Playlist: The Two and One-half Minute Conspiracy Theory: Assorted
Compiled By: Susan J. Cook
Image by: Susan Cook
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In just 2 and 1/2 minutes, facts, truth and speculation curated into conspiracy theories.
Questions you thought no one would ask, asked.
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The Two and 1/2 Minute Conspiracy Theory: The Best Conspiracies Are Those In Which Co-conspirators Didn't Sign Up, Weren't Asked, Don't Know They're Part of It
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 02:55
The highest production of greenhouse gases in the US comes from the West Jefferson, Alabama Miller Electric Plant. The parent company- The Southern Company- says they have spent billions on emission reduction- for mercury and sulphur dioxide. They omit that the fact that the 12 billion spent is over 11 utilities in 9 states. Also didn’t say the Southern Company spent 14 million on lobbyists to eliminate EPA regulations to protect the environment.
The 2 and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory- The Best Conspiracies Those In Which the Co-Conspirators Didn’t Sign Up, Weren’t Asked To Agree To and Don’t Know They’re Part of
-Susan Cook-
-Susan Cook-
Today’s 2 and ½ minute Conspiracy Theory is that the best conspiracies are ones where the co-conspirators didn’t sign up, weren’t asked, and don’t know they’re part of it. On NPR, I heard a Marketplace report about the James H. Miller, Jr Electric Generating Plant - coal-fired- that produces more greenhouse gas annually than any other place in the country- 19 million metric tons. A passenger car emits 4.7 metric tons annually. The Miller plant in West Jefferson, Alabama emits the equivalent of 4 million passenger cars, annually. Wild speculation here that the workers do not sign a document promising to ‘hold harmless’ the company if some higher power, like the EPA sues the Miller Plant for destroying the environment, the Earth. A court somewhere might decide that every single worker walking through the door punching the time clock bears responsibility for the devastation of global warming because they are the ones flipping the levers, turning the dials, closing chambers. Airplanes can‘t take off anymore because the air is too hot and too thin and there‘s not enough lift for flying. Extreme weather conditions, wild fires, wind storms making the planet uninhabitable. The one degree increase in temperature raising ocean levels because of the melting polar ice caps. Here’s the conspiracy theory The company didn’t tell the workers they are part of the gradual destruction of a liveable earth. All those workers -unwitting co-conspirators - weren’t told, didn’t know to ask, just like in every atrocity in the history of human kind when one person flipping the switch, lifting the rifle, turning the dial is part of a bigger conspiracy. The conspiracy for the Miller plant, to hide the fact that 19 million tons of greenhouse gas harms. The parent company- The Southern Company had their Miller spokesperson say they have spent billions to correct emission of mercury, sulphur dioxide. The spokesperson omitted that the fact that the 12 billion spent is over 11 utilities in 9 states . He also didn’t say the Southern Company spent 14 million on lobbyists to eliminate EPA regulations to protect the environment.
The Two and One-Half Minute Conspiracy: Is Congress Losing Credibility as a Moral Proving Ground?
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 02:57
Some places, for example, the Intelligence Committee of the United States Senate serve as our country's moral proving ground. But this week‘s testimony from the United States Attorney General Mr. Sessions raises the concern Congress is losing its credibility and stature as a moral proving ground. Here was Mr. Sessions, the profound skeptic on the defensive, accusing the US Senate Intelligence Committee of secret innuendo making. The Committee members navigated territory they always have- the moral proving ground of disputed versions of events.
The Two and One-half Minute Conspiracy Theory -
Is Congress Losing Credibility as a Moral Proving Ground?
-Susan Cook-
Is Congress Losing Credibility as a Moral Proving Ground?
