Extreme right wingers have alleged, for decades, that environmentalists are part of an evil secret plot by "the Illuminati" (or whoever) to kill off 80% of the world's population.

These days, thanks to the increased popularity of grand conspiracy ideology, anti-environmentalists are in a better position to spread their poison than ever before.

Grand conspiracy ideology is the belief that many different aspects of society are controlled by an alleged evil cabal, e.g. "the Illuminati" or "the Elders of Zion." Grand conspiracy ideology is the subset of "conspiracy theory" that has actually harmed the most people, as discussed at our March 8 meeting on The vilification of Jews and others.

Although ignored by the mainstream media, grand conspiracy ideology seems to be growing rapidly in popularity these days. Hardly anyone is making any serious effort to counteract the spread of this particular kind of hate-mongering.

We do not want to limit anyone's freedom of speech, including the grand conspiracy ideologists'. But we do call on journalists and relevant scholars (e.g. modern historians) to educate the public, and we call on activists against all kinds of bigotry to be aware of grand conspiracy ideology and to speak out against it and point people to refutations.

For more information, see NYARBB's position on "conspiracy theories" and NYARBB's position against "Illuminati" claims. See also Project: Against Grand Conspiracy Ideology - links page..

Location and how to find us: We'll be meeting at a Chinese restaurant on 7th Avenue, near Rockefeller Center. (The exact address, and other details, will be visible to you once you join this Meetup group.) The nearest subway stop is 49th Street on the N, R, and W lines (7th Avenue). Other nearby subway stops are 50th Street on the 1 line (Broadway), 50th Street on the E and C lines (8th Avenue), 47th to 50th Street on the B, D, F, and V lines (6th Avenue), and 7th Avenue on the B, D, and E lines (53rd Street). For those coming from outside the city, Pearls is also approximately a 15-minute walk from Penn Station.

Ask a waiter for "New Yorkers Against Religion-Based Bigotry."

We'll be at a table in the UPSTAIRS part of the restaurant. There will be some NYARBB literature on the table.