They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent
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- Create Date：2022-09-12 06:53:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Sarah Kendzior
- ISBN：1250210720
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Summary
“THEY KNEW， deftly separates fact from fiction in a conspiracy-addled nation。”
– Vanity Fair
In They Knew， New York Times bestselling author Sarah Kendzior explores the United States’ “culture of conspiracy，” arguing that conspiracy theories are on the rise because officials refuse to enforce accountability for real conspiracies。 Uncritical faith in broken institutions is as dangerous as false narratives peddled by propagandists。
“The pathos of truth-seeking left me thinking of Herman Melville。 I can't remember the last time I read a book where every sentence delivered。"—Timothy Snyder
The truth may hurt—but the lies will kill us。
They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption， climate change， and other crises。 As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery—like the Jeffrey Epstein operation—it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void。 They Knew exposes the tactics these powerful actors use to placate an inquisitive public。
In Kendzior’s signature whip smart prose and eviscerating arguments， They Knew unearths decades of buried American history， providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us。
– Vanity Fair
In They Knew， New York Times bestselling author Sarah Kendzior explores the United States’ “culture of conspiracy，” arguing that conspiracy theories are on the rise because officials refuse to enforce accountability for real conspiracies。 Uncritical faith in broken institutions is as dangerous as false narratives peddled by propagandists。
“The pathos of truth-seeking left me thinking of Herman Melville。 I can't remember the last time I read a book where every sentence delivered。"—Timothy Snyder
The truth may hurt—but the lies will kill us。
They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption， climate change， and other crises。 As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery—like the Jeffrey Epstein operation—it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void。 They Knew exposes the tactics these powerful actors use to placate an inquisitive public。
In Kendzior’s signature whip smart prose and eviscerating arguments， They Knew unearths decades of buried American history， providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us。
Reviews
David Wineberg
，
Sarah Kendzior never met a conditional tense she has any use for， it seems。 Throughout They Knew， she never uses them。 Readers will never come in contact with a would， should or could， a might or a may。 There is no speculation， no competing theories， no hearing “from the other side。” Everything is clear and definite to her。 The only appearance of the word would comes in her recap of what she predicted before Trump was sworn in。 She accurately foresaw the dismantling of government and democracy， Sarah Kendzior never met a conditional tense she has any use for， it seems。 Throughout They Knew， she never uses them。 Readers will never come in contact with a would， should or could， a might or a may。 There is no speculation， no competing theories， no hearing “from the other side。” Everything is clear and definite to her。 The only appearance of the word would comes in her recap of what she predicted before Trump was sworn in。 She accurately foresaw the dismantling of government and democracy， and the invasion of the thugs， oligarchs and Mafiosi associated with Trump。 （They actually live in Trump Tower， she points out。） It makes the book enormously powerful， clear-headed and convincing。 There is no waffling; America has been sold to the lowest bidder for the highest profit。The book begins with a big lie – no not that one。 It is the story of an Arkansas criminal named Norman Baker who operated a renowned cancer clinic a hundred years ago。 He vacuumed up the life savings of the dying， pretending he had a cure for them。 He invented his own liquid medicine he mixed， built a sanatorium where he stored his victims， and hired aggressive lawyers to fight off all challenges。 He kept lying， and it kept working。 The bigger the lie， the more Americans accepted it。 Applying this lesson to today， Kendzior says “truth （is） an increasingly worthless currency in the land of the conned and complicit。” That sets the tone for a litany of betrayals every reader will relate to。 They Knew will touch everyone。Kendzior explains some of the tools used by the rich and powerful in new terms。 For example， critical race theory （CRT）。 There is no theory in CRT。 But a lot of American school systems are banning the teaching of CRT because of that word。 CRT adds relevant racial dimensions to American history。 To forbid its teaching is to forbid history， a perfect goal for a school system。 But couching the ban in terms of race theory， gives CRT the appearance of fiction and not fact， making it okay and even desirable to ban。 It is a fraud， but constantly repeating it has made it a common and accepted truth。 In America， you can poison anything by calling it a theory。This is a standard ploy， called conditioning。 If you say something often enough， people get used to it， even if it is totally outrageous。 No one knows this better than Donald Trump。 People soon begin to accept it， because everyone is talking about it。 And when the awful and expected results appear， those people are then ready to say it was inevitable。 There was just no way to stop it， they agree。 It’s how America got the war in Iraq， climate change denial， and of course the stolen election of 2020， which polls show continues to increase in belief。 Still， two years later。Conditioning is also seen in elected representatives totally ignoring the voters。 They vote money to their friends。 