Tuesday, October 8, 2013

It's Dangerous To Start Alone. Read This.

So, maybe you'd like to do your own digging. Where should you start?

Let me start with whom you should avoid until you get your bearings instead.

  • Alex Jones: Jones is a shock jock, first and foremost. He is a fear-monger and a panic-peddler. I can't watch him anymore, and watching his employees fill in for him isn't that much of an improvement. He hates the comparison, but he's really so much like Bill O'Reilly that it's disheartening; whatever his actual commitment--not his presentation, but what he's like when the cameras and microphones are off--his relentless shilling for the stuff at sale via his online retail outlets makes him someone to avoid until you've checked with more reliable and responsible sources. Why? Because it's far too easy to let commercial concerns trump journalistic integrity- it's also why you should avoid others like him include Pete Santilli; avoid all of them, for the same reason.
  • Coast to Coast AM: Art's old show is great entertainment, but it is primarily an entertainment show and you're looking for information that you can confirm. It was so when Art Bell was the host, and it remains the case with George Noory (and his fill-ins) now. Sometimes you'll hit, but often it's talk about Genesis 6 giants, UFOs and other stuff that can't be independently verified by you. That's not to say that they're wrong, or that they're lying, but that it's a waste of your time and efforts to seriously engage in any research that cannot--by its nature--be reproduced by others. It is a big reason for why I don't deal in these things on Empires. Instead, I recommend C2CAM as a jump-off point (much like how you should use the citiations in a Wiki article; don't rely on Wikipedia, but exploit the hell out of its source citations) for more useful work. Similar shows and outlets should also not be on the go-to short list until you get your bearings.
  • Anyone Focused on the Whackado: You're going to find people who are focused on mysticism, ceremonial magic, counter-narrative philosophy and so on (Jordan Maxwell, Michael Tsarion, etc.) and focus on the Illuminati and such. Avoid all of them; their claims are difficult, if not impossible, to verify independently due to a lack of sources and citations as well as the very nature of their focus being involved with affairs that are internal to the individual and does not produce external effects that others can perceive and measure. Until you're up to speed, don't touch them; some of them are liars, some are fools, and some are sincere and honest people making a language that lacks vocabulary for such things work to do such frustrating things.
    Note: "Whackado" is my catch-all term for that part of the alternative and independent realm that's deeply ensconced in Crazytown, often used as entertainment, and just as often cynically exploited to sucker the unwary into forking over their cash, their time and their energy- i.e. cults and con men. If you don't want to find yourself so exploited, then you need to watch your step until you get a firm mastery of the territory. This is why I'm warning you away from such individuals, and especially groups, so focused.
So, do I have recommendations? Yes.

  • The Corbett Report: As I noted previously, James Corbett is very, very good at citing his sources for his material. You can look that up on your own, read what he read, see what he saw and hear what he heard. He doesn't deal in the whackadoo end of Crazytown, and he rarely deals with others who do.
  • Media Monarchy: James Evan Pilato's series of sites is not updated much now due to working for Ground Zero Media as his day job, and what he does do is his music-oriented output, but what's there at his various sites (Media Monarchy, Food World Order, Holy Hexes) is still freely available for you to read and his continuing collaboration with Corbett on New World Next Week shows that he's keeping his hand in while working that day job.
  • Peace Revolution: The best damned outlet out there. Richard Grove sets the gold standard for ethics, competence and media savvy. None of the whackdo, all of the citations needed and sources cited that proper scholarship requires. Bookmark his podcast, subscribe to his YouTube channel, and if you can afford it take out a subscription to the Tragedy & Hope community.
  • Gnostic Media: The second-best damned outlet out there, Jan Irvin's investigation into all sorts of esoterica is something that's an outgrowth of his association with Grove. He's very good at delving into matters that were deliberately lost, obscured or otherwise hidden from us and sifting through the bullshit to bring back--like Prometheus--the fire of knowledge to a world that badly needs it. No whackado; all verifiable.
You are moving into a new frontier. You are exploring an unknown territory. You need to be cautious, be ready for danger, and be prepared to adapt rapidly to changing circumstances. There is no one to do your thinking, your reasoning or your analysis for you: coming out here means doing it all for yourself. If you fuck that up, you could end up manning a literature table or passing out copies of a shitty book on the street in order to keep your "guru" or "teacher" happy- if not wearing a uniform or singing opera in a creepy manner for no pay and little compensation.

Welcome to the adult swim.

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