In A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy, Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum identify and outline the emergence of a new type of conspiracist thinking in our contemporary moment, showing it to pose a fundamental threat to democratic functioning. While questioning whether the book ascribes too much intentionality to those engaging in ‘the new conspiracism’, this is nonetheless a timely and important conceptualisation, writes Ignas Kalpokas

Kalpokas, Ignas

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Book	Review	|	A	Lot	of	People	Are	Saying:	The	NewConspiracism	and	the	Assault	on	Democracy	byRussell	Muirhead	and	Nancy	L.	RosenblumIn	A	Lot	of	People	Are	Saying:	The	New	Conspiracism	and	the	Assault	on	Democracy,	RussellMuirhead	and	Nancy	L.	Rosenblum	identify	and	outline	the	emergence	of	a	new	type	of	conspiracist	thinking	inour	contemporary	moment,	showing	it	to	pose	a	fundamental	threat	to	democratic	functioning.	While	questioningwhether	the	book	ascribes	too	much	intentionality	to	those	engaging	in	‘the	new	conspiracism’,	this	is	nonetheless	atimely	and	important	conceptualisation,	writes	Ignas	Kalpokas.	Picture:	(movprint	CCO)A	Lot	of	People	Are	Saying:	The	New	Conspiracism	and	the	Assault	on	Democracy.	Russell	Muirhead	andNancy	L.	Rosenblum.	Princeton	University	Press.	2019.During	the	past	few	years	at	least,	there	has	been	a	growing	discourse	on	the‘end’	or	‘crisis’	of	democracy.	Not	least	among	the	concerns	leading	to	such	direinsights	is	the	emergence	of	conspiratorial,	fake	news	or	post-truth	campaigningas	a	mainstream	political	tool.	Obviously,	lies,	appeals	to	something	other	thanfact	and	truth,	as	well	as	conspiracy	theories,	have	been	around	before	thepresent	moment.	Hence,	it	is	the	task	for	academics	and	commentatorspostulating	such	seismic	shifts	to	demonstrate	where	and	in	what	ways	thechange	has	taken	place.	That	is	precisely	what	Russel	Muirhead	and	Nancy	L.Rosenblum	aim	to	do	in	their	new	book,	A	Lot	of	People	Are	Saying,	throughconceptualising	what	they	call	the	‘new	conspiracism’.Democratic Audit: Book Review | A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L.RosenblumPage 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2019-06-15Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2019/06/15/book-review-a-lot-of-people-are-saying-the-new-conspiracism-and-the-assault-on-democracy-by-russell-muirhead-and-nancy-l-rosenblum/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/The	new	conspiracism	for	the	authors	is	precisely	what	it	says	on	the	tin:	a	new	type	of	conspiracist	thinking,distinguishable	through	its	lack	of	sense.	Effectively,	if	traditional	conspiracism	relies	on	conspiracy	theories,	thennew	conspiracism	is	best	defined	as	conspiracy	without	theory.	The	authors	espouse	the	well-established	view	thattraditional	conspiracism	provides	a	tool	for	dealing	with	shock,	anxiety,	insecurity	and	disbelief	by	providing	orderand	certainty	by	way	of	allegedly	uncovering	hidden	truths,	world	orders	and	nasty	plots	that	can	be	blamed	forsomething.	At	the	same	time,	traditional	conspiracism	is	inclusive	and	empowering	in	encouraging	people	toembark	on	detective	work	to	uncover	hidden	things.	Meanwhile,	the	currency	of	new	conspiracism	is,	in	the	authors’opinion,	exactly	the	opposite	–	disorientation	without	the	search	for	‘truth’.	Moreover,	instead	of	careful	searchingfor	hidden	‘facts’	to	substantiate	the	traditional	conspiracy	theory,	new	conspiracism	operates	on	the	basis	of	mereinsinuation	(as	in	the	title	phrase,	‘A	lot	of	people	are	saying…’)	or	mere	exclaimed	assertions.	In	other	words,	whiletraditional	conspiracism	still	embraces	the	rules	of	conventional	epistemology	(giving	‘evidence’,	substantiatingclaims,	etc),	new	conspiracism	does	away	with	mainstream	rules	altogether.In	the	place	of	‘evidence’,	however	dubious,	Muirhead	and	Rosenblum	trace	a	new	source	of	new	conspiracistauthority	–	repetition.	