Truth, Lies, and Paranoia in the Age of Conspiracies

“Fundamentally, people are suckers for the truth.” 

We live in the age of communication where information is now more readily accessible than ever and yet we also hear about this being an age of conspiracy.  What effect has the new digital communication era has had on its quality, namely its truthfulness and accuracy?  If lies have always travelled faster than the truth, then the Internet has certainly amplified that phenomenon.

Conspiracy theories are legion in today’s world, but they are hardly a new phenomenon.  Already in the 1950′s the dangers of Communist infiltration and nuclear war proved a fertile ground for fear of the hidden enemy and popular culture reflected that, and not only in the U.S.  A good tale using this atmosphere of paranoia and conspiracy as its themes is “Shutter Island”.  The main character is a tormented U.S. Marshal investigating the disappearance of a mental hospital patient, but who is really interested in uncovering the truth behind the hospital’s true goals?  What is real? What is delusion?  And how can anyone tell?   The library has in its collection the graphic novel and the original novel, which differ markedly from  the movie  and which I highly recommend for fans of psychological thrillers. 

As the Cold War entered its second decade, the culture of paranoia truly blossomed as misinformation and secrets became weapons of the ideological struggle between the eastern and western blocs.  The classic comedy film “Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to stop Worrying and love the bomb” may seem absurd to our eyes, but was most pertinent to those who lived daily with the threat of nuclear annihilation.  It criticized the insanity of many of the attitudes that defined the era: Mutually Assured Destruction,  nuclear deterrence, political brinkmanship.  Spy fiction became popular as they were seen as the vanguard/enemy of a new kind of covert warfare.  For fans of spy and/or conspiracy novels, it should be noted that the library has an extensive collection of John Le Carré novels, including  “Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy” which has just been adapted to cinema.

   

By the 1970′s our own governments became sources of suspicion and could no longer be trusted, and conspiracy theories about hidden state agendas became mainstream.  An interesting book on these effects on society is ”Strange Days Indeed: the 1970′s: the Golden Age of Paranoia” by Francis Wheen. It gives fascinating insights into how events like Watergate and the rise of urban terrorism, cults, fears of ecological and economical catastrophes affected public consciousness worldwide and contributed to new popular attitudes toward government.  The 1970′s also saw a surge in the phenomenon of UFO sightings, and related to them, accusations  that various official or secret organizations were, and are still hiding or manipulating the truth about extraterrestrial life.  This is the topic explored by Mark Pilkington in his recently-released “Mirage Men: An Adventure into Paranoia, Espionage, Psychological Warfare and UFOs.” 

Science can be a solid foundation on which to base one’s reality, since it is supposed to be a discipline based on objective and measurable facts.  Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou “Logicomix: an Epic Search for Truth“ is the tale of mathematician Bertrand Russel and his obsessive quest to develop the means to uncovering objective truth through mathematics and logic.  The novel also includes the authors as protagonist as they debate how best to present his story for the general public, and they succeed quite handily in making Russel (and other mathematicians of the time) absorbing and fun. 

But what about us, you may ask?  What can we trust?  Quite apart from big conspiracy theories, we still deal with both small and bigger lies on a daily basis, often served to us by the people we are supposed to trust to make informed decisions.  How can one sift through daily misinformation and half-truths?  Well, Jamie Whyte’s “Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders“, might help in one’s quest for the truth.  The interest of this small book is in its stated goal: to make the reader aware of the various ways “experts” and other shapers of opinion use faulty reasoning, generalizations, and misinformation to shape arguments supporting their biases.  The book is easy to read and full of examples that are pertinent to us as information consumers in an age of misinformation and half-truths.

Worth a Thousand Words?

“I don’t think anyone has written a great graphic novel.” -Ted Rall

                                      

So is a picture really worth a thousand words? I’m not so sure, when we’re talking about graphic novels.

I’ve read a number of graphic novels from various genres and enjoyed some of them more than others. The common thread between them, regardless of the genre, was that I felt a little let down by the shortage of words. I understand the concept of graphic novels, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not usually completely carried away by a graphic novel in the same way I am by a traditional book.

I’m sure that part of the reason for this is past conditioning. In the ancient times of my childhood, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, comic books were chipped onto stone tablets, Flintstones’  style. Okay, maybe that’s something of an exaggeration, but the prevailing view was that comics weren’t really worthwhile reading.

Another downside for me is that I find graphic novels challenging to read. My eyes and mind wander to the print, and the illustrations are something of a distraction. For me, the best part of a graphic novel isn’t the graphics, it’s the text. The anguished entries from Rorschach’s journal in the Watchmen or the sarcastic remarks from the dragon in Bone, are what keep me involved with the story, not the illustrations.

               

 Oddly enough, I find that I often prefer reading or hearing about a graphic novel more than looking at the actual book. When I heard about the plot of many graphic novels, it all sounds fascinating. Then I get to the graphic novel itself, and get hung up on the word thing again. Reading (see, there’s that word again) interviews with individuals such as Grant Morrison, talking with people who are passionate about graphic novels, or watching interviews with pioneers like Stan Lee makes me excited to pick up whatever graphic novel is being discussed. Then I find myself skimming the pictures, looking for the words.

