Who Do You Trust?
🎵 2889 characters
⏱️ 4:18 duration
🆔 ID: 14506149
📜 Lyrics
The distinguishing thing about the paranoid style
Is not that its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history
But that they regard a vast or gigantic conspiracy
As the motive force in historical events
History is a conspiracy
Set in motion by demonic forces of almost transcendent power
And what is felt to be needed to defeat it
Is not the usual methods of political give and take, but an all-out crusade
The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of this conspiracy
In apocalyptic terms
He traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds
Whole political orders hold systems of human values
He is always manning the barricades of civilization
He constantly lives at a turning point
It is now or never in organizational resistance to conspiracy
Time is forever just running out
As a member of the avant-garde
Who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy
Before it is fully obvious to an as-yet unaroused public
The paranoid is a militant leader
Nothing but complete victory will do
This demand for unqualified victories
Leads to the formulation of hopelessly demanding and unrealistic goals
And since these goals are not even remotely attainable
Failure constantly heightens the paranoid's frustration
In turn, strengthening his awareness
Of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy, he opposes
The enemy is a perfect model of malice
A kind of amoral superman
Sinister, ubiquitous, powerful, cruel, sensual, luxury-loving
He wills, indeed he manufactures the mechanism of history himself
He makes crises
Starts runs on banks, causes depressions
Manufactures disasters
And then enjoys and profits from the misery he has produced
The paranoid's interpretation of history is in this sense distinctly personal
Decisive events are not taken as part of the stream of history
But as the consequence of someone's will
A fundamental paradox of the paranoid style
Is the imitation of the enemy
The Klu Klux Klan imitated Catholicism
To the point of donning priestly vestments
The John Birch Society emulated communist cells
And quasi-secret operation through front groups
Spokesmen of the various Christian anti-Communist crusades
Openly express their admiration for the dedication, discipline
And strategic ingenuity the communist cause calls forth
Paranoid writing begins with certain defensible judgments
The government really can read all of our emails
The CIA really did conduct mind-control experiments
On unsuspecting Canadian housewives
There really was a secret FBI within the FBI
Dedicated to destroying the American left
It then carefully accumulates facts
Or at least what appear to be facts
And marshals these facts to an overwhelming proof
Of the particular conspiracy that is to be established
It is nothing if not coherent
In fact, the paranoid mentality is far more coherent than the real world
Because it leaves no room for mistakes, failures, or ambiguities
Is not that its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history
But that they regard a vast or gigantic conspiracy
As the motive force in historical events
History is a conspiracy
Set in motion by demonic forces of almost transcendent power
And what is felt to be needed to defeat it
Is not the usual methods of political give and take, but an all-out crusade
The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of this conspiracy
In apocalyptic terms
He traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds
Whole political orders hold systems of human values
He is always manning the barricades of civilization
He constantly lives at a turning point
It is now or never in organizational resistance to conspiracy
Time is forever just running out
As a member of the avant-garde
Who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy
Before it is fully obvious to an as-yet unaroused public
The paranoid is a militant leader
Nothing but complete victory will do
This demand for unqualified victories
Leads to the formulation of hopelessly demanding and unrealistic goals
And since these goals are not even remotely attainable
Failure constantly heightens the paranoid's frustration
In turn, strengthening his awareness
Of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy, he opposes
The enemy is a perfect model of malice
A kind of amoral superman
Sinister, ubiquitous, powerful, cruel, sensual, luxury-loving
He wills, indeed he manufactures the mechanism of history himself
He makes crises
Starts runs on banks, causes depressions
Manufactures disasters
And then enjoys and profits from the misery he has produced
The paranoid's interpretation of history is in this sense distinctly personal
Decisive events are not taken as part of the stream of history
But as the consequence of someone's will
A fundamental paradox of the paranoid style
Is the imitation of the enemy
The Klu Klux Klan imitated Catholicism
To the point of donning priestly vestments
The John Birch Society emulated communist cells
And quasi-secret operation through front groups
Spokesmen of the various Christian anti-Communist crusades
Openly express their admiration for the dedication, discipline
And strategic ingenuity the communist cause calls forth
Paranoid writing begins with certain defensible judgments
The government really can read all of our emails
The CIA really did conduct mind-control experiments
On unsuspecting Canadian housewives
There really was a secret FBI within the FBI
Dedicated to destroying the American left
It then carefully accumulates facts
Or at least what appear to be facts
And marshals these facts to an overwhelming proof
Of the particular conspiracy that is to be established
It is nothing if not coherent
In fact, the paranoid mentality is far more coherent than the real world
Because it leaves no room for mistakes, failures, or ambiguities
⏱️ Synced Lyrics
[00:01.05] The distinguishing thing about the paranoid style
[00:04.04] Is not that its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history
[00:09.15] But that they regard a vast or gigantic conspiracy
[00:13.47] As the motive force in historical events
[00:16.88] History is a conspiracy
[00:20.24] Set in motion by demonic forces of almost transcendent power
[00:24.97] And what is felt to be needed to defeat it
[00:27.57] Is not the usual methods of political give and take, but an all-out crusade
[00:33.69] The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of this conspiracy
