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Top 5 Actual Conspiracies

2011-01-14 · list · Hank · 3:56 · watch on YouTube

Topic: History & curiosities · mode: Curiosity & trivia · tags: heavy topic, self promotion

Following his conspiracy-theory list and John's conjoined twins, Hank counts down five real conspiracies: Operation Snow White, MKUltra, the Tuskegee experiment, the Gunpowder Plot and the Business Plot against Roosevelt.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting: after Monday's conspiracy theories and John's conjoined twins, back to top five: real conspiracies

  • ★★ After his Monday top five conspiracy theories and John's top six conjoined twins, Hank goes back to a top five, 'because I just can't best you': five real conspiracies. — 00:00:00 · John Green

00:00:13 — No. 1: Operation Snow White, the Scientologists' infiltration of the US government

  • ★ Hank left the Church of Scientology out of the conspiracy-theories video: if Scientologists believe we are reincarnated meat-bodies of alien spirits destroyed by Xenu, he's fine with it; they think outside the box. (playful) — 00:00:13
  • ★★★ In the 1970s, to destroy government records portraying Scientology negatively, Scientologists ran Operation Snow White: they infiltrated 136 agencies, wiretapped people and hacked computers, with at least 5,000 people involved. — 00:00:33
  • ★★ Hank calls Operation Snow White the largest infiltration of the US government in history. — 00:00:56

00:01:02 — No. 2: the CIA's MKUltra mind-control experiments

  • ★★★ In the 1960s the CIA ran illegal mind-control experiments (MKUltra): subjects were given LSD, abused, isolated and put in sensory deprivation; in 1973 the CIA director ordered all files destroyed. — 00:01:02

00:01:26 — No. 3: the Tuskegee syphilis experiment

  • ★★★ From 1932 to 1972 the US government intentionally gave ineffective treatment to 400 black men with syphilis; a planned six-month study ran 40 years and almost half the men died of syphilis or complications. — 00:01:26

00:01:46 — No. 4: the Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes

  • ★★ Many people plotted to blow up the British Parliament in 1605; though the day is named for him, Guy Fawkes was just the man guarding the gunpowder. — 00:01:46

00:02:05 — No. 5: the Business Plot to overthrow Roosevelt and Smedley Butler

  • ★ Hank presents the Business Plot as an example of why kids shouldn't get face tattoos: what seems a great idea now may seem the worst idea ever in ten years. (playful) — 00:02:05
  • ★★★ In 1933 a group of wealthy American capitalists, including George W. Bush's grandfather, tried to overthrow Franklin Delano Roosevelt and install a fascist dictatorship. — 00:02:15
  • ★★ Hank says the plot apparently didn't seem a bad idea then: right-wingers called Roosevelt's government jobs and help for the poor communist, and fascist dictatorships, working in Italy and Germany, looked like a quick fix. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:27
  • ★★★ The plotters chose General Smedley Butler to lead their military coup, but Butler revealed the whole plot to Congress. — 00:02:57 · United States Congress
  • ★ Hank voices Butler turning the plotters down: he and Roosevelt are 'totally like buds', so why would he lead a coup against 'my man Frankie D'? (joke) — 00:03:06
  • ★★ None of the people who tried to overthrow the American government were ever charged, so 'the conspiracy continues'. — 00:03:22

00:03:31 — Wrap-up and sign-off

00:03:35 — End screen: thanks to Jesslyn; Lego Harry Potter on HankGames at 15,000 subscribers

  • ★ Hank thanks his friend Jesslyn again for helping with the episode and for not falling down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. — 00:03:35
  • ★★★ On his Let's Play channel HankGames, Hank will start playing Lego Harry Potter as soon as he hits 15,000 subscribers; those who want to see it should subscribe. — 00:03:39 · HankGames

Humor (significant)

  • If Scientologists believe in reincarnated alien spirits destroyed by Xenu, Hank is fine with that, but draws a conclusion. — 00:00:29

    “these are people who are okay thinking outside of the box”

  • Hank explains that Guy Fawkes, namesake of the day, was only one of many plotters. — 00:02:00

    “he was the guy guarding the gunpowder. Obviously not an important dude.”

  • Hank voices 1930s right-wingers outraged by Roosevelt's government jobs and help for the poor. — 00:02:36

    “Commi, commi, commi, commi”

  • Hank voices General Smedley Butler, asked to lead a coup against his friend Roosevelt. — 00:03:09

    “Why would I lead a coup against my man Frankie D?”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Business Plot · Church of Scientology · conspiracy theory · Gunpowder Plot · Operation Snow White · Project MKUltra · Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Also: People: Franklin Delano Roosevelt · George W. Bush · Guy Fawkes · Prescott Bush · Smedley Butler

Projects: HankGames

Works: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4

Organizations: Central Intelligence Agency · Federal government of the United States · United States Congress

Concepts: coup d'état · fascism

Places: Germany · Italy

Events: Guy Fawkes Night

Policies: New Deal

Myths: Xenu

Only in the description or credits: Jessalyn

Also centred on conspiracy theory: Top 5 Ridiculous Conspiracy Theories · The Liger Delusion · My Ballot Made Me Angry

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