They shield each other from legal harm。 They grandstand for popular issues they have no intention of allowing to see the light of day。 They enrich themselves mightily along the way。 And none of it has the blessing of the people who put them in power。 “They know how infiltration becomes impunity and then immunity，” she says in another of her particular ways of looking at the world。 Persistence pays。Kendzior has a terminology problem。 She has an issue with conspiracy theories。 Because while most recognize conspiracy theories as wild and idiotic， Kendzior has a theory， and it happens to incorporate a global conspiracy。 Clearly she does not want to be lumped in with the Pizzagate people， the blood libel people， the 2000 mules people and the climate change deniers。 So she spends a lot of time explaining the differences between conspiracies and conspiracy theories。 It’s the weakest part of the otherwise powerhouse book she has written。Her theory comes out of the stories in this book。 She has lots of investigative stories to tell， and a lot of the same names keep popping up。 Ultimately， she cannot deny the obvious – this is no coincidence。 She calls out Trump as leading a transnational crime syndicate， aiding Russian criminals and having them fund his organizations。 She names names， gives examples， and shows the threats， both to democracy and to the USA itself。 She says these criminals are perfectly willing to split up the USA and sell the pieces for their own profit。 The country is just merchandise。 Its people are just worthless。 Anything that doesn’t produce huge windfalls in the short term is not worth bothering with。 Healthcare， environment and such are clear examples to her。 “All conspiracy theories are debatable， except one: the American government will absolutely leave its citizens to die，” she comes to realize in another dramatic insight。She likens her research discoveries to a gigantic octopus。 Its tentacles reach into every sector。 It compromises everyone it comes in contact with。 It connects the billionaires， oligarchs， generals， diplomats， politicians， gangsters， murderers and thieves。 No one can escape its suckers， and it will ultimately destroy society and severely cripple the earth。 For Kendzior， the octopus is the ultimate conspiracy， and she thinks of it as verifiable fact， not theory。The book is peppered with ugly stories of people who attempt to understand what is actually going on， and end up dead – by sudden， unanticipated suicide， the courts always seem to rule。 My favorite is the man who blew his brains out – twice。 Then there’s the man who hanged himself from a tree – with his hands tied behind his back。 Clearly suicide。 This was demonstrated again more recently by the alleged suicide of Jeffrey Epstein， whose potential plea deal with prosecutors could have linked hundreds of politicians and diplomats to a sex and pedophile network he ran with Ghislaine Maxwell， a very well connected family itself。 Any such deal could simply not be risked。 To Kendzior， it is also proof that the media don’t simply grab headlines and run with the story for fame and profit。 The Epstein story was minimized and dropped as soon as he died， denying the public any conclusion at all。 In other words， they knew。 They are all complicit， from the foreign media barons running the US press to the extraordinarily wealthy （civil service） diplomats who rape their countries （The leadership of the DRCongo recently proclaimed （July 2022） it is not there to protect the environment。 Everything is for sale for the right deal）。It is also the logic behind the USA’s seeming inability to convict or even charge elites with crimes。 That Donald Trump is still flying around， raking in hundreds of millions of dollars for his “charity”， rather than defending himself in numerous trials for sedition， tax evasion， emoluments， and sex crimes， is testament enough。 And it is nothing new。 Not one banker paid the price for the global Financial Crisis of 2008。 Intel Corp。 has extorted tens of billions from the government by threatening to build new semiconductor plants elsewhere。 Trump’s cabinet famously sought to dismantle their portfolios rather than manage them， despite their sworn oaths。 Global criminals like Henry Kissinger are awarded the Nobel Prize – for Peace。It is clear to Kendzior that elected officials have a real master to attend to， and it is not the voting public: “Elected officials no longer attempt to win you over， they attempt to rewrite laws and district boundaries so that your vote is irrelevant。 Their true constituency is the criminal elite。” It is sadly refreshing to see it put that way。On the bright side， if there is one: “What does unite Americans， （…） is rage at elite criminal impunity。 We may not revolt as one， but we are revolted as one， e pluribus nauseam。”Kendzior points to Robert Mueller， who refused to consider Trump’s Russian business dealings （financing， the Miss Universe contest of 1988， residency/housing for oligarchs， …。） in his “investigation” pre-impeachment。 That he would not nail Trump was a foregone conclusion， as he had done the same thing earlier in another case。 It was obvious to people like Kendzior that is why Mueller was chosen in the first place。 （When asked in 2008 if the new Financial Crisis would harm the Trump Organization， Eric Trump blurted out No， that all the Trump money comes from Russia， not the USA。 For some reason it has never been a factor in any investigation since。 I have often wondered why。） Had Mueller followed any of the leads， it would have opened a criminal investigation impossibly wide and deep， the likes of which have never been seen。 It would have taken down thousands of top players。 Kendzior says “an epidemic of disillusionment and distrust so vast it stretches into paralysis” is the daily state of the nation。 The USA is a corrupt crime organization。