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why modern conspiracy theories are rooted in antisemitism: an educational thread 
trigger warnings: antisemitism, graphic antisemitic imagery, mentions of the Holocaust, Nazism, and blood libel/the death of children.
please consider retweeting this thread or even just sharing it with a close non-Jewish mutual. this stuff isn’t really talked about in-depth.
please consider retweeting this thread or even just sharing it with a close non-Jewish mutual. this stuff isn’t really talked about in-depth.
okay, here we go. recently, a lot of jews, including myself, have been calling attention to the antisemitic roots of popular conspiracy theories, specifically the ones about world control.
and it’s true.
every modern conspiracy theory of this nature is rooted in antisemitism.
and it’s true.
every modern conspiracy theory of this nature is rooted in antisemitism.
let’s start at the very beginning. every genre has its foundational piece and conspiracy theories are no different. so, what was the first majorly popular conspiracy theory of our modern era?
it was called “the protocols of the elders of zion” and it looked like this.
it was called “the protocols of the elders of zion” and it looked like this.
published in 1903 in the russian empire, this was a pamphlet that very quickly spread around the world. it was about a secret group controlling the masses, the first of its kind to make such claims about society as a whole. it talked about the banks, the government, & much more.
as you might imagine, this awful book put fuel on the antisemitic fire that was already burning in the early 1900s. this bigotry was escalating fast, growing into what eventually became an act of genocide against Jewish people. conspiracy theories proved dangerous and convincing.
since jews were typically forced into financial jobs, which i cover in the linked thread, it was easy to present “the protocols” as fact.
if jews control the banks, then when economies crash (like Germany’s did in 1929), the jews can be blamed and harmed via that justification. https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1324847510553272320
if jews control the banks, then when economies crash (like Germany’s did in 1929), the jews can be blamed and harmed via that justification. https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1324847510553272320
“the protocols” book was a sensation, gaining massive readership around two decades after it was published. it was translated into multiple languages, all while containing antisemitic images that are still around today, and perpetuated a variety of popular jewish stereotypes.
A .PDF link to “the protocols” was tweeted out by the united states FBI archive account earlier this year with no context. the replies were filled with people STILL in support of it.
here’s more background on the book from the Holocaust Museum website: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/protocols-of-the-elders-of-zion
here’s more background on the book from the Holocaust Museum website: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/protocols-of-the-elders-of-zion
the idea of an elite group running the world caught a lot of people’s attention and the book that started it all directly named Jews as that group. modern conspiracy theories that invoke the same idea have these antisemitic roots, and once you notice it, it’s impossible to unsee.
so, take a moment to really think now.
how many modern conspiracy theories, from flat earth, to the illuminati, to QAnon, all sound a bit like this:
“a secret, ultra-wealthy, very powerful group of people are controlling the entire world.”
yep. it’s practically plagiarism.
how many modern conspiracy theories, from flat earth, to the illuminati, to QAnon, all sound a bit like this:
“a secret, ultra-wealthy, very powerful group of people are controlling the entire world.”
yep. it’s practically plagiarism.
it gets even worse than that. common antisemitic tropes are always imbedded in these conspiracy theories too. if you dig deep enough, there are typically alt-right/nazi members in the group, and oftentimes, you can even find outright admittance that these theories are about Jews.
a modern conspiracy theory known an QAnon (you’ve probably heard of it) steals directly from Medieval antisemitism by invoking “Blood Libel,” the idea that Jews murder Christian babies... to consume their blood.
here’s an excellent article on this topic: https://newrepublic.com/article/159529/qanon-blood-libel-satanic-panic
here’s an excellent article on this topic: https://newrepublic.com/article/159529/qanon-blood-libel-satanic-panic
even when conspiracy theories don’t mention Jews on the surface, they still do serious harm. antisemitism is so ingrained in society that spreading the idea of a secret, powerful group controlling the world is STILL playing off the darker conspiracies that DO directly mention us.
to explain the point above a little better, i want to talk for a moment about the “lizard people” conspiracy.
i’ve done a thread on the antisemitic history of this theory before, so i’ll link that here. please read it before continuing if you can, it’s important for context: https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1296538639703445506
i’ve done a thread on the antisemitic history of this theory before, so i’ll link that here. please read it before continuing if you can, it’s important for context: https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1296538639703445506
the lizard conspiracy is almost a meme at this point. there are even videos of politicians online edited to blink sideways like reptiles. to many, it might feel harmless, like punching up, but if you understand the history of this theory, you know why it’s dangerous and bigoted.
the illuminati conspiracy and lizard people are often intertwined. if you don’t know what the illuminati theory is, it’s essentially this idea that a secret, ultra-wealthy group of people are controlling the entire world.
oh, and the lizard people also drink children’s blood.
oh, and the lizard people also drink children’s blood.
i hope you’re starting to seeing the connections now. jewish people can typically spot them easily, since these themes have been used to oppress, attack, and kill us for decades and even centuries.
however, i want this thread to help teach non-Jewish allies how to spot it too.
however, i want this thread to help teach non-Jewish allies how to spot it too.
i think the scariest part about all this is how normalized these theories are. jokes about mark zuckerberg, a jewish man, being a reptilian are everywhere. there are so many other names you can call rich people without invoking violent conspiracy theories rooted in antisemitism.
we *should* be criticizing the billionaire class, but listen when i say that it is NOT jews. yes, there are jewish billionaires, but 81% of billionaires are not jewish in ethnicity OR religious affiliation. the focus is only directed towards jewish ones because of these theories.
giving into antisemitic world-control conspiracies is also common to see in many non-Jewish leftists. these attitudes are everywhere and they fuel so much antisemitism that leftist Jews have to deal with on a daily basis.
i have an idea about why, which you can read about here: https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1307425363233038336
i have an idea about why, which you can read about here: https://twitter.com/radiantbutch/status/1307425363233038336
so, here’s what you can do to help. be critical of any rhetoric that invokes the antisemitic themes mentioned in this thread. speak up when you see others bringing them up, even if they’re “just joking,” even if it wasn’t explicitly about Jews. you can even send them this thread!
jews do not control the government, or the weather, or the media, or the banks. we’re just human beings. there *are* powerful people in every group, but a majority of jews are working-class and facing extreme amounts of violence...
...and we need to be included in your activism.
...and we need to be included in your activism.
if you’d like to keep growing as an activist, you’re in luck! i’ve compiled all my resources on combatting antisemitism. it covers a variety of topics and i’m always adding more. it’s a good thing to bookmark and an even better thing to share with others. https://twitter.com/i/events/1338678662850293765?s=21
thank you so much for reading this thread. i put a lot of time and care into it and i hope it was helpful. for those interested in learning more about the topic of antisemitism and conspiracy theories, i recommend this great piece written by Miikka Jaarte http://www.varsity.co.uk/comment/11782
finally, if you learned something new from this thread (or you simply want to support a Jewish educator) here’s the tip jar!
i do a lot of work to teach people about antisemitism and Jewish identity in general, so all contributions are very appreciated.
https://ko-fi.com/radiantbutch
i do a lot of work to teach people about antisemitism and Jewish identity in general, so all contributions are very appreciated.
https://ko-fi.com/radiantbutch
