Them
by Jon Ronson · first published 2001
8mentions
3recommended by
6HN commenters
2015–2025first – last mentioned
50% recommend33% neutral17% critical
In the tradition of Bill Bryson, a fascinating and frequently hilarious look at extremists around the globe, and the conspiracy theory that unites them. Journalist Jon Ronson, the mild-mannered but ironic observer, learns some alarming things about the looking-glass world of them and us. Are the extremists onto something? Or has Ronson become one of Them?
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…this: we should stop saying things that aren't true! Put another way, we should know what we're talking about. Anyone who wants to really have their views on conspiracy theories challenged should read Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson (and/or watch the accompanying documentary series, The Secret Rulers of the World). Ronson showed that in fact most of the details of the most outrageous conspiracy…
on “What Conspiracy Theorists Don’t Believe” ↗Them: Adventures With Extremists by Jon Ronson.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗The entire magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman - also anything by Jon Ronson (particularly 'the Men Who Stare at Goats' or 'Them'). You'll learn from any of these - and have a great time!
on “Ask HN: I'm going on an internetless vacation today. Any book recommendations?” ↗What do you mean by "was killed"? The story in the link is still there and talks frankly about the Bilderberg meetings. BTW if anyone wants to read more about this, I highly recommend Jon Ronson's "Them: Adventures with Extremists", or the accompanying documentary series "The Secret Rulers of the World". Before that book, Bilderberg really was a secret. You can even find Ronson's interview with Dennis…
on “Tell HN: Story about Sam Altman attending the 2023 Bilderberg meeting was killed” ↗Them Jon Ronson
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite short and concise books?” ↗Them by Jon Ronson, a book about conspiracy theorists and the like, has a hilarious story of David Icke being delayed at Canadian immigration until he convinced them that when he really did believe in alien…
on “Pentagon Has Been Pushing Americans to Believe in UFOs for Decades, New Report” ↗…"nymwars". I personally try very hard to keep my real name off the internet. I don't think there's an easy solution to the downsides of viral publishing. About Jon Ronson's writing, I pretty much detested "Them" because of how he ridicules the conspiracy theorists at the start of the book. He goes on to spy on the Bilderburg group and the Bohemian Grove and comes away with a "so what" conclusion. At the start…
on “Jon Ronson: How a Tweet Can Ruin Your Life” ↗…investigation, and to a large extent afterwards. I think if you were applying the "real conspiracies are boring" heuristic you'd have dismissed it pretty quickly. Edit: There's a bit in Jon Ronson's Them: Adventures with Extremists, where he hangs out with Alex Jones, who tells him about secret events where powerful men don robes and perform weird rituals. Which sounds outlandish but Ronson goes along…
on “Conspiracy: In Theory and Practice” ↗