Here this is a more calm presentation

Editorial: Crackpot Zeitgeist over-hyped dribble

Paul Blinov, Arts & Entertainment Editor Wednesday, 12 March 2008

This Saturday brings a number of things to look forward to: sleeping in, a second “take-the-Internet-to-the-streets” Scientology protest, and a surprise party for a friend of mine who attends Grant MacEwan and thus hopefully won’t read this sentence before then. But it also brings something that I’m less than excited about: Z-day, or “Watch Zeitgeist” day.

For those of you who don’t know, Zeitgeist is a two-hour documentary that’s made a buzz for its dissection of religion, 9/11 theories, and the control that banks have over America. Unfortunately, it’s also a terribly cited, fact-warping tirade that basically amounts to three different sects of conspiracy theorists jerking each other off over their mutual mistrust of the American government. And yet so many people are still willing to just eat it all up without a second thought.

Before this week, there was simply the one version of the film, which cited few of its quotations and was an exercise in everything that makes your sterotypical conspiracy theory so darn kooky. But in preparation for Z-day, a remastered “final” version of the movie has been released that actually attributes its sources to names.

Now we know that Zeitgeist follows such vanguards of truth as Jordan Maxwell, the self-proclaimed researcher and independent scholar on the issue who failed to appear in court in 2004 for allegedly selling fake driver’s licenses. Sources in the first section include George Carlin and Bill Hicks. In other words, their experts are two stand-up comedians and a guy who’s happy to make you “McLovin” ID so that you can buy your underage friends booze if you’ll listen to his theories for a while.

Peter Joseph, the person whose name is attached to the film, is cocky enough to throw in little jabs like, “Oh, did I mention the sub-basement explosions [...] which occurred moments before the first plane hit?” and giving each of the film’s three sections cutesy Frasier-esque titles like “All the World’s a Stage” while cycling through his evidence.

The arguments he provides are wildly erratic, going from a few credible sources to purely anecdotal evidence, and even twisting a few facts for dramatic effect.

Still, Joseph has apparently managed to hit the right nerve: there’s enough mutual dislike of the US government to rally swarms of supporters, all eager to believe that George W Bush and his gang of cronies are the bad guys that they’ve always suspected them to be—even if the amounted evidence doesn’t quite fit the accusations.

The “Clarifications” section of the Zeitgeist website—which has, since the release of the remastered version, disappeared—also revealed some of the half-truths prevalent in the movie, but it has been replaced with a “Q&A,” which basically amounts to “fuck the haterz” without actually backing up the “evidence” the film has put forward.
Despite all of these flaws, the Facebook group boasts more than 10 000 members, and many more people will undoubtedly flock to the March 15th screenings to accept the whole thing as the unabashed truth.

Though Zeitgest is flexing the newfound ability of the Internet to go viral and motivate thousands of people to get behind a cause, it’s also showing the critical problem with the Web: that anyone can throw information out there and find a fanbase who will gleefully believe without really examining the facts.

ArtofAngels, I'm not trying to attack you that much. It was just an insult for an insult I suppose, since you're telling me I've been living a big fat lie and don't want to believe it.

I'm a Christian, but I'm keeping those arguments out of here, since you clearly don't want to hear my beliefs on God. I've been running on logic here. I've been thinking for myself ever since I can remember, and I can deduce logically that Zeitgeist is, by and large, conspiracy propaganda, which doesn't really go anywhere. If you think this is a bunch of religious nuts ignoring the facts, it's not. I've checked the facts and have my own thoughts.

I honestly believe that the government did not cause 9/11. I honestly do not believe that Christianity exists solely to take money from the people. I don't know how else to say this, but all you're doing is restricting others' beliefs in the sake of Zeitgeist, because you think you're enlightened and are not wrong.

You're free to believe in everything this movie stated. But I'm telling you, it doesn't have very credible sources, and you really should think twice before eating up everything the movie told you.

Just as a side note: What is the point of Zeitgeist? If, hypothetically, everything in this movie was true, what difference does it make?
That all Christians and all religious people are living a lie? Didn't you believe that before, as an atheist or whatever?
That the government caused 9/11? OK, the gov. is evil, I'm pretty sure plenty can agree on that, but clearly the gov. does not care, they will deny it, and Zeitgeist is clearly not solid enough evidence to bring it down.
That the world is turning totalitarian, that the governments are conspiring against us constantly?

You're free to believe all that, but hell, I don't understand how Zeitgeist is anything new in the world of conspiracies. You say I go in with a Christian bias, I say you go in with a conspiracist bias. 

I don't really feel like arguing about this anymore, it's all pretty pointless.  If Zeitgeist was all true or all false, I'm pretty sure nothing is changed anyway.

 As long as someone claims what they think is a religion, I consider it a religion.  They all make about as much sense to me.

 I'm not exactly the biggest fan of organized religion :)

 Yeah... you would like us to believe that now wouldn´t you... so you and your zionist buddys can take over the world while we stop worrying... I know what your up to... I´m keeping an eye ony you...

That's like, your opinion, man...new shit has come to light!

+100.000.000 points for you ben

It´s just like Lenin sayed....

I´m the walrus ??? 

DONNIE YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR ELEMENT!

Religion is a belief system about why the world and life exists. It's a belief about what we are here for.

With that said, atheism is a religion.

Also, what the hell is this Z-day? I thought Z-day was copyrighted as Zombie-Day, because that's all I know it as.

You know I started a thread on this same movie not long ago and that thread was a nice little discussion on the movie. Just saying.

I have no wish to get pulled into an argument here, and frankly this is the type of degenerating thread that a mod should close (but not Ben at this point).

However I will say this: You are all on the internet. Use it. Go verify the facts for yourselves. Some have an element of truth, others are total distortions of truth. Don't believe anything just because someone claims its true. Find out for yourself.