-Susan Cook-
I heard a Buddhist teacher talk recently about the meaning of charnel ground in Buddhist theologies. That’s where spiritual metamorphous takes place. Many people seek moral redemption there but are surprised and dismayed when they confront all the illicit, dark-sided stuff they thought they were leaving behind. Convicted felons, broken promise-makers, adulterers, liars, thieves, dens of iniquity. Turns out it is real life which , as you can well imagine, is not pristine and untainted. And there you are , another Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron says, and you start where you are. Getting there doesn’t mean you are granted immediate moral redemption or immunity or a step up on the moral hierarchy. And the convicted felon still is not the best candidate to be entrusted to guard the financial assets or electronic personal information or the precious jewels. The spiritual bump and grind still lies ahead.
We hope that some places are far from the charnel ground, for example, the Intelligence Committee of the United States Senate as its own moral proving ground. But I’m not so sure about that . This week‘s testimony from the United States Attorney General Mr. Sessions suggests Congress is losing its credibility and stature as a moral proving ground. Here was Mr. Sessions, the profound skeptic, carefully stepping around heaps of collected uncertain material, on the defensive alleging secret innuendo of uncertain nature or origin. And here was his indignation that he was being asked about betrayal, broken promises- certainly the stuff of which the charnel ground is made. No moral redemption seeking from this testifier. Mr. Sessions’ indignation took precedence over this Committee, still commissioned as one of this country’s many moral proving grounds- no matter how questionable and mucky the wading ground. If the US Attorney General doesn’t respect that, then maybe a conspiracy theory is warranted- that this country as a moral proving ground is seriously threatened and maybe that will stir our collective aspiration to protect the moral proving ground we‘ve always - and the world- turned toward.
A Citizen’s Guide to Small-minded Denigration: A Sixty Second Moral Inquiry, Two and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory presented in a Sonnet for The Department of Poetic Justice
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 01:34
In honor of the upcoming Presidential race, The River Is Wide presents a melding of our favorite features. A Citizen's Guide, A Sixty Second Moral Inquiry and Two and 1/2 Minute Conspiracy Theory presented in a Sonnet to place In the Department of Poetic Justice. Random The River Is Wide Series is not.
The topic:
A Citizen’s Guide to Small-minded Denigration (or a Conspiracy to Throw the Ethical Female Presidential Candidate Under the Bus for what She has Never Done).
A Citizen’s Guide to Small-minded Denigration (or a Conspiracy to Throw the Ethical Female Presidential Candidate Under the Bus for what She has Never Done):
A Sixty Second Moral Inquiry, Two and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory presented in a Sonnet for The Department of Poetic Justice
A Sixty Second Moral Inquiry, Two and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory presented in a Sonnet for The Department of Poetic Justice
Diligent Presidents also can be
women. Intelligently, insightful,
reliable, prestigious, humanly
accomplished, with sound judgment? Delightful!
What will have nothing to do with the job
she will do is the employee who lacked
judgment and chose a sick ex-husband, robbed
sense. The staffer, small-minded, at the back
of the bus, the Opponent now sinks to
say, should be used to run out the admired
Woman, who should be President, linked to
small mindeds just because of who she hired.
Hostile cruel minds Either sex can be numb.
Formidable President? She’s the one.
women. Intelligently, insightful,
reliable, prestigious, humanly
accomplished, with sound judgment? Delightful!
What will have nothing to do with the job
she will do is the employee who lacked
judgment and chose a sick ex-husband, robbed
sense. The staffer, small-minded, at the back
of the bus, the Opponent now sinks to
say, should be used to run out the admired
Woman, who should be President, linked to
small mindeds just because of who she hired.
Hostile cruel minds Either sex can be numb.
Formidable President? She’s the one.
Today's Two and One Half Minute Conspiracy Theory: The Secretary's Secretary
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 03:14
Today The River Is Wide introduces a new specialty item : the two and a half minute Conspiracy Theory. We don’t want to ramble. We’ll keep it brief- Betty Crocker-style.. But you know how one girl‘s deeply observant attention can be well- just another conspiracy theory. So we begin.
You don't suppose all this baking away about Hillary Clinton's decision to receive 4 classified emails on a hacker proof blackberry mobile device is sexist, do you?
