…that is easily identified. You see it for what it is right away. In fact, you kind of enjoy it for what it is. It’s a guilty pleasure that you indulge in from time to time. But, soon enough, the irony starts to fall away and you find the crazy strangely compelling.

Soon enough, it doesn’t seem so crazy. At all.

For me, Conspiracy Theory is that kind of crazy. In fact, I don’t even like to refer to it as crazy. So many theoretical conspiracies have turned out to be true over time that, on some level, I don’t want to dismiss things outright just because they go against the conventional wisdom.

And, having said that, I recognize I’ve slipped over the boundary once again.

“Welcome back to Crazy Town, Mr. Camp. Let me stamp your passport. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop.”

Reading this post on the mind control meta-messages in the movie ‘Labyrinth’ at the Vigilant Citizen website is a great example of this in action.

At the outset of the article, I was a bit “Oh, I don’t know…” about the premise:

Like many other fantastic tales, the movie conceals within its symbolism an underlying meaning and, in this case, it is rather disturbing. Labyrinth describes the programming of a mind control victim at the hands of a sadistic handler.

Yeah. I have trouble believing Jim Henson is, intentionally or not, providing material for the MK-ULTRA program.

But it’s an entertaining read. The Vigilant Citizen always adopts a reasonable, even academic tone that sets them apart from other conspiratorial bloggers…

But like many of these delightfully twisted fantasy movies, there is more to Labyrinth than meets the eye. By understanding the occult symbolism and references in Labyrinth, the movie becomes a big allegory for mind control, where each scene refers to a particular aspect of the process. What appears to be a young girl’s quest through a Labyrinth to find her baby brother becomes a metaphor for the internal world of a mind control victim that is being programmed by a handler.

…and by the end, I’m not merely on a happy day trip to Crazytown. I’m meeting with the local realtor…

What appears to be the defeat of Jareth is actually a victory as he successfully programmed Sarah’s internal world. It can be used, in her words “every now and again in her life”.

Yeah. Sarah’s not the only one who’s been reprogrammed, pal. Thanks.

I’m going to have to take a much closer look at Elmo in Grouchland now.

(For what it’s worth, the photos of Bowie drawing the Tree of Life and posing in Crowley-esque Egyptian garb was where I felt my mind shift into going “Oh. Yes. I can see it all so clearly now.”)