Apparently we live in an age of activists. “Activist” in most cases means “unemployed” or “still in school/university” or at least “unsuccessful and unwilling to pursue a real professional activity”.
On the left it would be called “Social Justice Warrior”. But there are almost only low-paid and even less well-paid positions for left-wing blabbermouths. To be outraged and to parrot leftist ideas isn’t really worth anything.
Another specimen is the narcissistic conspiracy theorist activist, or “Truther”. These narcissists are estimated to comprise 5% to 20% of all conspiracy theorists. They ideologically draw on classic conspiracy media, Nazis, libertarians, or leftists. They get their “education” from YouTube, spend hours in front of their computers or smartphones and get programmed by self-appointed conspiracy experts with degrees from the YouTube-Truther-University. Schizophrenic click whores who would do anything for clicks.
They think that the vocation “activist” does not require any significant qualifications. They think you don’t need to read real books and spend years learning the subject matter you want to talk about. Nor do they need to be moral and do moral things, but it is enough to be outraged.
They feel that they are missing out in life, that they don’t want to do any real work, or that they just smell the big money and attention. However, they soon find out that 99.9999% of activists do not earn any significant money, and that one year after another they lose time trying to pursue an activist career. They don’t blame themselves for their failure, but “the system” or, more generally, a chain of conspiracies by others against themselves. The more time they waste, the more fanatical they become. Real friends and relatives have long since been scared-off and they spend half (or the whole) day loitering on Facebook or YouTube comments in search of confirmation for their illusionary fantasy that they are important and part of a special, revolutionary group with special knowledge. Countless activists think they are unique, like Neo in “The Matrix”, but they’re all pretty much the same, posting useless stuff on the net with no real impact on the world.
They keep themselves emotionally afloat by finding new victims to put on a show for, and by inciting hatred of the infidels, the dissidents, the critics, like a witch-hunt online. In short: They hate anyone who bursts their fantasy bubbles.
If they get a little more attention online, the megalomania escalates and they think they are the greatest persecuted revolutionaries in the world. They pretend to be actively monitored by 20 secret services at the same time. Every time they get banned from social media it gives them the feeling of being Nelson Mandela and Jesus at the same time. Purchased fake clicks give them the feeling that anything seems possible.
For raising children or long-term stable relationships, activists usually don’t have the time or the patience or nerves, or the reliability. That would just get in the way of their world salvation.
They pretend to be in league with powerful circles and figures: the Russians, Team Q, or various mysterious, nebulous (sham) organizations. The final victory is always imminent. Year after year after year. But it never comes.
How to recognize a narcissistic trutherian activist
Narcissistic conspiracy theorists can (but not necessarily do) appear charismatic and charming. But this is only a facade. There are a number of warning signs to watch out for. If more of these warning signs are apparent, you are probably dealing with a narcissistic dazzler:
- He doesn’t cite or discuss real books at length. Instead, he got his education from YouTube, forums like 8-Chan and social media
- He mentions non-fiction books that he has not really read to pretend competence. These books have not been comprehensibly incorporated to any significant extent into the work of the phony.
- He avoids specialist literature because it contradicts his ideas
- He mentions non-fiction books to “prove” something, but the books mentioned are of poor quality and from the Truther spectrum
- He uses sleazy, illegitimate discussion tactics
- He conducts one unjustified witch hunt after another against critics, unbelievers and doubters. They immediately create a conspiracy theory against critics who doubt their dogma. Critics are generally considered to be vile conspirators
- He is very silent about his living conditions like money and family
- He claims to have grandiose important contacts, but does not provide any real evidence of this
- He keeps his audience in line with stalling tactics and preaches that final victory is within reach
- He follows the current trends of the Truther scene and jumps opportunistically from one trend to the next, depending on which trend is currently waning or is forming anew
- He shamelessly plagiarizes Russian propaganda
- He does not dare to criticize Russia regularly, harshly and in detail. Instead, he uses only short, thin disclaimers concerning Russia
- He sticks closely to the nonsense that financially successful truthers spread
- They collect free/worthless content on the net and then resell it for money.
- He rallies embittered losers and manipulable gullible people
- He spends far too much time on Facebook, at all possible and impossible times.
- He uses simple explanatory patterns and black and white thinking. His opinion is heavenly, deviants are of the devil.
- At best he shows average intelligence; but claims to be particularly smart without ever providing evidence of this
- His books are a mixtape of well-known material, which is available for free on the net
- He acts like a standard guru
Signs that you are falling into the clutches of the Truther cult
If several warning signs are detectable, you should urgently switch off your computer and seek (professional) help.
- You spend far too much time on Facebook and post primarily on Truther topics
- Your thoughts more and more often revolve around truther topics and you increasingly use truther slang
- You are increasingly isolated from friends and family in the real world. You are considered to be a nutcase and people avoid conversations with you, which are always misdirected by you to various truther topics
- You are toying with the idea of becoming an activist or even becoming a professional activist
- You take part in irrational witch hunts against unbelievers, doubters, critics
- You imitate slogans and inadmissible argumentation patterns of leading truthers
- You are toying with the idea of moving to a pure trutherian community
- You neglect your education, your schooling or your job because of truther issues and truther activism
- You increasingly think that a normal career no longer makes sense in this world
- You get into financial difficulties because of truther activism
- You regularly fall for scams and swindlers from the scene of truthers
- You do not read non-fiction books, only blog posts. Otherwise only Youtube or Telegram
- You come into conflict with the law more often because of your activism
- You need ever more abstruse, spectacular conspiracy theories to get excited
- You become increasingly depressed because you end up sitting in front of the computer and nothing changes for the better.
- You do dangerous experiments with hallucinogenic drugs to “look behind the illusion of the Matrix”.
