Them: Adventures with Extremists by jon ronson

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

This is my second book from this author and I, once again, LOVED IT. Jon Ronson's writing is so simple yet funny and impactful. He explains everything straight to the point and I am never bored when reading his stories. And his humor is right up my alley. I will definitely read more of his books because he writes about themes that are provocative, interesting and unusual, so his books are full of adventures. Reading his writing makes me want to write. I could read this man's shopping list and I would enjoy it.

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mooglebot

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

In this book, gonzo journalist Jon Ronson hangs out and interviews a bunch of “extremists”. His only concrete criteria to be considered an extremist is that someone else had called them an extremist. Gee, that leaves about a million people he could have interviewed, but we get about a dozen. Most of these extremists believe there is a secret cabal, often made up of Jewish people, that pull the strings and control the fate of the planet. A lot of this book and the string that holds this book together is Jon Ronson trying to infiltrate a meeting of the Bilderberg group (which some conspiracy theorist believe is that very cabal).

This is one of Jon Ronson’s earlier work and it shows. He has honed his craft considerably in the intervening years. I’m not sure if this is made up of articles he had written earlier or what, but the book is kind of uneven with some chapters fascinating while others seemed like pointless padding that go nowhere (Mr. Ru Ru, the director of American History X, etc). And maybe if I lived in UK, where Jon Ronson lives, I would be more familiar with some of the characters like Dr. Paisley, or at least his protestant movement.

But there is plenty of gold here. Highlights include: Omar, the mercurial Muslim extremist, the Ruby Ridge story - I never knew all the details, David Icke - who believes the world is controlled by 12 foot lizards, and the competing Klansmen - one who is trying to create a kinder, softer image for public consumption and the other who goes on Jerry Springer to appeal to the most hateful recruits. It’s an age old dilemma of trying to walk that tight rope of catering to the most radical recruits while also trying seem sane to the mainstream. We also meet a younger Alex Jones before he became the infamous household name he is now - this is the genesis of the Kindle Single Ronson wrote, The Elephant in the Room. In the end, it's not clear if it's worse to have a secret cabal running things or the vacuum filled with chaos and randomness that the rest of us believe.

The extremists are painted as kind of buffoons desperate for attention and status. He also paints their opponents as the other sides of the same coin, equally as intolerant and using the same hyperbolic broad brush to paint these extremists that the extremist themselves use - with the truth lying somewhere in the middle. I thought of the book The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer often when reading this book - though I think of that book often.

I’m listening to Ministry’s “New World Order” on repeat as I write this review. I wouldn’t say this is Ron Jonson’s best work but he sets a pretty high bar, and if you’re familiar with any of these characters or the movements they belong to, I think you’ll get something out of this book. It’s okay if you skip a chapter or two.

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fidelinator

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

"Them" consists of journalist Jon Ronson's encounters with extremists of various stripes - a British Muslim extremist, a KKK leader, several believers of complex conspiracies and others.

I loved how a subject is treated with a deceptively light touch by Ronson. The book is certainly quite humorous in spots though there are also several uncomfortable, even tense sequences, especially when some of the extremists learn or suspect of the author's own Jewish heritage.

Most of the extremists are egotistical and yet many are also quite concerned that they appear in a 'good light' to Ronson, and therefore the public. It never fails though that the seemingly 'genial' extremist will burst into racist diatribe or in some other way reveal their true nature.

In the beginning of this book, I had to check a couple of times to make sure that it was really non-fiction, as Jon Ronson's tales of extremists have some almost unbelievable passages. A very satisfying and enjoyable read.

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Cicie

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

A bit dated, but great nevertheless. I'm not sure if this predates or is contemporary of Louis Theroux, but it's along the same lines. Dead pan journalist meets a bunch of nutters. I'd better not reveal too much in this review though as I think I can see a 12 foot lizard hovvering around outside in a black helicopter

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lone_wolf_club

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

British-American of Jewish heritage was gonzo-journalising extremists, both religious and far-right (same thing to me?) when h e realised that they all had distinct common ground, the idea that their true enemy is a secret 'elite' globalist, sometimes credited as Jewish, society that gets together, and really runs the world. So not only do we get insight into the (deluded? misguided?) minds of extremist but also into the underbelly of the global elite conspiracy theories. Ronson spends time with branches of the KKK, the Aryan Nation, armed militias, Omar Bakri Mohammad, Ian Paisley, David Icke, Alex Jones etc, as well as number of conspiracy theorists.