Today’s Two Minute and a half minute Conspiracy Theory
The Secretary’s Secretary
The Secretary’s Secretary
-Susan Cook-
Today The River Is Wide introduces a new specialty item : the two and a half minute Conspiracy Theory. :We don’t want to ramble. We’ll keep it brief- Betty Crocker-style.. But you know how one girl‘s deeply observant attention can be well- just another conspiracy theory. So we begin.
Men have secretaries in the United States of America. Girls don’t. Men need them because men make important decisions like when the United States of America goes to war or doesn’t go to war or which other men’s countries the United States of America will be friends with or trust. So they need a secretary- they have to have them to make decisions about ‘Is this a classified email?” “Does ‘C’ stand for ‘cute’ at the front of the email? The man’s secretary figures that out and his secretary will have permission to even open the email because the man is so busy making big, big decisions, he doesn’t have time.
Now if a girl has a job that a man usually has she can’t have a secretary like a man does . She can do this stuff herself. She can call the IT guy herself and she can read the whole State Department manual about classified or secret or confidential emails herself. A man, of course, can rely on his secretary to do this because that’s what girls do. But if a girl for some strange reason becomes a Secretary like Secretary of State she won’t be able to have a secretary because girls don’t and if they do they’re usually a b------ to them because they’re not use to having a secretary because they’re girls not men. So anything that a man’s secretary would do, she has done all by herself.
Today’s 2 and a half minute conspiracy theory? Maybe there’s a strong sexist tendency in this good old boy United States of America that if the girl is doing something really really big- like trying to get elected as President of the United States of America which men always do- and the media drills down and down and down about how she handled emails on a hacker safe blackberry emails and the 4 emails that had classified designation- you know things that a man would have his secretary do for him if he was doing the job- men are so so generous in the big, big responsibilities they let girl secretaries try out- ok, here’s the conspiracy theory for today, you don’t suppose that over and over questioning Secretary Clinton about her’ handling’ of secure material is deeply entrenched, and the usually deeply damaging sexism do you?
Birthing the Newest Political Hypocrites- The Two 1/2 Minute Conspiracy Theory
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 03:08
This week the United States Senate voted to overrule the intention of the Founding Fathers and disregard the process that give minority membership voice.They invoked the 'nuclear option' to stop the filibuster of the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. But what did the United States Senate really do. Today's Two and One-half Minute Conspiracy Theory offers, well, a conspiracy theory.
Birthing the Newest Hypocrite: The 2 and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory
-Susan Cook-
-Susan Cook-
Today’s Two and ½ Minute Conspiracy Theory explains what the United States Senate has really done this week by changing rules to stop the filibuster of anti-reproductive rights Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. They have given birth to our newest hypocrite. No, we’ re not talking about denying preventive health care or access to contraception -also known as reproductive rights- and guaranteed prenatal care to prevent neonatal intensive care hospitalizations and infant mortality.
No, today’s conspiracy theory is that a brand spanking new hypocrite called the Plan C United States Senate has been born to replace Plan A United States Senate and Plan B United States Senate. Now, not every state has a member in Plan C United States Senate. My state has just one.
Plan C United States Senate was born after the rules of Plan A United States Senate such as those laid in the past by Founding Fathers, didn’t get someone what he wanted, because someone had set in motion Plan B also known as a filibuster. Didn’t like that, so you give birth to Plan C United States Senate. Now, Plan C United States Senate was not laid by the founding fathers either. No matter. A man wants what he wants when he wants it. So you give birth to Plan C United States Senate. That means you do not give another thought to who will have to live - ultimately- with the consequences of what you have done, no matter how cruel, how completely self-serving, and how damaging and miserable life will be.
Even if you claim, like the member of the Plan C United States Senate from my state, to really, really, really respect the rules of Plan A US Senate. So, you always give everyone in the United States Senate a chance to vote on a nominee for a position by shuffling your deck just so to make sure the person receives the approval of the committee you’re on even if you say the person is not qualified for the position.