[00:36.63] In apocalyptic terms
[00:39.43] He traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds
[00:43.18] Whole political orders hold systems of human values
[00:47.96] He is always manning the barricades of civilization
[00:52.12] He constantly lives at a turning point
[00:55.17] It is now or never in organizational resistance to conspiracy
[00:59.92] Time is forever just running out
[01:04.26] As a member of the avant-garde
[01:06.70] Who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy
[01:09.28] Before it is fully obvious to an as-yet unaroused public
[01:12.83] The paranoid is a militant leader
[01:15.97] Nothing but complete victory will do
[01:19.46] This demand for unqualified victories
[01:21.91] Leads to the formulation of hopelessly demanding and unrealistic goals
[01:26.59] And since these goals are not even remotely attainable
[01:29.43] Failure constantly heightens the paranoid's frustration
[01:34.22] In turn, strengthening his awareness
[01:36.37] Of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy, he opposes
[01:52.52] The enemy is a perfect model of malice
[01:55.83] A kind of amoral superman
[01:58.34] Sinister, ubiquitous, powerful, cruel, sensual, luxury-loving
[02:05.93] He wills, indeed he manufactures the mechanism of history himself
[02:11.39] He makes crises
[02:13.09] Starts runs on banks, causes depressions
[02:16.79] Manufactures disasters
[02:18.97] And then enjoys and profits from the misery he has produced
[02:27.46] The paranoid's interpretation of history is in this sense distinctly personal
[02:34.13] Decisive events are not taken as part of the stream of history
[02:38.14] But as the consequence of someone's will
[02:43.94] A fundamental paradox of the paranoid style
[02:46.72] Is the imitation of the enemy
[02:49.87] The Klu Klux Klan imitated Catholicism
[02:53.18] To the point of donning priestly vestments
[02:55.90] The John Birch Society emulated communist cells
[02:59.34] And quasi-secret operation through front groups
[03:03.50] Spokesmen of the various Christian anti-Communist crusades
[03:06.87] Openly express their admiration for the dedication, discipline
[03:10.86] And strategic ingenuity the communist cause calls forth
[03:18.77] Paranoid writing begins with certain defensible judgments
[03:22.77] The government really can read all of our emails
[03:25.93] The CIA really did conduct mind-control experiments
[03:29.50] On unsuspecting Canadian housewives
[03:32.43] There really was a secret FBI within the FBI
[03:36.80] Dedicated to destroying the American left
[03:40.32] It then carefully accumulates facts
[03:43.03] Or at least what appear to be facts
[03:45.54] And marshals these facts to an overwhelming proof
[03:48.44] Of the particular conspiracy that is to be established
[03:52.81] It is nothing if not coherent
[03:55.66] In fact, the paranoid mentality is far more coherent than the real world
[04:00.48] Because it leaves no room for mistakes, failures, or ambiguities
[04:05.96]
[00:04.04] Is not that its exponents see conspiracies or plots here and there in history
[00:09.15] But that they regard a vast or gigantic conspiracy
[00:13.47] As the motive force in historical events
[00:16.88] History is a conspiracy
[00:20.24] Set in motion by demonic forces of almost transcendent power
[00:24.97] And what is felt to be needed to defeat it
[00:27.57] Is not the usual methods of political give and take, but an all-out crusade
[00:33.69] The paranoid spokesman sees the fate of this conspiracy
[00:36.63] In apocalyptic terms
[00:39.43] He traffics in the birth and death of whole worlds
[00:43.18] Whole political orders hold systems of human values
[00:47.96] He is always manning the barricades of civilization
[00:52.12] He constantly lives at a turning point
[00:55.17] It is now or never in organizational resistance to conspiracy
[00:59.92] Time is forever just running out
[01:04.26] As a member of the avant-garde
[01:06.70] Who is capable of perceiving the conspiracy
[01:09.28] Before it is fully obvious to an as-yet unaroused public
[01:12.83] The paranoid is a militant leader
[01:15.97] Nothing but complete victory will do
[01:19.46] This demand for unqualified victories
[01:21.91] Leads to the formulation of hopelessly demanding and unrealistic goals
[01:26.59] And since these goals are not even remotely attainable
[01:29.43] Failure constantly heightens the paranoid's frustration
[01:34.22] In turn, strengthening his awareness
[01:36.37] Of the vast and terrifying quality of the enemy, he opposes
[01:52.52] The enemy is a perfect model of malice
[01:55.83] A kind of amoral superman
[01:58.34] Sinister, ubiquitous, powerful, cruel, sensual, luxury-loving
[02:05.93] He wills, indeed he manufactures the mechanism of history himself
[02:11.39] He makes crises
[02:13.09] Starts runs on banks, causes depressions
[02:16.79] Manufactures disasters
[02:18.97] And then enjoys and profits from the misery he has produced
[02:27.46] The paranoid's interpretation of history is in this sense distinctly personal
[02:34.13] Decisive events are not taken as part of the stream of history
[02:38.14] But as the consequence of someone's will
[02:43.94] A fundamental paradox of the paranoid style
[02:46.72] Is the imitation of the enemy
[02:49.87] The Klu Klux Klan imitated Catholicism
[02:53.18] To the point of donning priestly vestments
[02:55.90] The John Birch Society emulated communist cells
[02:59.34] And quasi-secret operation through front groups
[03:03.50] Spokesmen of the various Christian anti-Communist crusades
[03:06.87] Openly express their admiration for the dedication, discipline
[03:10.86] And strategic ingenuity the communist cause calls forth
[03:18.77] Paranoid writing begins with certain defensible judgments
[03:22.77] The government really can read all of our emails
[03:25.93] The CIA really did conduct mind-control experiments
[03:29.50] On unsuspecting Canadian housewives
[03:32.43] There really was a secret FBI within the FBI
[03:36.80] Dedicated to destroying the American left
[03:40.32] It then carefully accumulates facts
[03:43.03] Or at least what appear to be facts
[03:45.54] And marshals these facts to an overwhelming proof
[03:48.44] Of the particular conspiracy that is to be established
[03:52.81] It is nothing if not coherent
[03:55.66] In fact, the paranoid mentality is far more coherent than the real world
[04:00.48] Because it leaves no room for mistakes, failures, or ambiguities
[04:05.96]