Apparently it is “conspiracy theory week” next week

Conspiracy theories have long been an area of focus for skeptics.  The Illuminati, the JFK Assassination and more recently the events of 9-11 have all spawned their own.  A couple of things are happening next week to bring conspiracy theories back to the forefront here in Atlanta.

First, Atlantan Ben Ruder is promoting a sort of “conspiracy night” at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce on Tuesday, December 1st at 8 PM. The main event is a screening of John Carpenter’s cult conspiracy theory classic They Live starring none other than “Rowdy” Roddy Piper of wrestling fame. The evening will also feature a display of conspiracy-themed art in the lobby. The event is being promoted via a website that links to many conspiracy theory believer videos on YouTube. It will be interesting to see if the night is populated more with conspiracy believers or wrestling fans. (Perhaps there’s some overlap there?)

Second and more prominently, Atlanta’s own Turner Broadcasting is launching a new program dedicated to the topic, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, which premieres Wednesday, December 2 at 10 PM on truTV (formerly Court TV). Read more about the new show after the fold…

The episode guide for Conspiracy Theory lists seven episodes airing every Wednesday through January that cover such topics as Big Brother, HAARP, Global Warming, Secret Societies, Manchurian Candidate, Apocalypse 2012 and of course the inevitable 9-11. That last one should be interesting because Ventura himself appears to be a “truther” from some interviews. 

Some TV sites have already posted advance reviews of the show and it looks to be no better than the usual paranormal claptrap we’ve seen in the current “reality TV” boom. Brad Trechak writing at TVSquad notes that none of Ventura’s sidekicks are identified in the show by anything other than a first name, and their qualifications are not given. “So how real does that make this reality? Not very.” He says the show takes itself very seriously. This may make for some unintentional humor.

The Turner press kit for the show does in fact identify two of the cast as June Sarpong, a television presenter (in the British parlance) from the UK and Alex Piper, an American television producer who has previously worked mainly in sports. Neither of their bios gives any indication of experience as investigators. The third sidekick is not even identified in the press kit, but is listed as “Jesse’s Advisor Michael” on the truTV site.

But who needs qualifications? As Ghost Hunters has shown, even plumbers can be successful investigators. Whether this program will share in the success of that show, or even last more than one season, remains to be seen. But it should be worth some laughs in the meantime.

So when you’re done with the turkey on Thursday, gather up the left over tin foil and fashion yourself a hat. You’re gonna need it next week.