US conspiracy theorists claim liberal media is preparing for a new civil war

The American Civil War saw a nation divided, fighting brother versus brother. It ended on April 9, 1865, and since then the United States has remained peacefully bound for over 150 years. However, some people believe that might change.

There’s a sense that political polarization is hitting an all-time high across the country, with a growing divide between liberal coastal enclaves in big cities such as New York or San Francisco, and more conservative Middle America.

British filmmaker Alex Garland, who in the past wrote ‘28 Days Later’ and directed ‘Ex Machina’, will release in the spring of 2024 the movie ‘Civil War’ and no, it’s not a Marvel production.

Pictured: Alex Garland during the premiere of 'Ex Machina' in 2015.

The A24-produced ‘Civil War’ focuses on a war correspondent played by Kirsten Dunst in a near-future America divided by an armed conflict between the US government and breakaway states.

Details about the movie’s plot so far are scant, but the trailer shows a three-term US President played by Nick Offerman talking about sending the US military to fight off secessionist troops in Texas and California.

Some elements of the movie seem farfetched (Texas and California fighting on the same side?), but for some people, the movie feels too real.

Vice News comments that, despite having very little information about the movie, people on social media have argued that the movie was made to prepare the public for the real thing.

According to Newsweek, conservative commentator Jack Posobiec denounced the movie over X (formerly Twitter) as “Predictive Programming”.

Image: JackPosobiec / X

Jack Danger, another pro-Trump social media influencer cited by Newsweek, claimed that “It's Predictive [because] there will be a Civil War after they use illegals to steal the 2024 election.”

Image: AmericazOutlaw / X

Predictive Programming, Newsweek explains, is the conspiracy theory that the government, or the powers that be, use mainstream media to mentally prepare the population for planned, upcoming events in an indirect manner.

Image: climatereality / Unsplash

This is related to the concept of the Overton Window, that you can slowly normalize an otherwise unthinkable idea or notion by gradually pushing what we believe is acceptable.

Image: goodspleen / Unsplash

Vice News points out it is not the only movie that has been accused of being a tool for “predictive programming”. The Netflix-distributed movie ‘Leave the World Behind’ faced a similar backlash online.

Image: freestocks / Unsplash

‘Leave The World Behind’ is a thriller by Sam Esmail about a family vacation in Long Island turning into a nightmare due to a large scale cyberattack cutting off power and communications, pushing society into collapse.

Vice News highlights that the apocalyptic thriller by Sam Esmail was produced by Higher Ground Productions, which is owned by Barack Obama and his wife. This fueled conspiracy theories about finding hidden meaning behind an otherwise low-rated apocalyptic thriller.

The notion of a Second Civil War is not new in fiction. There’s been science fiction movies, comic books, and TV shows playing with the concept, usually as a reflection or commentary of current-day divisions.

In the past, the United States has lived critical hours and moments of tension. However, the country has always managed to find a common ground that most people could agree on. Has the country lost that middle of the road?