Author Wolf suggests ISIS beheadings are faked - conspiracy?

[Nova]

Great post by wolf dreamer!

I'd just like to clarify in response to this entire thread that what Naomi Wolf is questioning is not really a "conspiracy" (as we usually use the word) as it is a "publicity stunt".

I can certainly see how a p.r. stunt (i.e., fake beheading) serves the purpose just as well, but I also wonder why ISIS would bother to keep hostages alive? Living hostages have to be guarded, fed, watered, etc., all a hassle for a movement that is on the move.

So, yeah, I thought the videos I've seen LOOKED staged, but I don't see any reason to merely stage the beheadings.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

Great post by wolf dreamer!

I'd just like to clarify in response to this entire thread that what Naomi Wolf is questioning is not really a "conspiracy" (as we usually use the word) as it is a "publicity stunt".

I can certainly see how a p.r. stunt (i.e., fake beheading) serves the purpose just as well, but I also wonder why ISIS would bother to keep hostages alive? Living hostages have to be guarded, fed, watered, etc., all a hassle for a movement that is on the move.

So, yeah, I thought the videos I've seen LOOKED staged, but I don't see any reason to merely stage the beheadings.

Yes, they look staged, because in a sense they are. They are very, very expertly made by people who understand film making. They make use of at least two cameras to capture different angles. The sound is good; in some stills of the victims you can clearly see that they are miked up when they make their forced speeches (there is nothing graphic in the linked image; it is a still of Steven Sotloff speaking). When the terrorist then uses the knife, the mike is gone. So between the speech and the brief "sawing" scene in each video, the filming is stopped/edited and the microphone is removed from the hostage. The scene of the mutilated body is not faked.

Bear in mind the hostages have been through mock executions, so they may well be used to being miked up and filmed - if they are not reading from prompt boards then they must have had those speeches drilled into them through repetition. Whilst they appear calm, their voices do betray their strain. They may not even be being murdered at that point - if they are, the terrorist who speaks either doesn't kill them himself or changes clothes before the final scenes are filmed.

Anyone who thinks the deaths are faked really needs to ask themselves what would be the point. What will they do, produce them later and go "surprise! We're not really nasty!"? The life of another human being only has a financial or propaganda worth to them. They have nothing to gain from faking it.

 

[Nova]

True, Dreaming Wolf. It's not as if returning the allegedly beheaded hostages someday will suddenly make ISIS our "friends". Why would they keep the hostages alive, indeed?

 

[txsvicki]

Why do conspiracy theorists think absolutely everything that happens is fake or a false flag. That discredits them and makes it all look crazy even if something might be looked into and is really a false flag.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

Why do conspiracy theorists think absolutely everything that happens is fake or a false flag. That discredits them and makes it all look crazy even if something might be looked into and is really a false flag.

I honestly believe a lot of it is fear. Don't ask me why or how, but I look at 9/11 conspiracy theorists and wonder why they would rather believe it was their own government than terrorists. And I can only conclude it's because it makes them feel a bit safer - it wasn't complete strangers who pulled off something so complex. And people would rather believe that they aren't seeing the murders of "ordinary" people - Sotloff, Foley, Henning, Haines - they weren't soldiers, they were journalists and aid workers, non-combatants. Just like we see time after time, people who don't want to believe that a family member or friend could kill or abuse a child/other family member, despite it being statistically the most likely outcome. The media play on it too.

Ultimately everyone wants to feel safe, and for some when they are offered an alternative that makes them feel that way, they will leap at it - even if it's completely illogical.

 

[wfgodot]

Again -- brilliant post, WD. .....^^^^^

Naomi Wolf reacts to Isis 'conspiracy theories' criticism after she questions beheading videos (Independent)

 

[iamnotagolem]

I don't have an expert opinion, I don't mind reading conspiracy theories, many times they are just ridiculous. While I do think there are probably some things that didn't happen the way the media reports it, there are only 1 or 2 conspiracy theories that I think are probably valid.

I agree that when people cry fake on everything, no one will ever take them seriously.

 

[wfgodot]

3 EXTREMELY valid "conspiracy theories": JFK, RFK, MLK.

 

[wfgodot]

And, on the other hand....

5 Conspiracy Theories That Are So Dumb They're Brilliant (cracked.com)

 

[iamnotagolem]

And, on the other hand....

5 Conspiracy Theories That Are So Dumb They're Brilliant (cracked.com)

OMG there are actual write ups for people explaining why they believe that. LOL