Rage, and order

It's strange, in some ways, to abandon conspiracy theory at the moment of its triumph (though one could argue that it's simply telegraphed and amplified further than in previous decades). I was reading over some of my old notes, and found this, which seems entirely applicable to the Tea Party/Gun God era of public discourse:

Conspiracy theory is the code at work in the text, that which works to overcome the text, to overwrite it with structure, latticework, trunk and branches. In Deleuze and Guattari's terms, conspiracy theory seems to “reterritorialize” instead of “deterritorialize.” Paradoxically, the notion of “managerialism” is the imaginary regime summoned by conspiracy theory. These are the hierarchical connections—arborescent, even—amongst men that haunt—overwrite--even a seemingly progressive, forward-looking text like Neuromancer. On some level, conspiracy theory might seem to resist coded space, but in fact it reinforces it. Moreover, it desires it. Conspiracy theory expresses a longing for structure, for discipline. It's the guard in the tower.