All that being said, I’ve been moved to tears by Maus, grown up and asked questions with Marjane and rejoiced in the defeat of many a bad guy. Would I have experienced this without the artwork? Perhaps…but not in the same way. When I slow down, and really take in the artwork, and let the artist tell the story in that way, the graphics do have power, and can pull me into that moment in time in a way words alone cannot.

                          

At the start of this blog, I questioned whether a picture is worth a thousand words. I fully intended to end this entry by saying absolutely not. After going back and re-reading, and, more importantly, re-seeing, the graphic novels I’ve mentioned, I’m not so sure.  For me, the words are still the focus, but there’s room for pictures, too. I’m going to continue to read and look at graphic novels. In the end, it’s the story that’s important. So, a thousand words? Maybe not, but at least five hundred or so.

Lori

Two kinds of detective stories

I really can’t accept that it’s September already, so instead of talking about new books for the fall, or good reads for chilly nights, I thought I’d tell you about a couple of books I really enjoyed this summer.

The GCPD in action.

On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up the DC comics series Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka.  The original run has been reprinted in a number of trade paperbacks, and WPL has all of them. This series is unique in that it follows not one main character, but an ensemble cast, over its 40 issue run.

Gotham Central focuses on the police department of Gotham City, which just happens to be Batman’s city. It tells the stories of the men and women who work in the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) of the department. What I like is that it doesn’t make the cops out to be one-dimensional stooges who need rescuing and assistance from the superhero in every issue, as in many superhero comics. Rather, the detectives try to solve cases, big and small, on their own and only turn the Bat-signal on as a last resort. The police actually resent the idea of Batman and often find him to be a distraction.

Batman and many familiar villains (Mr. Freeze, Joker, Two Face, etc) appear throughout the series, but often only in supporting roles. The true stars and heroes of this series are the police who follow up on mundane leads, sit on stakeouts, and navigate departmental politics.

I stuck with the detective theme and really enjoyed P.D. James’ Unnatural Causes.

This is the third book in which Inspector Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard appears. Dalgliesh has just completed a gruesome and emotionally draining case in London, and is looking forward to a peaceful holiday on the Suffolk coast at his aunt’s cottage. But it isn’t long until his holiday is interrupted by the news that a body has washed ashore in a small boat  — with both hands cut off. It turns out to be the body of a local mystery writer and soon we’re introduced to many of the eccentric residents of this usually sleepy village, most of whom are suspects. While Dalgliesh is not officially a part of the investigation, news spreads that Scotland Yard’s finest is in the vicinity and he is drawn in to help solve the case.

While some have criticized James for being too wordy, I personally love to get lost in her poetic prose. I’ll leave you with the following passage, when Dalgliesh first arrives at the coast:

At the crest of the track Dalgliesh stopped the car to watch and to listen. Autumn had never been his favourite season, but in the moment which followed the stopping of the engine he wouldn’t have changed this mellow peace for all the keener sensitivities of spring. The heather was beginning to fade now but the second flowering of the gorse was as thick and golden as in the first richness of May. Beyond it lay the sea, streaked with purple, azure and brown, and to the south the mist-hung marshes of the bird reserve added their gentler greens and blues. The air smelt of heather and wood-smoke, the inevitable and evocative smells of autumn.

Trevor

Real life, in graphic detail

In 1986, Art Spiegelman’s classic Maus, a biographical account of the author’s parents as survivors of the Nazi death camps, showed us that true stories could be told as graphic novels. Since then, many, many authors have successfully turned to using graphic novels to share their personal stories and revisit history.

Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans after the deluge shares the true stories of six New Orleanians from the hours before Katrina struck to its horrific aftermath. Denise is a sixth-generation New Orleanian who experiences the chaos of the Superdome; the Doctor offers his unscathed French Quarter home for those not so lucky; Abbas and his friend Mansell face the storm from the roof of Abbas’s family-run market; Kwame, a pastor’s son who finds his young life will remain wildly unsettled well into the future; and Leo, a comic-book fan, and his girlfriend, Michelle, who lose everything but each other.

In Ruts & Gullies: Nine days in Saint Petersburg, Philippe Girard turns a trip to a comic festival in Russia with his friend and publisher Jimmy Beaulieu into an inner journey. Throughout the book, Girard is haunted by the spectre of his deceased friend, Guillaume, who tries to remind him that he should really get those varicose veins fixed – and that it’s about time to let go and move on. Girard takes us on a nine-day journey through the sites, sounds, and culture of St. Petersburg, with glimpses into the architecture, bars, and real people of the city, not to mention a first-hand account of what it’s like to lose your passport in Russia.

Adapted from the Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe winning animated film of the same name, Waltz with Bashir: A Lebanon war story is a stunning investigation into one soldier’s real-life experience during Israel’s 1982 war in Lebanon. One night in Beirut, while Israeli soldiers secured the area, Christian militia members entered the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and began to massacre hundreds of Palestinians. Ari Folman was one of those Israeli soldiers, but for more than twenty years he remembered nothing of that night or of the weeks leading up to it. Then came a friend’s disturbing dream, and with it Folman’s need to excavate the truth of the war in Lebanon and answer the crucial question: what was he doing during the hours of slaughter?

- Barbara