Results: (Not So) Smart Alex
Published on 08/17/2018
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YouTube, Facebook, Spotify, Apple, Pinterest and now Vimeo have removed Infowars content from their services. The video streaming platform is the latest in a growing wave of tech companies pulling videos from embattled right-wing conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones. Jones has been under fire for years over conspiracy driven output, surrounding events like the Sandy Hook shooting and 9/11. In spite of what are largely regarded as fringe views, however, he's amassed a massive viewership, and even scored an interview with Donald Trump in the lead up to the 2016 election. Among the many ridiculous claims Alex Jones has put forward, are as follows (Check off any you actually believe are true):
He believes the New World Order is a "demonic high-tech tyranny" formed by satanist elites who manufacture economic and health crises, and are using selective breeding to create a supreme race.
7%
142 votes
He claimed that Hillary Clinton was connected to "top occultist Marina Abramovic" because the Yugoslavian performance artist once invited John Podesta, former chairman of Clinton's presidential campaign, to a "spirit cooking" dinner.
6%
126 votes
He claims that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and was a member of al-Qaeda
9%
183 votes
He claims thousands of Muslims celebrated the collapse of the Twin Towers in New Jersey.
11%
223 votes
He linked the death of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia to meeting with an Austrian secret society group named the Bohemian Grove, which the site traces back to the Illuminati.
4%
78 votes
When she performed at the Super Bowl, he claimed Lady Gaga's Halftime Show would be a cover for a satanic rite
4%
74 votes
He claims that 9/11 and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings were "inside jobs", done by the government
7%
142 votes
He has repeatedly claimed that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December 2012 was "completely faked with actors", a hoax sponsored by the Obama administration to provide a pretext for introducing stiffer firearms restrictions.
4%
94 votes
His propagation of the notorious "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory – about senior Democrats running an occult paedophile ring from the basement of a restaurant in Washington, DC – was also blamed for inspiring a shooting that took place at the pizzeria in question,
3%
72 votes
He accused special counsel and former FBI director Robert Mueller of being a pedophile and threatened to shoot him.
3%
58 votes
He said that Jennifer Lopez should go to Somalia and "get gang raped."
2%
39 votes
I do not believe any of these!
73%
1523 votes
I believe all of them, and think this man is right
6%
121 votes
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So, how do you deal with someone who is offering all these bizarre conspiracy theories -- and do we try and debunk them, ignore them, or ban them all together? A growing body of research has demonstrated that the distorted light of modern media does not always lead to illumination. In a 2015 paper, MIT professor of political science Adam Berinsky found that rather than debunking rumors or conspiracy theories, presenting people with facts or corrections sometimes entrenched those ideas further.And perpetrating these theories actually gets them more "circulation" feeding those who already believe, and converting those who sit on the edge. Attention is oxygen. And particularly when dealing with purveyors of hate, giving it space of any form can mean that we often take what we hoped to extinguish and breathe new life into it; we elevate what we hoped to cast down. We see this every day here. The more we try to argue, and take down, the stronger they come back. Our Tellwut site has become a battleground fueled by our polarizing opinions. As the saying goes " East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet". Do you actually feel you can change someone's opinion in the Tellwut comment section?
No
44%
917 votes
Yes
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97 votes
Maybe in some rare cases
28%
592 votes
Never comment/try and argue in the comment section
24%
510 votes
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And, contrary to some who prefer to remain "anonymous", I am proud to put my name to every survey I create here. Like it, love it, or hate it, it makes no difference. Do you feel people who create controversial surveys here, and chose to remain "anonymous" are similar to social media trolls -- who like to post controversial comments to inflame people, and then sit back and watch the show?
Yes I do
19%
392 votes
No, not really
25%
516 votes
In some cases, yes
29%
602 votes
Not sure
29%
606 votes
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