Exploring the origins and controversies of Conservapedia, a platform filled with pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. From a new manly Bible translation to conservative views on video games, the podcast delves into the clash of ideologies online. The chapter also touches on deceit in online interactions and the conservative media's portrayal of QAnon as a conspiracy theory.
Conservapedia emerged as a conservative alternative to Wikipedia, promoting right-wing views and conspiracy theories.
The platform aimed to create a Bible translation aligned with conservative values, reflecting a narrow American Christian conservative worldview.
Conservapedia displayed extreme bias, condemning non-conservatives and blaming societal issues on leftist influences, showcasing a divisive and controversial online environment.
Deep dives
Conservapedia's History
Conservapedia was founded in response to perceived liberal bias, serving as an alternative to Wikipedia. It became a platform for right-wing views, promoting pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Notably, it aimed to create a Bible translation aligned with conservative values.
Schlafly's Creation of Conservapedia
Andrew Schlafly, founder of Conservapedia, was driven by his belief in combating liberal bias. His background in law and education influenced his conservative media projects, including the controversial Conservative Bible project.
Vandalism and Controversies
Conservapedia faced vandalism from trolls altering pages with nonsensical content. Entries displayed extreme bias, condemning non-conservatives and blaming societal issues on leftist influences. The platform reflected a narrow, American Christian conservative worldview.
Recent Entries and Reactions
Recent entries on Conservapedia displayed extreme views on political figures like Joe Biden, leaning into conspiracy theories and insults. The platform's response to current events, such as the Proud Boys' convictions, showed a continued alignment with divisive and controversial viewpoints.
Conservative Media Views on Video Game Industry
Conservative Media criticizes the video game industry for allegedly promoting liberal values like excessive violence, profanity, and themes opposed to traditional conservative values. Examples cited include games allowing players to engage in terrorism, explicit sexual content, and glorifying violence over story. The entry on video games in Conservative Media emphasizes a negative portrayal of the industry's content.
Conservative Media's Perspective on QAnon
Conservative Media labels QAnon as a misleading conspiracy theory orchestrated by an anonymous entity within Trump's circle. The entry suggests QAnon aims to counter opposition similar to Operation Trust from the Bolshevik era and views QAnon as a threat neutralizer. The coverage depicts conflicting views within the conservative realm regarding QAnon's credibility and its portrayal as a contentious issue within ideological factions.
Sometimes it feels like the online world is split into multiple, incompatible perceptions of reality.
This is not a new development. In fact, in the mid-aughts one man tried to create an isolated island of American christian conservative thinking by launching a website called Conservapedia. Though it was advertised as being free from the supposed liberal bias of Wikipedia, Conservapedia became a home of pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and general right-wing grievances. It even launched a project to create a new English translation of the Bible that was manlier and more conservative than previous translations.
To help us understand the history of Conservapedia, we recruited our resident reddit atheist debunker, Travis. He’s going to walk us through the story of Conservpedia’s creation and show off some of the latest additions to the online encyclopedia, which is still active after 17 years.
References
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-19-na-schlafly19-story.html
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conservapedia
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conservapedia:Night_of_the_Blunt_Knives
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Lenski_affair
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/oct/11/conservative-bible-project-liberal-conservapedia
Subscribe for $5 a month to get an extra episode of QAA every week + access to ongoing series like 'Manclan' and 'Trickle Down': http://www.patreon.com/QAnonAnonymous
QAA's Website: https://qanonanonymous.com
Music by Pontus Berghe. Editing by Corey Klotz.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode