Well, you guys have your own opinion and I agree with some of what you say. For some there is a kind of pathological need to believe in higher powers and this need can manifest as pre-occupation with conspiracies. I've met a host of people ready to believe in almost anything no matter how unsubstantiated. Others as Mr Green identifies need to kick against something. I feel many who fit into this category are disgruntled with life and harbor bitterness about the perceived injustices and hardships they have encountered at the hands of a corrupt system. There are of course 'justified' grievances as a consequnce of real injustice and corruption.
I have encountered a variety of motivations which drive people's interest in the discovering the bigger picture. Some I would describe as possessing very unhealthy motivations driven by various psychological disturbances and fractured emotions. Others as you have surmised seek power and influence for their own sake and this represents the inevitable narcissism of some. Each sphere has it's messianic individuals, confidence tricksters and sales men looking to make a fast buck on the back of a trend. I, personally, have very little time for these people and view them as playing into the hands of all those who want to put everyone in the same camp and label them as crank conspiracy theorists. They are perfect candidates for government agencies eager to debunk challenges to the propaganda they feed the apathetic masses.
This is all unfortunate and really does commit a powerful injustice and hinderance to those individuals who come from mostly scholarly backgrounds such as the academic, scientific and journalistic fields who are true investigators. These people are hugely distinguished and distinct from the gullible parties I've mentioned above. The interest of this group is in substance to any claims they make, evidence from verifiable sources and expert witness accounts. When this group of seekers make a claim they ensure there is evidence to give the claim credence. They are the most feared group from the perspective of governments because their claims are supported by substance and are not so easy to dismiss or ridicule (although this does not prevent the government and its various arms from doing so).
It has been mentioned on this forum that some BKs are earnest seekers after the truth concerning the movement and its real history. I would say that many members on this forum are interested in the same and present their own expert witness testimony to substantiate their claims about the BKs. There are obvious similarities here with many like myself and many others who aspire for an accurate account of events. It is easy to perceive groups in a blanket fashion and attribute the same motivations and aims to all of them but that is a mistake. There are always many shades and varieties that make up the whole. Lets not dismiss so easily the reality that there is an ever increasing cohort of earnest investigators dedicated to exposing the real picture.
I am struck by the comment from Mr Green that suggests it's normal for leaders and governments to lie and be corrupt. I agree with that statement but because it has become the norm does not make it right? Should we just passively dismiss it as inevitable and unchangeable? The extent of the corruption is mammoth and adversely effects the lives of millions. In fact, all those who are caught in the systems they rule and control. If we care as people of substance about the human condition, we naturally envisage a world less dominated by manufactured suffering and hardship.
Much of this hardship, including the billions living of two dollars a day, is the result of a toxic world system orchestrated by even more toxic individuals. It must be changed for all our sakes including future generations if they are to experience the right to health, freedom and prosperity. To change it first means to expose it for what it is to the masses are clearly and potently as possible so that eyes wide shut are opened for real. This means exposing the extent of the corruption and those behind it. Then we must look ahead to a new and much more benevolent system.
ex-l, you make an excellent point. Who is there to take us forward to a better alternative? I would say we all are here to take us forward. When people break free of the indoctrination, the propaganda, the apathy, the sense of powerlessness, and are newly armed with an understanding about themselves and the world long kept from them, the future will not be as hard to discern as you might imagine. Already in the US and Europe alternative 'transition' towns and communities and being established.
This is a growing trend as people become disillusioned with the existing system and step away from the popular culture. The view and education propagated in these communities is very different from that peddled by the current corporate controlled system. They home educate, and teach their children a new philosophy based on ethical (some might say spiritual) values. Of course, some communities simply reject the system because they have always felt alientated form larger society. Of course, all shades exist here too.
I, personally, don't believe the BKs have got any closer to the world they envisage but I feel pretty sure those real architects of our societies have become very close to the world they desire.
If some people feel my comments are off topic then fair enough but I feel it is important to acknowledge real investigators and seekers from those driven by less healthy motives.