Characters

  • SGT Skeeves
  • SSG Joe Rock
  • PV2 Carlos Alvarez

Locations

  • 213th BN HQ Boise, Idaho (Gowen Field)

As mentioned earlier, troops don’t tend to talk politics much, but Skeeves –as has been established– is “that guy”. These days, the guy that does talk politics a lot frequently tends to be the guy that believes a lot of, well… let’s say kinda “out there” stuff. Not always. But… let’s face it, there’s frequently some overlap. Conspiracy theories are popular these days and they run the gamut of political thought.

I actually used to kind of enjoy conspiracy theories. In the days before the internet, running across a true devotee of things like “Area 51” stories and other “government cover-up” tales was entertaining. I saw the wilder conspiracy theories as amazingly (even admirably) intricate, detailed, and fun. I never believed them, but as a person who dabbles in science fiction and fantasy I was amazed at the amount of detail and attention that had gone into spinning the tall tales.

Over time, though, I grew weary of them. With the popularization of the internet, conspiracy theories have become part of the daily landscape, and there’s nothing “special” about them any more. I find them kind of annoying now, especially when you meet someone who seems to only engage through the lens of how everything fits into the over-arcing scope of the conspiracy.

People who believe in conspiracy theories, especially ones where thousands of people would be needed to pull it off, have clearly never been project managers. The idea that everyone, absolutely everyone, adheres like clockwork to a plan, doesn’t screw up, drop something, miss a scheduled cue, or just gets frustrated and leaves, writing out a “poison pen” email to everyone? If only the world could actually be so perfect!

StiIl, see the appeal: conspiracy theories allow us to imagine a world where every little thing is working under the control of something or someone bigger. No fate, no whimsy, no unplanned events; but rather everything is carefully coordinated and planned out. Everything is under control, even if it is evil control. After all, the opposite –the idea that we’re all just spinning freely with neither reins nor brakes– is kind of unnerving.

And yes, while there was technically room on that door for Jack, his additional weight would have swamped it and made its buoyancy useless.

Characters

  • SGT Skeeves
  • SSG Joe Rock
  • PV2 Carlos Alvarez

Locations

  • 213th BN HQ Boise, Idaho (Gowen Field)

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