This year's Bilderberg conference attracted dramatically more attention than previous years, from both mainstream media and protesters, and drew more than 2,300 attendees. This increase, more than double last year's Chantilly conference, is hailed by many as a success in terms of exposure, and many believe it represents a ray of light in the dark curtain of secrecy that often casts a shadow over these conferences.
Perhaps this is a bit of a jump in the fun: Looking at the attendance figures, Saturday's over-representation may actually be a smokescreen to hide what is fast becoming a bigger problem in the alternative community: the emergence of a pyramidal structure in which the person at the top is considered the leader and, dare I say, worshipped.
For those who were there on the other days, the true numbers of people taking the event as seriously as required were clearly lacking: on the two most important days – Thursday, when the delegates gathered, and Sunday, when the majority had left – very few were there to protest.Once the smokescreen of cheers and slogans that celebrated Saturday's success had cleared, what had actually been achieved?What had been exposed?
The mainstream is reporting that the protests are run and participated in by a group of conspiracy theorists, and trying to convince us that there is little to uncover. Time will tell what the alternative media will uncover, but I can't help but wonder: what if all the participants had investigated and reported on the shadow government that conspired at the Grove on the Hill? Instead of sticking to the same old Bilderberg rhetoric we've heard before? Once again, the preachers are preaching to their followers.
Many Jones and Icke enthusiasts would argue that Saturday's turnout was due to the presence of these two alternative “heavyweights.” They would say that the issues the alternative media is trying to convey will not get anywhere near the promotional impact because of these two. And to an extent, this is true. But given the same fact that Saturday's turnout was dramatically higher than the other days, one must also ask a very pertinent question: were the 2,100 extra protesters there to protest the Bilderberg meeting, or to see Icke and Jones?
Even more difficult is the question of where were those people on the important days? Where were their numbers on Thursday and Sunday, when the bigwigs who threaten our way of life arrived and were present? If this event was meant to send a message to such people, the talks were supposed to take place on those days so that the corporate elites could see how many people opposed their efforts. But the attendees were powerless, because the larger crowd rallied while most of the elites were taking leisurely strolls on the golf course, far from the angry voices of the protest areas.
Ironically, there were some delegates who left the venue on Saturday, but we'll never know who they were, because there were no camera crews, none at the main gates; everyone was glued to the spectacle onstage. Alex Jones and David Icke were unwittingly playing the traditional celebrity role of crowd-pleaser, the same time-honored distraction technique so common in the mainstream.
This suggests the rather disturbing idea that the alternative community is beginning to resemble a lot more of the old pyramidal system, with favourite idols from Hollywood and the music industry being replaced by alternative “heavyweights” like David Icke and Alex Jones.
In the mainstream we see the majority of people worshipping a select few, listening to what they say, always waiting for their “savior” to lead the way, while unconsciously giving up their power to effect change. Are we seeing this culture growing right now in the alternative world?
Protesters I spoke to, enthusiastic enough to stay through Sunday, told stories of seeing someone bow to Alex Jones on stage, or overhearing excited people yelling “we got his picture” or “we could touch him,” alluding to the cult status of celebrities like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. I myself witnessed Jones' brief appearances on Thursday and Friday, with most in attendance dropping what they were doing to follow him as he wandered the press area.
The leadership model, the pyramidal system, is something we should strive to leave behind. As we expose corporate villains, each of us needs to add something, bring something to the table to take back our common sense, our power, and our responsibility from the pyramidal structure. We maintain and feed the pyramidal structure while worshiping even hardworking figures like David Icke and Alex Jones.
Yes, using such popular figures provides exposure, but to what end? There is no doubt that there is a growing movement to expose international corporate crime, but what exactly are we cultivating? What kind of culture are we cultivating? One that tackles corruption head-on and strives to effect real change, both in ourselves and in the societies we live in, or one that is content to remain on the sidelines?