How could it be any other way when “Watergate， Iran-Contra， the CIA’s MK Ultra mind control experiments， the aborted 1960s false flag Operation Northwoods， and other US government plots were all， at some point， labeled wild conspiracy theories—until they were investigated and proven real。” She adds that the Republican Party has refashioned itself as an apocalyptic death cult， in yet another customized turn of phrase she flings out regularly。Overall， Kendzior thinks things have gotten much worse。 Since the onset of the pandemic， she says Americans look back at “economic decline， rising autocracy， rampant gun violence， disinformation warfare， climate catastrophes， systemic racism and endemic corruption” as the good old days。 Corruption is so widespread and generalized that it is now expected， mentioned in passing， and accepted without consequence。 The stories abound， but there is almost never an arrest， a charge， a trial or a conviction。 This is the new way in the USA。 The transnational octopus of greed and corruption has won。But I have to say， this can easily be covered by one concept – globalization。 The freeing of capital to cross borders with a keystroke at will， combined with realtime communications has enabled the spread of corruption like wildfire。 It has upped the potential from the millions of dollars to the billions – a one thousand-fold increase。 Twelve to 20 trillion dollars have been hidden in offshore trusts alone。 Kendzior does not go there， but this is really a capitalism problem， not an octopus problem。As a result of the continual decline of government services or even competence， she says “Covid is but a prelude for how states will handle the era of catastrophic climate change。” For the elites， the entire population is disposable。 She points to Dr。 Fauci， who first mismanaged the emergence of the AIDS epidemic， being put in charge of the even more massive Covid pandemic as typical of uncaring elites running the country into the ground。 It is too early to even imagine how badly the country will manage environmental disasters。 But all indicators point to new lows。Possibly worst of all is her concern the country is undergoing conditioning for a breakup。 All the talk of civil war， the conversation around how geographic entities play out in a split country – lead her to conclude this is coming and will be considered the inevitable result of the red/blue irreconcilable split。Kendzior’s gift is perspective。 She can see the bigger， far more complex picture where the news media see only unrelated incidents。 She is straightforward， clear-thinking and persuasive。 She does the original research and is sure of her facts。 The only thing missing is how she gets up every morning， knowing this just like “they” do。David WinebergtIf you liked this review， I invite you to read more in my book The Straight Dope。 It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned。 Right now it’s FREE for Prime members， otherwise — cheap！ Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read。 And you already know it is well-written。 https://www。amazon。com/Straight-Dope-。。。 。。。more
Jane
，
***They Knew by Sarah Kendzior purports to tell the truth about conspiracy versus conspiracy theories。 It’s obvious that the author has done a lot of research， and while she defines herself as an independent she most definitely is a Never Trumper。 Within her flowing prose she certainly has adopted the Democrats view of Mr。 Trump as the devil incarnate， a shyster， a Mafia don， a totally unfeeling lowlife fraud。 This reader was amazed at how Ms。 Kendzior managed to tie President Trump to most ever ***They Knew by Sarah Kendzior purports to tell the truth about conspiracy versus conspiracy theories。 It’s obvious that the author has done a lot of research， and while she defines herself as an independent she most definitely is a Never Trumper。 Within her flowing prose she certainly has adopted the Democrats view of Mr。 Trump as the devil incarnate， a shyster， a Mafia don， a totally unfeeling lowlife fraud。 This reader was amazed at how Ms。 Kendzior managed to tie President Trump to most every “scandal” she highlighted…all involving Republicans。 She obviously wrote this book before the truth about Hillary Clinton’s role in the Steele dossier and the revelations in Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop。 Quoting the author， “The GOP has been hijacked by a transnational crime syndicate masquerading as a government。” Regarding the Democrats， they don’t push prosecution hard enough。 She has no respect for Reagan or Bush either。 Democrats will rejoice in this book as some of their prime players only are slightly criticized。 I am reminded of a book Bob Schieffer wrote called “The Acting President，” in which he claimed Reagan never had an original thought in his life and was controlled by what was put on his cue cards。 This was， of course， written before the discovery of the multitude of boxes holding yellow legal pads filled with Reagan’s handwritten thoughts and rough drafts of speeches and monologues beginning years before he became President and continuing after。 This 81 year old reader and political junky understands and recognizes propaganda even when it is presented as truth to correct the record。 I agree that we have lost Lincoln’s concept “of the people， by the people， and for the people。” Those who fashion themselves as “elites” have assumed control and their goal is to maintain it by whatever means they can…legally or otherwise。 I highly recommend Victor Davis Hansen’s “The Dying Citizen” to anyone who wants to know how we lost control of our relationship with our elected officials on both sides。 There are a lot of interesting events covered in this book to chew on。 I just wish the author had been more even handed in her analysis。 I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley。 。。。more
Susan Knob
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