Essentially,	if	a	claim	is	repeated,	tweeted	and	shared	numerous	times,	then	it	indeedbecomes	true	that	‘a	lot	of	people	are	saying’	something,	and	that	fact	alone	becomes	sufficient	to	sow	doubt,	if	notto	prove	the	point.	In	addition	to	setting	a	low	bar	for	demonstrating	veracity,	new	conspiracism	is	also	convenientfor	the	claim-maker	as	‘bare	assertions,	ominous	questions,	and	innuendo’	are	elastic	and	can	be	pulled	in	everydirection	depending	on	the	situation,	while	purporting	to	be	merely	asking	questions	‘evades	ownership	of	the	claim’(39).	As	a	result	of	such	vagueness	and	plasticity,	new	conspiracism	is	also	revealed	to	have	a	relationship	with	theout-group	that	is	very	different	from	traditional	forms.	Moreover,	while	the	followers	of	traditional	conspiracytheories,	encouraged	by	the	alleged	‘facts’	they	purport	to	have	discovered,	can	afford	a	feeling	of	righteousnessand	the	drive	to	correct	others,	new	conspiracists	tend	to	simply	deny	others’	standing	on	an	ad	hominem	basiswhile	simultaneously	distorting	the	very	knowledge	criteria	that	has	underpinned	our	societies.Whereas	traditional	conspiracism	is	seen	primarily	as	a	quest	for	explanations,	the	new	conspiracism	is	presentedas	essentially	a	way	to	vent	unarticulated	emotions.		As	the	authors	claim:	‘For	angry	minds	it	offers	the	immediategratification	of	lashing	out,	of	throwing	verbal	stones.’	This,	once	again,	relates	to	persuasion	and	the	elaboration	ofclaims:	new	conspiracism	is	attractive	as	a	form	of	venting	precisely	because	of	the	low	bar	of	veracity,	whereby	‘ifone	cannot	be	certain	that	a	belief	is	entirely	false,	with	the	emphasis	on	entirely,	then	it	might	be	true	–	and	that’strue	enough’	(43).	Hence,	detailed	disquisitions	can	be	dealt	away	with	completely	and	negative	political	emotionsunleashed.	Moreover,	this	perfect	storm	is	also	seen	as	being	strongly	related	to	the	revolution	in	communicationsthat	has	replaced	gatekeeping	with	popularity,	the	latter	again	privileging	quick	emotion-laden	exchanges.There	is,	however,	an	important	nasty	underside	of	new	conspiracism,	at	least	as	Muirhead	and	Rosenblum	see	it.By	eroding	trust	not	only	in	people	but	also	in	entire	institutions	and	political	systems,	the	new	conspiracism	is	seenin	the	book	as	a	threat	to	democracy	itself.	Politicians,	institutions	and	expert	bodies	are	framed	by	perpetrators	ofnew	conspiracism	as	simply	unworthy	of	trust	and	obeyance	(or	even	too	dangerous	for	that,	as	in	the	HillaryClinton	paedophile	ring	claim).	Moreover,	new	conspiracism	is	anti-democratic	in	another	important	way:	it	isradically	anti-pluralist.	It	posits	a	singular	‘true’	people	against	untrustworthy	elites.	However,	the	latter	point	seemsto	be	more	like	a	blend	of	traditional	conspiracism	and	populism	rather	than	a	distinctly	new	conspiracist	condition	–something	that	the	authors	do	not	address.	Still,	partial	support	for	that	claim	can	perhaps	be	drawn	from	theauthors’	assertion	that	since	political	parties	are	among	the	institutional	victims,	public	debate	(inasmuch	as	it	canstill	be	called	a	debate)	becomes	premised	on	conflict	and	battle,	but	without	the	structured	competition	andlegitimation	of	difference	that	traditional	party	competition	provides.Unfortunately,	despite	conceptual	innovation,	there	are	serious	drawbacks	to	this	book	as	well.	Already	in	theIntroduction,	a	much	more	debatable	assertion	begins	to	take	shape:	that	there	are	some	shadowy	forces	(whichremain	largely	unidentified,	except	for	Donald	Trump	and,	more	implicitly,	some	Republicans)	conspiring	to	bringdown	democracy	through	undermining	trust	and	promoting	disorientation.	However,	the	question	that	lingersthroughout	the	book	is	whether	the	authors	are	not	ascribing	too	much	intentionality	here.	