Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cowboy Cooper Goes West: Mystery Babylon And The Western Hero Archetype, Matthew Bancroft-Smithe

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) at UNI

William Milton Cooper was a radio show host, author, and conspiracy theorist. Among other things, Cooper claimed insider knowledge of a plot, guided by an ancient Luciferian religious order, to consolidate nations into a socialist New World Order. Although currently unexamined in academia, Cooper’s conspiratorial influence can be found everywhere from the Oklahoma City Bombing to contemporary false flag accusations to QAnon mythology. While this influence includes shared content, Cooper’s approach to evidence, persona, and narrative framing demand attention in a world of increasingly visible conspiracy discourse. Through application of Hocker-Rushing’s western hero archetype, my research indicates that Cooper’s Mystery …