Thom Robb, the KKK leader, Ronson has two chapters on in this book.

As ever with good gonzo journalism Ronson himself plays a sort of role himself to allow his interviewees to feel that they can open up to him. It's a really interesting read as I got an uncensored and real look at people that we mostly only see sensationalised in the media, in their own words. Ronson does a great job in letting them speak for themselves with little political or moral critique, they of course mostly all fail to mask they delusion, irrationality and most of all intense need for the world to be the way they perceive it and not as it is.
This book has some great Alex Jones content looking at how he actively seeks out conspiracies in and around to global elite.

The parallel thinking around global elite conspiracies really is beginning to lean towards an excuse for bad behaviour and disinformation for me. All these bad characters use the global elite conspiracies to validate their rationale, thoughts and actions. The dark conclusion of this that maybe people desperately hang on to the globally elite conspiracies because they are even more scared of the reality of a world where no one is actually in control?

2023 read

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porunkocak

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

Ronson’s collection of journalistic essays explores the dark side of conspiracy theorists, extremists, and hate groups with Ronson’s usual laid back wit, insight, humor, and self-reflection. He takes on the challenges of going directly into an Islamic extremist training camp or a white supremacist compound even as he has to carefully guard his own ethnic religious background. Sometimes he is directly confronted, making for awkward moments, to say the least. As with his other work, his writing is strongest when he attempts to understand how or why certain people think the way they do, while at no time ever justifying their words or actions. Quite the opposite, as he joins them on their crusades, he reveals just how silly and often fruitless they can be, even as their buffoonish actions have real world consequences.

Most essays hinge on chronicling one personality with whom Ronson is able to connect (most of the time) despite their vastly differing world views: Omar Bakri Muhammed, Thomas Robb, Jim Tucker, Ian Paisley, and even Alex Jones on the cusp of becoming Head Loon in the US conspiracy world. Both the Bilderberg Group and Bohemian Grove appear often as leitmotif lightning rods for the conspiracy-minded.

Although I don’t think it is Ronson’s best book, fans of Ronson will enjoy it, and it may be a good place to start for those who are new to his writing.

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Bizancio

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 1,2025

An entertaining look at the world of people who believe that the world is run by a small group of evil people hidden away someplace. A lot of the people in the book come across like absurd wing-nuts, in a more lovable way than I imagine they are in real life.

Of course my one problem is that this book doesn't even touch upon the real dangers facing the world. While the Bilderburg Group and crazy Owl / Druid sacrifices are being done by people like Kissinger and Bush, and yes some of them are in fact giant lizard people from another dimension, and yes there is also a secret cabal of elderly Jews who are in fact also meeting and plotting for one purpose or another, and also yes all of the above mentioned enjoy killing children either by eating them, mutilating them and putting their foreskins into unleavened bread, or just burning them inside a giant owl statue in Northern California, or just raping them because as a giant lizard person you want to shove your enormous lizard cock into small children.... yes all of this is true, it's in books and I'm not about to say anything under my jurisdiction in the bookstore could possibly be insane or wrong. So yes that is all true, but even someone who is normally a rational beacon of truth like David Icke misses out on the real root of the problem, all of these groups of men and lizards are really controlled by miniature little people who live on the moon and who (like black helicopters) can fly into your ear if they want and make you do anything they want, and their own raison d'etre, is to personally fuck up MY life. I call them Moon Jews, and they are one of the tribes of Israel, and they are the real problem of the world. They do all kinds of things, like if you are playing pool and you make a shot that should be easy but your ball somehow turns at the last moment, well that is them doing that. A miracle card coming on the river in poker that makes you lose a big pot? Yep put there by them. Can't find your keys in the morning? That's them too. They do all of this, and they control these evil evil men and lizards. Why? Because they find it funny, and that is all that matters to them. They are funny little people and they live on the moon, but can teleport anywhere they want instantly.

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