The 2 and ½ Minute Conspiracy theory about Plan C United States Senate is that a brand new hypocrite has been born . You know what hypocrites think. Not my problem. Not her problem if the United States Senate is not a viable , breathing governing body- but a shell of itself. A shill, I mean, a hypocrite. A shill.
What the Truth Costs: An Advanced Citizen's Guide
From Susan J. Cook | Part of the The River Is Wide series | 11:09
When we see the tools of discrediting the truth happily taken on, now or in history- we might say this. The cost of the truth is, it turns out, the truth.
I attended a conference recently about “Exploring Women’s Testimony: Genocide, War, revolution, The Holocaust and Human Rights”. After hearing how those things might be connected, it occurred to me hat maybe an advanced Citizens Guide to what the truth costs would be helpful. The truth comes at a high cost but the cost exacted varies from culture to culture, person to person, time, and context. The cost can be measured by its consequence. It can be measured by the intricacy, the arduous effort put into discrediting the speaker. This is what the conference was about.
What the Truth Costs: An Advanced Citizen's Guide
I attended a conference recently about “Exploring Women’s Testimony: Genocide, War, revolution, The Holocaust and Human Rights”. After hearing how those things might be connected, it occurred to me hat maybe an advanced Citizens Guide to what the truth costs would be helpful. The truth comes at a high cost but the cost exacted varies from culture to culture, person to person, time, and context. The cost can be measured by its consequence. It can be measured by the intricacy, the arduous effort put into discrediting the speaker. This is what the conerence was about.
I attended a conference recently about “Exploring Women’s Testimony: Genocide, War, revolution, The Holocaust and Human Rights”. After hearing how those things might be connected, it occurred to me hat maybe an advanced Citizens Guide to what the truth costs would be helpful. The truth comes at a high cost but the cost exacted varies from culture to culture, person to person, time, and context. The cost can be measured by its consequence. It can be measured by the intricacy, the arduous effort put into discrediting the speaker. This is what the conerence was about.
A notable cost of telling the truth with broad humanitarian consequence came from Sigmund Freud. In the late 19th century when he was developing his psychoanalytic techniques, he saw many women who were diagnosed as “hysterics” (what would know be diagnosed as an anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder). Almost all, disclosed that they had been sexually abused by a close relative. “Blame was laid on perverse acts by the father” Freud wrote to his confidante. He wrote a paper called “The Aetiology of Hysteria” in 1896 which he also presented at his “local” Society of Psychiatry and Neurology”. His colleagues were unimpressed by what Freud called the Seduction Theory because it implied that sexual abuse of female children was widespread in Victorian culture. Freud wrote “Perversion would have to immeasurably more frequent than hysteria.” A big-wig colleague Kraft-Ebbing called it a “scientific fairy tale”. Some months later, Freud wrote that he had caved to the opinion of his male contemporaries and abandoned his theory based on his previous view that women were telling him the truth. Instead, he wrote that they couldn’t tell the difference between truth and emotionally charged fiction because what the sexually abused women were telling him was a product of his new concept “the unconscious”.
Thus, the credibility of the patient in psychotherapy was handed over to the therapist whose job became distinguishing fact from fiction (or fantasy) rather than accompanying the patient in disclosure.
It took many years for psychotherapy to regain in its footing as a process in which credibility and authenticity of of the patient was acknowledged. Michael White the Austrailian theorist developed Narrative Therapy in which re-authoring by the patient of the personal narrative and thus the restoration of the truth of the person’s life is key. But, “passion” or “unconscious feeling”, the vocabulary of the fairy-tale, stirred up in the unconscious had entered the language, the culture. Emotion as coming from a part of the person separate from the part of the person who tells the truth had been established. The idea that passion was something not compatible with the continuum of truth had begun if not validated by Freud’s work.
The cost to the women whose truth Freud abandoned is not known. How many died or spent their lives in institutions is lost to history. Sigmund Freud himself refused to absorb the cost of their truth. He made a theory more palatable to his colleagues in which women were not believed and the prevalence of sexual abuse in his culture ignored.
