Wow. That's not a sarcastic wow. It's a genuine wow.
I've never though about it this way, but you're absolutely right. In those early days of the internet, anti-government sentiment was just about everywhere. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's the sole reason why the "Area 51" area of Geocites existed. (I'm definitely dating myself here, but remember when your Geocities URL was tied to a little house? Good times.) There were other things, too, like the ubiquitous "Anarchists' Cookbook", the ever-popular "alt.conspiracy, and the old BBs that you could only get to through Telnet -- as if Telnet was some kind of magical thing that shielded you from the government.
Let's also not forget Art Bell. Though never quite mainstream, he was insanely popular back then. Yes, I remain a fan of those old broadcasts (because, come on, they're the right mix of hilarious, off the wall, and awesome), but it's not lost on me how that guy almost singlehandedly launched the '90s fascination with UFOs, conspiracy theories, the occult, and whatever else. Art Bell WAS the X-Files. The show (now that you bring it up) only reinforced the crazy shit that Art Bell and co. were broadcasting.
All of that has fermented and seeped into the mainstream, and now we are one nation under Dale Gribble.
On a personal note, the best episode of the X-Files was the one where Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebec were Men in Black because, come on, that's the world I want to live in.
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I've never though about it this way, but you're absolutely right. In those early days of the internet, anti-government sentiment was just about everywhere. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's the sole reason why the "Area 51" area of Geocites existed. (I'm definitely dating myself here, but remember when your Geocities URL was tied to a little house? Good times.) There were other things, too, like the ubiquitous "Anarchists' Cookbook", the ever-popular "alt.conspiracy, and the old BBs that you could only get to through Telnet -- as if Telnet was some kind of magical thing that shielded you from the government.
Let's also not forget Art Bell. Though never quite mainstream, he was insanely popular back then. Yes, I remain a fan of those old broadcasts (because, come on, they're the right mix of hilarious, off the wall, and awesome), but it's not lost on me how that guy almost singlehandedly launched the '90s fascination with UFOs, conspiracy theories, the occult, and whatever else. Art Bell WAS the X-Files. The show (now that you bring it up) only reinforced the crazy shit that Art Bell and co. were broadcasting.
All of that has fermented and seeped into the mainstream, and now we are one nation under Dale Gribble.
On a personal note, the best episode of the X-Files was the one where Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebec were Men in Black because, come on, that's the world I want to live in.