Crisis in a Box

This image circulates on truther sites. I have not confirmed its origin or supposed associated terror event. Image Sources: here and here.

This summer's blog posts assess how weaponized propaganda in the media and on the Internet is affecting behaviour and perception. I have never seen so much chaotic, dangerous and disturbing information and disinformation.

The problem has arisen in an already uncertain environment. The Internet is culturally anti-statist, an attitude reinforced by leaks, hacks and whistle-blowing. Although leaks and whistle-blowing were and are intended to make the establishment more transparent and less corrupt, revelations also destabilize society. Some quarters now exploit the credibility of whistle-blown information, so that 'real truths' become vectors of disinformation. As a result, no one knows what to believe.

In a climate of disillusionment, everything, including real facts, is disbelieved. On the Internet, all authorities are suspect. Truth in international affairs has become a question of atomized subjective belief, confirmation bias, and personal preference. Trust, rather than rationalism, drives the information sphere. The mainstream and alt-media compete for credibility and dominance in the fight to win the public's trust.

The Crisis Actors Conspiracy Theory

Image Sources: here (source Isabel Infantes).
Everyone has heard of 9/11 conspiracy theories, which have become elaborate over time; conspiracy theorists blame 9/11 on the American government and Mossad instead of Saudi-backed jihadist terrorists. There is a related bizarre conspiracy theory that many terrorist attacks are staged by deep state film production companies, with roving crews of crisis actors, directors, and lighting, sound, and camera operators.

Images from the 'crisis actors' false flag conspiracy theory. Images Sources: here, here, here. See search results on images of crisis actors here. Conspiracy theorists claim to have identified some actors' true identities and their acting credentials. You can see Rational Wiki debunk the theory here.

One supposed crisis actor became a meme on the Internet, known as 'Crisis Girl' or 'Disaster Girl' among false flag conspiracy theorists. Truthers claimed to spot Disaster Girl in footage from Sandy Hook, Aurora, Boston, Oregon, Paris and Manchester. These photoshopped images of her show what the truthers think of their governments and the mainstream media. They completely disbelieve reports of terror attacks. Images Sources: here and here. (Hat tip: The Research Rabbit Whole.) Snopes dismissed this theory as false.

The 'crisis actors' conspiracy theory arose when online sleuths noticed the same witnesses apparently talking to news media at different terror attacks; they decided these people were paid extras in staged reality-terrorism. In one case, an individual's repeated presence at three terror events (Boston, 2013; Paris, 2015; and Brussels, 2016) was openly acknowledged by the mainstream press. In another, one Columbine High School shooting survivor also survived a shooting at Virginia Tech. Was this bad luck, or a symptom of a deeper problem? And if it is the latter, does the problem lie with a sick, mendacious establishment, or with a deluded population?

Why does the BBC have the same "random" person at every crisis and discussion?

Really makes you think... 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gzV4ofrTpM

— /pol/ News Forever (@polNewsForever) May 28, 2017

This conspiracy theory would be impossible without Internet search engines, online news reports, and the ability of nearly anyone with a computer to take news footage, examine it frame by frame, and compare it to other footage from other events. Of course, nearly anyone also has the ability to alter images as well. That ability to use technology to deconstruct formally presented information in the MSM can uncover actual conspiracies - or it can leave the sleuth confused about his or her own abilities to analyze data. For example, Snopes dismissed a theory about a crisis actor in Syria as a hoax. But truthers don't believe Snopes.

Crisis Solutions: A Crisis in a Box

Crisis Solutions uploaded from Crisis Solutions' Website onto Youtube by Ole Dammegård (29 March 2017). Video Source: Youtube.

In a 29 May 2017 interview, a Danish conspiracy theorist named Ole Dammegård described a London business named Crisis Solutions. Dammegård took the 'crisis actors' theory one step further and argued that there is a reality-TV terror-false-flag industry. He claimed that the firm Crisis Solutions, which has regional offices in Edinburgh, Manchester and New York, is staging false flag terror events in order to manipulate popular support for global policies. One of the commenters on the above video agreed with him:

"Crisis Solutions - Who openly admits that the UK government is one of their clients and who orchestrated and were the masterminds behind the terror drill in London that happened on the Sunday 3 days before the Westminster FAKE attack.

They have blood on their hands!!

FAKE moulage blood, FAKE Boston bombing luminous blood made from tempura, FAKE moulage kit scars, FAKE, FAKE, FAKE!!! Treasonous SCUM!"

