Page 43 - March 2019 - v1_june_july_2009.qxd

Why People Listen to Alex Jones 43

Why do people listen to acted against Jones at the same time. (Twitter is Dietrich said.
the only major social media operation that hasn't Dietrich said he started listening to Jones
Infowars' Alex Jones at acted to curtail Jones' reach.) around the time the Infowars founder got his

One of those willing to talk was Christy start on Austin Public Access Television in the
all? We asked them Boguszewicz. late 1990s. "He hasn't changed dramatically and
"We're being censored all over," said is still the firebrand who will shout at his
David Tarrant Boguszewicz, of Odessa. "I know many of my audience to try and motivate them to pay
friends who share conservative posts exposing attention," Dietrich said.

Alex Jones — conspiracy peddler, provocateur, the left are constantly getting thrown in What Jones is doing is questioning
Texan — lost easy access to millions upon Facebook jail," she said, referring to when conventional wisdom, he said. His theories and
millions of followers this week when Facebook, Facebook locks users out of their account, questions "may just be opinions, but if you listen
YouTube, Apple and Spotify banned much, if typically for 24 hours, for violating its terms. closely and do your own research you will often
not all, of his content. Just that morning, Facebook had be led to a staggering amount of facts," he said.
Thinking of Jones’ empire — built on suspended her ability to share posts she Dietrich did not say if those facts debunk
provably false theories and predictably wrong considers important. The specific post she Jones' theories.
predictions — I wondered about those wanted to share " was about socialists in our Banning Jones from major social media
followers. country who call out people as Nazis," she said. sites is "dangerous to democracy," Dietrich said.
Who are they? What brings them to his "But they don't realize that the Nazis were "I don't believe everything and there are
pages? Why do they seem willing to accept actually called the National Socialists." certainly some conspiracies that are beyond the
fantasy and conjecture over fact? Do they, as Boguszewicz doesn’t remember if what pale. But unlike most people I believe in the
Jones’ lawyers have suggested, think the whole she tried to share on her Facebook page was an democracy of information and how the best
thing is a bit for entertainment? Would they tell Infowars post — it might have been, she said. It information will tend to stand on its own," he
me — a longtime member of the mainstream was the first time she’s had problems with said.
media? Would they just scream at me? Facebook. Marine veteran Joe Hyatt, who took part
I went into this with the reality-based Boguszewicz manages restaurants for a in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, put it more simply:
conclusion that the conspiracies Jones promotes living. She was polite. She offered that though "I didn't go to war and fight for censorship. I
don’t hold up to the most basic scrutiny. Among she's a fan of Jones, she disagrees with him on didn't do that brother. And that's what breaks my
them: some issues. heart," said Hyatt, 42, who works for an
One of the things she's not so sure about equipment rental store n Garland.
• The 9/11 attack was an inside job by the U.S. is Jones' views on a 2012 massacre of children at "I have a lot of beliefs that are
government as a pretext for going to war. Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. conservative. Now, they can say that I'm crazy
Families who lost children in the mass and kick me off."
• The Sandy Hook school shooting was a shooting filed a defamation suit against Jones,
hoax. who's promoted theories that the school "Makes you think"
shooting was a "false flag" operation by gun
• The true cause of Supreme Court Justice control advocates. His lawyers argued recently Hyatt, 42, of Garland, admits some of Jones'
Antonin Scalia’s death was covered up. in court that Jones did not defame one victim's stuff is "pretty far out there" but still considers
parents, who said they have been so harassed by
him thought-provoking.
• The government uses “weather weapons,” Jones' followers they've been forced to move "He's got some things that make you
including tornadoes, to murder people. seven times. think," Hyatt said. "I would stop listening if I
"But I just know there have been a lot of
thought there was something that didn’t have
• "Pizzagate is real," Jones announced on one events by our government and the left, any truth or sense to it."
of his videos, referring to the claim that specifically, to cause gun control to be further Hyatt agrees with Jones that the
liberal Democratic politicians were pushed," Boguszewicz said. She mentioned the government wants gun owners to surrender their
molesting children in a Washington, D.C. Oct. 1, 2017, Las Vegas mass shooting as legally purchased guns. ”You’re definitely
pizza restaurant. (In March, 2017, Jones suspicious. looking at the possibility of a government-run
apologized for helping promote the hoax.) That's why Infowars needs to be on gun grab,” Hyatt said. And the post-9/11 combat
Facebook, she argued. "We need to be able to
veteran is even open to Jones’ views that the
I knew in calling Jones’ followers, I would have share this information with everyone," she said. government might have been behind the 9/11
my work cut out for me. To start with, Jones has "That's not to say I completely agree with attacks.
coached them on how to respond. Next to everything that he says. But I do agree with "I've got to be honest with you, there are
liberals, the media is his main target. most. And I definitely agree that Infowars some things I look at and one and one don't
“They tried to break all the Republicans, should be out there on Facebook." equal two," Hyatt said. "Why was some of the
persecute people,” Jones said in a broadcast this "They shouldn't take it away from us. coverage of certain things from that day
week. “Trump broke through their bullying and That's our constitutional right," Boguszewicz erased?"
lies. We stood beside him, and now they want to said. Hyatt said he heard about broadcast
take out the press from under him, and they want Plenty of people share her point of view, reports on 9/11 of small aircraft hitting the
to use me as the distorted poster child to do it.” but the Constitution does not guarantee freedom Pentagon. And that there should have been a
As for his fans, Jones had this to say: of speech on websites like Facebook. As bigger debris field from the impact of a jumbo
“They think you’re weak.” privately owned companies, Facebook, Apple airliner on the Pentagon. "Where are those
With that I sent a dozen or so private and the like can decide what content is permitted reports? I just don't think we're getting the whole
messages to Jones supporters on Facebook and on their platforms. truth," Hyatt said.
Twitter. Most didn't respond at all. I did hear One longtime follower of Jones takes Hyatt understands there's no guarantee
back from several who were willing, even eager, him with a grain of salt even as he's listened to you can say whatever you want on a platform
to talk. him for over 20 years. like Facebook. "Facebook, Twitter, they're
They didn’t hand me my head on a "Does Alex believe everything he says? privately owned companies. There's certain
platter. They were easy to talk to if...distrustful. Probably not," said Harlan Dietrich, 38, owner understandings," Hyatt said. "The concern is
They almost all say they don't swallow of Brave New Books, an independent bookstore that they advertise as a free and open forum. Yet
everything Jones says, but they think he's onto in Austin, where Jones is based. "In radio or if you tend to write some things, especially from
something - whether it's the "truth" about 9-11 or cable news, there's always an element of a socially conservative viewpoint, they're red-
the government and guns. performance artistry," Dietrich said. flagged," he said.
The whole effort to slow his internet "But being unafraid to question things
reach is, they agree, a conspiracy. Several out loud and propose different thought (Continued on Page 44)
pointed to the fact that the social media sites experiments has a long history in this country,"