"The news is controlled" - German poll on Sept. 11 attacks

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Poll shows many Germans see U.S. behind Sept 11

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BERLIN, July 23 (Reuters) - Almost one in three Germans below the age of 30 believes the U.S. government may have sponsored the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, according to a poll published on Wednesday.

And about 20 percent of Germans in all age groups hold this view, a survey of 1,000 people conducted for the weekly Die Zeit said.

It also said 68 percent of all Germans felt the media had not reported the full truth behind the attacks, in which some 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes were crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

After the September 11 attacks, there was an outpouring of sympathy from Germans for the United States. Despite misgivings, Germany joined a military campaign against the al Qaeda network that Washington blamed for the attacks.

But as the United States geared up for war against Iraq, relations soured bady as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed vocal opposition to the plans.

Although the United States took strong offence at Berlin's attitude, Schroeder's anti-war stance was popular in Germany and helped him to snatch victory in last September's elections.

Asked whether they believed that the U.S. government could have ordered the September 11 attacks itself, 31 percent of those surveyed under the age of 30 in the poll answered "yes", while 19 percent overall gave the same answer.

Die Zeit said widespread disbelief about the reasons given by the United States for going to war in Iraq and suspicion about media coverage of the conflict had fostered a climate in which conspiracy theories flourished.

"The news is controlled," 17-year old Kenny Donaubaur was quoted as saying. "You could see that in the Iraq war. It doesn't seem to me thet you get the full truth."

What, do you think, could be reason for such a belief?

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Perhaps the reason is Bush's obsessive eagerness to attack Iraq, using alleged terrorist links as a rationale. Considering how flimsy so much of Bush's evidence now seems to be, one might well go further and believe that his administration somehow started the whole process on Sept. 11.

I think it's preposterous myself, but it makes sense to try to understand how others think...

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D'artagnan wrote:

I think it's preposterous myself

So do I.

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but it makes sense to try to understand how others think...

Hmmh.

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I have a very low opinion of Bush and his administration, but I hardly believe that.

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I'm guessing that this particular third of German youth chooses not particularly well-informed--after all, reading is a drag. I'd guess that in addition to being wilfully unsophisticated in intellectual matters they tend to feel downtrodden by people who are more intellectually inclined.

Of course, the downtrodden youth explains, "It isn't WHAT you know but WHO you know." Of course, they wouldn't say "whom".

Finally, arcane information, is very appealing, particularly to weak minds and weak egos. The "U.S. Government plot" surfaced as a handy-dandy rumor in Arab countries by 9/12. Of course, the Arab countries had no qualms about adding "Jewish conspiracy" to the Blame the Rich and Powerful theory.

Perhaps part of the trouble is that the little green men in the U.F.O.'s have fallen way behind in their kidnapping and abduction schedules. This particular group of German youth--as well as the red-blooded Americans who believe in government treachery and black helicopters--are over ripe for harvest by an alien civilization.

Oh, Brave New World!

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You certainly may be right, Noddy, at least I sincerely hope so!

On the other hand, I fear, this above mentioned poll could even be worse when done after this:

Quote:

The report of the joint congressional inquiry into the suicide hijackings on Sept. 11, 2001, to be published Thursday, reveals U.S. intelligence had no evidence that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks, or that it had supported al-Qaida.

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Walter--

At least the German lunatic fringe is being scatty on the margins of society rather than in charge of the country.

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Re: "The news is controlled" - German poll on Sept

Walter Hinteler wrote:

What, do you think, could be reason for such a belief?

I think there are two reasons:

1) The Bush administration's manipulations and bullying in the aftermath of September 11. They sure got a lot of political mileage out of this event, so it's easy to jump to conclusions.

2) Primitive German anti-Americanism. Lots of Germans -- especially young Germans -- are very receptive to rumors in which powerful American conspiracies do evil things. For example, I remember that when AIDS emerged in the 80s, there was a widespread rumor at German high schools and universies saying AIDS was a Pentagon research project in biological warfare that got out of hand. This September 11 conspiracy belongs in the same category.

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Re: "The news is controlled" - German poll on Sept

Thomas wrote:

For example, I remember that when AIDS emerged in the 80s, there was a widespread rumor at German high schools and universies saying AIDS was a Pentagon research project in biological warfare that got out of hand.

Could you please verify this?

I remeber some obscure opinions like that.

I've 'taught' AIDS in all kinds of schools in my county, co-ordinated this teaching state-wide (partly). Besides, I lectured at two universities.

At least in this region, such has never been a "widespread rumour" nor reached any serious level.

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Walter -- As best I remember, it was a rumor that circulated among students like myself, especially those engaged in the peace movement. Teachers weren't part of it -- I now realize I didn't say that in my post, sorry. Actually the AIDS education we got from our teachers (two hours of what would otherwise have been German classes, if I remember correctly) was fact-based and hype-free. No, I can't verify the rumor beyond stating that I heard it repeatedly from students at my high school, other high schools and the universities of Hannover and Göttingen. I'm not aware of any poll that measured how widespread the rumor actually was, if that's what you mean by "verify".

So it is possible that contrary to my subjective perception, this particular rumor was a local, greater Hannover phenomenon. It wouldn't change much about the point I was trying to make: when I was a teenager, it was quite common for young Germans to be receptive to ridiculous conspiracy theories with an anti-American slant. Extrapolating from that, I imagine that a similar attitude might be responsible for the poll results you were describing in your initial post.

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I also remember the rumor about AIDS a few years back. I think someone had a thread about it on Abuzz, but I'm not absolutely sure that's where I saw it.

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If the question ha been the various rumours about AIDS ... , I could add a couple Laughing

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LOL! I hear that ;-)

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"The news is controlled" - German poll on Sept. 11 attacks

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