From its own material, Crisis Solutions states that it offers simulated crisis events for official training purposes to defend against real terror attacks. The firm's motto is: "We plan and deploy crisis simulation exercises that feel REAL." To test the robustness of response capabilities, Crisis Solutions promises to deliver the drama:

"You provide us with your scenario details, then we will write the news stories, film and make the news videos, write and pre-programme social media activity then hand the password protected website over to you. Crisis Cloud: it’s a crisis in a box."

Crisis Solutions has several specialties: cyber crime; terrorism; product recalls; food incidents; and pandemics.

CrisisCast

On the Internet, the auto-response to terrorism is paranoia. The assumption runs: if governments, businesses, and institutions can run crisis exercises which look exactly like real attacks, are they not capable of staging similar events and claiming them to be real?

The supposed aim would be to use fake attacks to manipulate and control civilian populations. Terror attacks justify surveillance, Internet control, and popular support for domestic and international policies which are influenced by the terrorism narrative: wars, pipelines, invasions, refugees, drone strikes, etc.

This is why there is a lot of online distrust of firms which stage fake crises for emergency training purposes. Take CrisisCast, another London crisis simulation firm, with an illustrious team, trained at top universities, with résumés to match in crisis media training, event management, theatre, reputational damage limitation, and psychology. CrisisCast won the 'Live Training Events Specialist of the Year - UK' award from the 2014 Business Excellence Awards. They were the 'Corporate LiveWire Winner' at the Innovation Excellence Awards of 2015. They are supported by the Yellow Heart Trust, which helps trauma survivors.

This is CrisisCast's business statement:

"We dramatise events for emerging security needs in the UK, Middle East and worldwide. Our specialist role play actors – many with security clearance – are trained by behavioural psychologists and rigorously rehearsed in criminal and victim behaviour to help police, the army and the emergency services, hospitals, schools, local authorities, government, private security firms, shopping centres, airports, big business, criminal justice departments, media and the military to simulate incident environments for life saving procedures.

We use state of the art British film industry techniques, props and special effects to help trainers deliver essential, hands-on, high octane crisis response and disaster management training. We also work with trainee doctors, psychologists and care professionals. ...

Our producers work with your trainers to create a 'script' that enables the role play actors to know when to trigger key developments in an evolving crisis management scenario. We brief and rehearse the team - where possible on location - but at least with video surveillance footage.

Heads of department manage each discipline and report to the lead producer who is your direct contact at all times."

CrisisCast's client list includes:

• Deloitte
• London City Airport Limited, for an Emergency Response Licencing Exercise in 2016
• Benenden School, for a Crisis Management Exercise
• Voluntary Services Overseas, for Crisis Management Roleplay
• UK Home Office, Security and Policing
• Kent Police, UK, Officer Safety Training and Mental Health
• Kent and Medway NHS, Psychiatry Roleplay and Mock Exams
• Bournemouth University, Training Films and Soundscapes
• Regester Larkin, for Crisis Management Roleplay
• G4S
• Good Governance Institute
• Habs Girls Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls
• Aldridge Foundation
• Independent Schools' Bursars Association
• MaST Learning and Development
• Sussex Partnership NHS
• Repton School
• Steelhenge
• The Open University
• UK Trade & Investment
• Micas Training Limited

CrisisCast are connected to Flashpoint, which specializes in 'Reality Based Training':

"Environments will need to become more realistic – the sights, sounds and smells will increase in fidelity. We believe the requirement for combined live and virtual events will increase and that these will be networked geographically by governments, military and NGOs. We also anticipate an increase in the requirement for us to track trainees and deliver accurate after-action reviews as part of our Reality Based Training. The ‘enemy’ will need to be more convincing in training and the flashpoint will need to be understood by learners so that methods of operation can be taught convincingly and psychologically, from the both the aggressor’s and victim’s point of view.

If trainees in any area of crisis management or disaster recovery learn in an unforgettable way what to look for, both in a situation and in themselves, we are confident that they will find it when reality bites."

It is easy to dismiss conspiracy theorists as deluded and disconnected from reality. However, as simulations become more and more realistic, and the establishment's integrity is questioned, one can see how the truthers would either become confused, or begin to suspect that the whole story is worse than a simple line drawn between the fake and the real.

The truthers argue that they are facing reality as it actually is. Inhabit their state of mind for a moment, and the vast corruption of the global establishment stretches out like a wasteland. Their horrific alienation is ironically intensified by systematic mainstream ridicule, dismissal and censorship. The point is not to dismiss the conspiracy theorists, but to ask why they exist now, to this degree. The new reality is not the mainstream version or the truthers' but an indeterminate blend of both.


ADDENDUM (1 July 2018): Crisis actors debunked by UK vlogger swilliamism.

Collecting Data and Controlling History (8 August 2017). Video Source: Youtube.