you will find real masonic symbolism are in buildings for masons (like lodges) or, very rarely, in buildings designed by masons. The later case is exceedingly rare, and I can only count a handful of times I've seen legitimate evidence for it, and usually the "symbolism" is very minor - like maybe a square and compass on one of the foundation stones. Furthermore, and this is what I don't get - so what if masonic symbolism is everywhere? Freemasonry's main teachings are that all are equal - what is so terrible about that?

(2) I know enough about mise en scene and film-making to know that much of the use of these symbols in music videos is NOT accidental. They are there for A reason, the debate is THE reason.

I know enough about marketing to know that there is no real debate about this: its all for the money. For example, Jay-Z recently began selling tshirts with the square and compass and Scottish Rite of Freemasonry's emblem on them. I checked, and hes not a mason and has 0 masonic connections. So is it a vast Illuminati plot...or is he simply trying to cash in on looking mysterious? Its ALWAYS the later explanation.

(3) A pattern I've noticed on the conspiracy blogs and the music video youtube pages is that they link videos whenever there is percieved NWO/masonic symbology which brings in at least thousands of views from people that otherwise wouldn't care which translates into ad revenue for the artists. So this symbology sells.
(4) 2012 is upon us so people are nervous conspiracy theorism sells.
(5) many of the followers on the blogs are evangelical christians and this is a glorious combination of hating on devil music and promoting the end times.

Ding, ding, ding. This is the only reason why this happens. If people stopped caring, they'd stop doing this.

In the end, the idea that "symbols rule the world" is a conspiracy mantra created for the same reasons all conspiracy is created: because people want to make sense of our complex world. The world as it really is - a chaotic place filled with things that often happen for no reason at all - is not comforting to most people. Most people want a grand design, a grand plot to explain how the world could be this way. They need someone to blame. And nefarious "evil" hidden symbols are an excellent target, since they don't fight back.

 

[Horatius]

I know enough about marketing to know that there is no real debate about this: its all for the money. For example, Jay-Z recently began selling tshirts with the square and compass and Scottish Rite of Freemasonry's emblem on them. I checked, and hes not a mason and has 0 masonic connections. So is it a vast Illuminati plot...or is he simply trying to cash in on looking mysterious? Its ALWAYS the later explanation.

Part of this seems to be, they don't want to accept the notion that there is an established cultural heritage that artists can, and do, reference in their work. They seem to think there's no way this rapper could have conceived of using "masonic" or "illuminati" symbols all on his own, no, they must have been placed there by some nefarious plot.

It never occurs to them that these symbols are a part of our cultural heritage, going back, in some cases, thousands of years. Artists keep going back to certain symbols precisely because they evoke certain imagery due to the history behind them.

And the real kicker is, a lot of that cultural heritage is a direct result of the CTists themselves. How much of this "mysterious symbolism" would still be current, if they weren't going out of their way to promote knowledge of it?

 

[Maja]

I studied Art History and Archaeology, and my favourite subject was Iconography, which deals with the contents of works of art, including the interpretation of symbols. I'm fascinated with symbols, and that's why I really hate all the conspiracy theories sorrounding them, because they tend to see symbols as a sort of fixed code language that has always, throughout history, meant the same thing. It would be so boring if this was true.

I don't know if The Da Vinci Code is to blame for this, but it is a good example of this way of thinking: Robert Langdon points to a V-shape on The Last Supper and says: "V is a symbol of femininity." That's nonsense. A V-shape can be a feminine symbol, but it can also be the symbol of victory, the Roman numeral five, simply a letter V, just an accidental shape or many other things. To interpret a symbol we have to understand its context, and also to accept that there might be nothing to interpret - it could be purely decorative.

For example, these images of snakes have completely different meanings:
In the Uraeus, an Egyptian symbol, the cobra represents royal authority.
In a painting of the Original sin, the snake is the Devil.
In a painting of Cleopatra's death, the snake is an actual snake and not a symbol.
In Nazi propaganda art a snake often represents Judaism.
... but someone writing one of those conspiracy theory blogs would just show all these pictures and say: "Look! It's the same symbol! Isn't that weird? "

 

[CACTUSJACKmankin]

I studied Art History and Archaeology, and my favourite subject was Iconography, which deals with the contents of works of art, including the interpretation of symbols. I'm fascinated with symbols, and that's why I really hate all the conspiracy theories sorrounding them, because they tend to see symbols as a sort of fixed code language that has always, throughout history, meant the same thing. It would be so boring if this was true.

I don't know if The Da Vinci Code is to blame for this, but it is a good example of this way of thinking: Robert Langdon points to a V-shape on The Last Supper and says: "V is a symbol of femininity." That's nonsense. A V-shape can be a feminine symbol, but it can also be the symbol of victory, the Roman numeral five, simply a letter V, just an accidental shape or many other things. To interpret a symbol we have to understand its context, and also to accept that there might be nothing to interpret - it could be purely decorative.

For example, these images of snakes have completely different meanings:
In the Uraeus, an Egyptian symbol, the cobra represents royal authority.
In a painting of the Original sin, the snake is the Devil.
In a painting of Cleopatra's death, the snake is an actual snake and not a symbol.
In Nazi propaganda art a snake often represents Judaism.
... but someone writing one of those conspiracy theory blogs would just show all these pictures and say: "Look! It's the same symbol! Isn't that weird? "

Exactly!
Every butterfly is a reference to Monarch Programming.
Checker pattern = chess = war/conquest?!?!?!?!
All uses of egyptian iconography are illuminati/freemason.
All use of humanoid robot imagery is a reference to transhumanism (among the silliest ideas i read from them, talk about a made up fear).
Any pointing, covering, or winking one eye is an evil eye.
The ultimate example of how narrow their interpretations are is that they use the terms NWO, illuminati, elite, and freemason interchangeably (and i'm still not clear on why freemason is in there other than the fact that they have so much iconography to dissect).

 

[grmcdorman]

There is even a name for this phenomena scientifically, which escapes me at the moment, but its been well documented that humans are so desperate to find patterns to make sense of their surroundings that they will find them in places where none exist.

Pareidolia^WP Very common in religion ("Jesus/Virgin Mary/FSM on Burn Toast").

 

[therival58]

if you think that's bad...apparently symbols are all over Hollywood...Run by the ILLUMINATI!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBKDZhu-EZw

 

[The Charnel Expanse]

It uses the prevalence of symbols used in architecture and popular media (particularly music) to postulate NWO, freemason, elite control of media and government.

This, to me, is completely hilarious. The suggestion that your average rock musician is even capable of serving as a pawn for some nefarious globalist cabal is easily in the top 3 most absurd claims a person can make. Every single musician I know personally is a free speech absolutist and aggressively anti-fascist. Many are fascinated by the occult and semiotics purely as expressions of escapism. Some draw lyrical inspiration from these things, but view them as subversion of the mundane, not revelatory of some greater purpose.