False Flag Hoaxers
From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Parkland, Florida, the scourge of mass school shootings has plunged many citizens across the United States into permanent grief and ignited emergency activism in many other countries search. False Flag Hoaxers is about a very different subset of citizens. They were few in number, but ferocious in their ability to disrupt the spotlight on tragedy. To them, these events do not represent unspeakable atrocities, but a conspiracy orchestrated and carried out at the highest levels of government.
Produced by VICE News, the film introduces viewers to several false whistleblowers who are part of a larger community that comes together primarily through social media platforms. There they dissected the sequence of events reported by law enforcement. They study news footage and look for inconsistencies in eyewitness interviews. They refer to those lucky enough to survive these events as “crisis actors,” hired to peddle false narratives. Some had the audacity to accuse the victims’ families of being part of a massive conspiracy. In the many cases that appear in the film, their methods appear brazen and brutal, but their determination is stubborn.
Side Thorn is one of the conspiracy theorists portrayed in the film. Standing next to a makeshift memorial at the foot of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, he harassed mourners for the 2017 shooting that killed 26 churchgoers. He demanded evidence that contradicted his contention that the Department of Homeland Security orchestrated the massacre.
Filmmakers try to understand what drives these crooks to make outlandish claims and place additional burdens on surviving victims of violence. Is it a symptom of mental illness, a desire for fame, or is it purely politically motivated? Their ugly rhetoric has been inspired and fueled by the likes of Info Wars’ Alex Jones and other conspiracy-oriented media anchors.
Victims who witnessed these tragedies and lived in deep grief hindered her account. False Flag Hoaxers is a thought-provoking and annoying viewing experience.
