Guilty Pleasure: Knowledge Fight
Who is Alex Jones?
If you were on the internet in the late '90s / early 2000s you would have come across Alex Jones and his "Infowars.com" website. It was a "public access" radio show that also got distributed/streamed over the internet. Back in the day, it was mostly written stuff with some sound snippets here and there as streaming media over the internet wasn't really a thing yet.
What Jones produced was pretty standard conspiracy theory stuff. Aliens, "Secret Governments", the Bilderberg Group, Bohemian Grove all that jazz.
What stood out with Jones was that he was over the top in his delivery and if nothing else made these conspiracy theories entertaining.
As the internet became more mainstream, so did Alex Jones. He had a large presence on YouTube, Facebook and, Twitter where he found an audience.
He was there when the Tea Party started its shtick, was in when QAnon arose, and managed to potentially ruin himself when he decided that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax.
These days Jones is no longer available on "normal" social media. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube all banned him and his outlet which has vastly curtailed his reach. But this hasn't really stopped him and while he is fighting many civil lawsuits over the things he said on the bully pulpit, not only about Sandy Hook, he continues to hawk supplements and "prepper gear" trying to prevent things from falling apart.
But don't just take my word for it. Here's a segment back from 2017 from John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" in which he takes on Jones:
So what is Knowledge Fight?
It is the answer to Jones' "Infowars", to quote from their website:
Our podcast is nearly impossible to sell to you. We primarily talk a bunch about how Alex Jones is an idiot and intentionally misleads his listeners for fun and profit, but that's not the whole story. We also branch off into the nature of conservative propaganda and the art of the con, breaking down scam artists from the worlds of politics, religion, and of course, outer space. It sounds more complicated than it is; really it's just a show about one friend researching things and telling another friend about the depressing and hilarious things he learned.
Knowledge Fight makes Jones funny again, in a scary kind of way at times and the last few weeks I have been working my way through their Sandy Hook Back catalog.
If you are curious on what goes on at Infowars.com I highly recommend the "Formulaic Objections" episodes, which go over the depositions by Jones and his Infowarriors. It's a tragic comedy most of the time.
Recommended Listening
For starters, I recommend their own recommendation, the episode about January 7th 2011
Today, Dan and Jordan time travel back to 2011 to satisfy the request of Policy Wonk Charles. Dan tells Jordan all about what Alex Jones was up to six and a half years ago, and the topics covered include:
- What was Alex selling before he started selling weird pills?
- Which president may or may not have lived a secret life?
- How much does Alex know about Austin banking?
- Where should you hide your guns, and where should you NOT hide your guns?
The Formulaic Objections Archive
But the real fun is in the deposition episodes. Highly recommended to better understand Jones and what he is doing:
Episode 279: Formulaic Objections
Today, Dan and Jordan discuss the recent deposition that Alex Jones had to give in his Sandy Hook lawsuit. Does Alex admit he still thinks there's something fishy about Sandy Hook? Does Alex's lawyer pick a fight with opposing council as a distraction? Does Alex accidentally reveal that he doesn't even care enough to know basic details about the shooting he's being sued for lying about? The answer to all these questions is yes.
Episode 378: Formulaic Objections Part 2
Today, Dan and Jordan discuss a trio of depositions that were recently released in the InfoWars/Sandy Hook lawsuit, and marvel at the uniquely brazen vibes of each.
Episode 401: Formulaic Objections Part 3
Today, Dan and Jordan reflect on the sentencing of Roger Stone in a very somber way, by discussing some recent video that was released of his very angry and very petty deposition a defamation suit.
Episode 641: Formulaic Objections Part 4
Today, Dan and Jordan break down the recent depositions that were done with Infowars corporate representative Daria and Alex Jones himself. Also, Mark Bankston drops by to provide some surprising context.
Episode 664: Formulaic Objections Part 5
Today, Dan and Jordan discuss the deposition of Infowars Managing Editor Kit Daniels in his lawsuit regarding his misidentifying of the Parkland shooter. Plus, plaintiff's attorney Bill Ogden joins the gents to discuss the act of deposing Info-Warriors
Episode 665: Formulaic Objections Part 6
Today, Dan and Jordan wrap up their run of depositions by discussing the December 2021 questioning of The Cuck-Destroyer, Owen Shroyer.
