UID:
almahu_9949385477702882
Format:
1 online resource (xxv, 481 pages) :
,
illustrations (some color), map.
ISBN:
9781003222460
,
1003222463
,
9781000544121
,
1000544125
,
9781000544091
,
1000544095
Series Statement:
Conspiracy theories
Content:
"Thinking Critically About the Kennedy Assassination uses the tools of critical thinking, historical research, and philosophical inquiry to debunk the many myths and conspiracy theories surrounding JFK's shocking and untimely death. As we approach the sixtieth anniversary of the violent public assassination of President John F. Kennedy, over half of all Americans surveyed continue to believe that he was killed by a conspiracy involving multiple assassins. Through its reasoned and detailed analysis of the content and evolution of JFK conspiracy narratives, this book also serves as a comprehensive case study of paranoid reasoning and modern mythmaking. The book's opening chapters lay out the "official" academic consensus concerning the Kennedy assassination (better known as the "Lone Gunman Theory") and discuss the origins of popular interpretations of Kennedy's life and death, such as the nostalgic myth of "Camelot," the unsympathetic "Irish Mafia" narrative, and the many conspiracy theories critical of both. Subsequent sections scrutinize the alleged motives of leading conspiracy suspects, the ballistic, forensic, and medical evidence related to JFK's murder, and the most popular "proofs" of an enduring government cover-up. The book concludes that no clear evidence exists to suggest that JFK was the victim of a conspiracy and ends with a discussion of the causes and consequences of paranoid thinking in contemporary public discourse. This volume will appeal to students of history, politics, psychology, and cultural and media studies, and to a broader audience interested in American history, critical thinking, and conspiracy thinking"--
Note:
Introduction: Knowledge and Conspiracy Theories -- PART I: MYTH AND COUNTER MYTH: Will the Real JFK Please Stand Up? -- Three Dead in Dallas: The "Official Story" -- The Kennedy Mystique: From Irish Mafia to Camelot -- Case Never Closed: The Evolving Conspiracy Narrative -- PART II: MOTIVE: "Like Caesar, He Is Surrounded by Enemies..." -- The Anti-Civil Rights Movement: Right Wing Racists, Nixon, and the FBI -- "Double Cross! Double Cross!": The Mafia and Jack Ruby -- Spooks and Nukes: The CIA and its War on Cuba -- Dominoes and Dictators: The Pentagon and the War in Vietnam -- "A Damned Murder, Inc.!": LBJ and the Warren Commission -- "I'm Just a Patsy!": Lee Harvey Oswald's Life and Motive -- PART III: MEANS: "It's Gonna Be a Turkey Shoot!" -- The Shooting Gallery: The Motorcade and Dealey Plaza -- The Man in the High Window: The Evidentiary Case Against Lee Harvey Oswald -- Going Ballistic: Of Missing and Magic Bullets -- PART IV: OPPORTUNITY: "We're Through the Looking Glass Here!" -- The Secret Cleaning Service: Did JFK's Bodyguards Cover Up a Conspiracy? -- Of Missing Wounds and Fake X-Rays: Was JFK's Autopsy a Fraud? -- Crop Marks on My Face: Were Lee Oswald's Backyard Photos Doctored? -- America's Bloodiest Home Video: Is the Zapruder Film Authentic? -- Conclusion: Why Conspiracists Rewrite the Past.
Additional Edition:
Print version: Gagné, Michel Jacques. Thinking critically about the Kennedy assassination Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022 ISBN 9781032119786
Language:
English
Keywords:
Electronic books.
;
History.
DOI:
10.4324/9781003222460
URL:
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003222460
