Well, I finally caught up and finished the book. I had a really hard time reading it, not just because it's a hard book to read but I just disapprove of the subject matter. Disapprove isn't the word I want but, I just feel like I'm wasting my time reading conspiracy theories, and Libra is well written enough to make me way more interested in those theories than I ever wanted to be. The book offers a good deal of new material on how conspiracy theories can be viewed. Specifically, there are several sections that stand out as emphasizing ideas already discussed or bringing new material to light. One of the first is a discussion of the decentralization of information and knowledge away from the leaders in power. In a world where knowledge is danger, ignorance an asset (not the exact quote, can't find it in the book) conspiracy can thrive. When leaders strive to shield themselves through ignorance, the operational workings of the government are beyond their control. For the public, the idea that this is possible is alarming, because it means that no one is in control. This is particularly damaging in a democratic republic, where the voting process gives the illusion of some measure of control.
Conversely, there is the idea of too much control. If leaders yielding their knowledge allows for secret operations to exist from those lower down the power chain, then the idea that leaders can be keeping information from us is also present. When Ferrie tells Lee that Kennedy and Castro are talking to each other, this is precisely the idea that he is striving for. It is a unique situation where the men in power are to be feared if they know too much information but also if they know too little. The prevalence of conspiracy theories can be blamed upon the existence of these two ideas working in constant tandem.
The constant threat of conspiracy requires people to find some way to defend themselves. Win's daughter (Susie?), is fearful that her parents may not be who they say they are. Therefore, she hides a pair of Little Figures, and even though that didn't really seem too significant I think in large part, this represents the loss of control that people necessarily must go through. They cannot trust their leaders, yet they must be prepared to defend themselves against either possibility: that the leader is keeping secrets from them, or secrets are being kept from the leader. The defense against the conspiracy is the Little Figures, but as the girl does not describe exactly what the Little Figures actually do, they are nearly useless. The truth of the matter is that she had absolutely no control over the possibility of the conspiracy, but the existence of the Little Figures gives her some illusion of protection. As long as they remain hidden, she can remain separate from the conspiracy, and not be dragged into the center of it. Thus do Americans attempt to believe that they cannot be duped or tricked by the conspiracy, but the power of the Little Figures is purely illusory.
Do your general qualms about conspiracy theories have to do with the idea that it's a "waste of time" because the theories will always be unverifiable, and therefore can never assume actual "historical" status? The sense that this is a realm best left to lonely men with Internet connections in their mothers' basements?
ReplyDeleteWhat I think DeLillo achieves, which most conspiracy narratives do not, is the balance between seeing everything as connected/planned and the openness to pure chance/luck. We see a persuasive picture of HOW such a conspiracy might actually play out in the world. He's less paranoid than the typical theorist. There's a seriousness to the project, and an openness to the idea that his airtight narrative is still inherently speculative.