The cost of telling the truth is unpredictable. It is also dependent on the time. At the 1964 Democratic National Convention, an all white Credentials Committee held a hearing to decide whether to seat an alternate Mississippi delegation instead of the white delegation the state Democratic Party had elected. The Mississippi Independence party had elected an African-American delegation that reflected the concerns and momentum of the civil rights movement. Fanny Lou Hamer the Mississippi Civil Rights leader testified and told the truth about police brutality toward civil rights protesters and the denigration of African-Americans through racial segregation. She described her beating at the hands of law enforcement. Before this white prim, proper committee, her testimony was eloquent, compelling, graphic and true. But for those who did not like what she said, the seeds of the stereotype of emotion overtaking truth-telling, a woman with no filter, brassy, attention-seeking, and of course, harkening back to Freud, possibly lying and thus lacking credibility.
Even President Lyndon Johnson was nervous about the truth of Fanny Lou Hamer and promptly called a press conference about a very minor legislative issue, to distract the television network who then interrupted their broadcast of the Convention and her testimony to broadcast the Presidents remarks. The Credentials Committee voted not to seat the Mississippi Independence Committee and yes, some blamed Fanny Lou Hamer not because she told the truth. She told it too well, with passion. But she was out-of-turn. She had too much brass. She was an African-American woman. Looking for attention. The truth’s cost was what Fanny Lou Hamer endured .
Passion remains a subtle underground code word in political circles for dismissing someone’s credibility - and to put the brakes on further inquiry of whether or not its true. (Yes, please hearken back to Professor Freud to remind us that what passion really means is the words spoken may be the prelude to fantasy or fiction).
In my state, recently in our revered tourist-enticing national publication Downeast in an issue with a cover photo of Martha Stewart (aka convicted felon), they re-published an editorial from a small local newspaper. The editorial appeared over a Labor Day weekend and was a collaborative effort from the local Democrats, and one miffed independent at the urging of the party chair’s paid staff. There was no claim of authorship . It was after all Labor Day weekend and the usual filters of “civility” weren’t in place.
The editorial denounced the testimony of a Democratic party officer at a Congressional re-districting hearing because she criticized the committee as part of a larger effort to discredit constituents by moving entire voting districts, eliminating same-day voter registration and exemplified by a higher up operative from the “other” party who intimidated constituents’ by recording their phone calls. The editorial denounced the testimony as an “antic”, demanding her resignation unless she showed proof. The editorial accused her of flouting conspiracy theories, “unfounded imputations” “her loose cannon” damaging her party “ by “impugning others”, dragging her party into “a sandbox spat”, “”sullying the discussion with “inappropriate mudslinging.” All in these big Ivy League words (Anybody know what impugn means?) The Editorial demanded her resignation unless she provided “proof”. The male “higher up” was never asked for proof.
It takes a lot more than proof to undo what the truth costs. History has shown that the truth’s cost- born for generations- beginning with the sexually abused female patients of Freud and continuing with the welts and broken bones and scars of Fanny Lou Hamer- has never been paid off simply by providing proof.
In the Downeast reprint case, the woman did not resign her volunteer position or show more proof. And sure enough one and one half years later when her tenure in the volunteer officer position ended, the leader of the party extended gratitude prefacing remarks by saying “I know you bring a lot of passion to this work…”
Clearly, these 3 incidents are in totally different times and contexts. The Editorial and the Downeast reprint intended a bigger consequence then the situation in any way, shape or form warranted. But when we see the tools of discrediting the truth happily taken on, now or in history- we might say this. The cost of the truth is, it turns out, the truth. If you listen hard enough, you can hear today the consequence of Freud’s failure to believe his female sexually abused patients, you can feel Fanny Lou Hamer’s wounds without demanding proof that her scars were a result of beatings from law enforcement.
And if you have any questions about the Editorial Downeast Magazine reprinted, you can leave a message, because the person the editorial was written about was me.