Reposted by Scott Maybell
This resonates so beautifully with what Michael Barkun called "stigmatized knowledge"--the way bodies of information that have been disdained by experts actually *gain* power in the mind of the conspiracy theorist.
Not talked about enough in our understandings of the epidemiology of knowledge, imo
![[P]erhaps nothing more graphically illustrates the monstrous relapse the world suffered after the First World War than the restrictions on personal freedom of movement and civil rights. Before 1914 the earth belonged to the entire human race. Everyone could go where he wanted and stay there as long as he liked. No permits or visas were necessary, and I am always enchanted by the amazement of young people when I tell them that before 1914 I travelled to India and America without a passport. Indeed, I had never set eyes on a passport. You boarded your means of transport and got off it again, without asking or being asked any questions; you didn’t have to fill in a single one of the hundred forms required today.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bpc7nm4rtcchhdq5sfxyrujl/bafkreieup7jgeu6rrk6cck4ydb4omr35umssa5jfwk2aqrbhgpxmqgbhnm)