While	it	is	clear	that	newconspiracism	has	the	effect	of	undermining	democracy,	it	remains	far	from	certain	as	to	whether	there	really	issome	intentional	premeditated	plot,	as	the	authors	imply,	or	whether	political	actors	just	aim	to	exploit	for	their	ownpolitical	benefit	societal	trends	that	develop	independently	and	for	completely	unrelated	reasons.Democratic Audit: Book Review | A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L.RosenblumPage 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2019-06-15Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2019/06/15/book-review-a-lot-of-people-are-saying-the-new-conspiracism-and-the-assault-on-democracy-by-russell-muirhead-and-nancy-l-rosenblum/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/Without	such	a	demonstration,	the	authors’	claim	remains	mere	assertion,	paradoxically	itself	of	a	new	conspiracisttype:	to	paraphrase,	‘a	lot	of	people	are	saying	that	some	shadowy	forces	conspire	to	bring	down	democracy’.	Andsince	most	of	the	book	is	dedicated	precisely	to	debunking	the	alleged	conspiracy,	the	above	fallacy	becomesparamount.	In	fact,	once	the	new	conspiracist	thesis	is	fully	conceptualised	midway	through	Chapter	Two,	the	bookturns	into	a	seemingly	infinite	cycle	of	repetition	of	the	conspiracy	claim,	often	with	the	same	examples	given(usually	drawn	from	the	2016	US	Presidential	campaign,	the	Trump	presidency	and	school	shootings),	just	withslightly	different	actors	involved.Overall,	the	book’s	contribution	should	be	divided	into	two	distinct	aspects:	the	legitimate,	timely	and	very	importantconceptualisation	of	new	conspiracism	and	the	much	less	supportable	insinuation	of	a	conscious	antidemocraticplot.	Moreover,	it	must	be	noted	the	book	is	completely	US-focused	and	therefore	may	have	a	somewhat	morelimited	appeal	and	relevance	in	other	parts	of	the	world	where	both	the	concerns	and	good	knowledge	of	theexamples	given	cannot	be	taken	for	granted.	On	a	related	note,	and	probably	even	more	importantly,	its	academicinput	notwithstanding,	the	book	has	to	be	read	in	the	light	of	the	tribalism	of	current	US	politics,	ultimately	framingthe	academic	argument	into	a	Democrat-Republican	debate.	While	Trump’s	and	his	allies’	highly	complicatedrelationship	with	truth	makes	them	potent	objects	of	critique,	I	was	nonetheless	left	with	the	feeling	that	theelaboration	of	the	academic	argument	was	more	of	a	side-effect	than	the	central	focus.This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	Democratic	Audit.	It	was	first	published	on	the	LSEReview	of	Books	blog.Ignas	Kalpokas	is	currently	assistant	professor	at	LCC	International	University	and	lecturer	at	Vytautas	MagnusUniversity	(Lithuania).	He	received	his	PhD	from	the	University	of	Nottingham.	Ignas’s	research	and	teachingcovers	the	areas	of	international	relations	and	international	political	theory,	primarily	with	respect	to	sovereignty	andglobalisation	of	norms,	identity	and	formation	of	political	communities,	the	political	use	of	social	media,	the	politicalimpact	of	digital	innovations	and	information	warfare.	He	is	the	author	of	Creativity	and	Limitation	in	PoliticalCommunities:	Spinoza,	Schmitt	and	Ordering	(Routledge,	2018).Similar	PostsTrump’s	fight	over	Covid-19	numbers	shows	how	the	hollowing	out	of	expertise	can	be	dangerous	fordemocracyBook	Review	|	Refuge	Beyond	Reach:	How	Rich	Democracies	Repel	Asylum	Seekers	by	David	ScottFitzGeraldBook	Review	|	The	Far	Right	Today	by	Cas	MuddeBook	Review	|	This	Is	Not	Propaganda:	Adventures	in	the	War	Against	Reality	by	Peter	PomerantsevThe	Brexit	vote	and	Trump’s	election	were	decided	democratically.	So	why	don’t	they	feel	that	way?Democratic Audit: Book Review | A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L.RosenblumPage 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2019-06-15Permalink: https://www.democraticaudit.com/2019/06/15/book-review-a-lot-of-people-are-saying-the-new-conspiracism-and-the-assault-on-democracy-by-russell-muirhead-and-nancy-l-rosenblum/Blog homepage: https://www.democraticaudit.com/

Book review: A lot of people are saying: the new conspiracism and the assault on democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum

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Book review: A lot of people are saying: the new conspiracism and the assault on democracy by Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum

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