Everything about Cabal totally explained
A
cabal is a number of people united in some close design, usually to promote their private views and interests in a
church,
state, or other community, often by . Cabals are sometimes
secret societies composed of a few designing persons, and at other times are manifestations of
emergent behavior in
society or
governance on the part of a community of persons who have well established public affiliation or kinship. The term can also be used to refer to the designs of such persons or to the practical consequences of their emergent behavior, and also holds a general meaning of intrigue and
conspiracy. Its usage carries strong connotations of shadowy corners, back rooms and insidious influence; a cabal is more evil and selective than, say, a faction, which is simply selfish. Because of this negative connotation, few organizations use the term to refer to themselves or their internal subdivisions. Among the exceptions is
Discordianism, in which the term is used to refer to an identifiable group within the Discordian tradition.
Origins of the word
The term
cabal derives from
Kabbalah (a word that has numerous spelling variations), the mystical interpretation of the
Hebrew scripture, and originally meant either an
occult doctrine or a
secret. It was introduced into English in the publication of
Cabala, a curious medley of letters and papers of the reigns of James and Charles I that appeared in 1654.
Association with Charles II
The term took on its present meaning from a group of ministers of King
Charles II of England (
Sir Thomas Clifford,
Lord Arlington, the
Duke of Buckingham,
Lord Ashley, and
Lord Lauderdale), whose initial letters coincidentally spelled CABAL, and who were the signers of the public
Treaty of Dover that allied England to France in a prospective war against the Dutch. It must be said, however, that the so-called
Cabal Ministry can hardly be seen as such — the Scot Lauderdale wasn't much involved in
English governance at all; while the Catholic ministers of the Cabal, Clifford and Arlington, were never much in sympathy with the Protestants, Buckingham and Ashley, nor did Buckingham and Ashley get on very well with each other. Thus, the "
Cabal Ministry," never very unified in its members' aims and sympathies, fell apart by
1672; Lord Ashley, who became Earl of Shaftesbury, later became one of Charles II's fiercest opponents. The explanation that the word originated as an
acronym from the names of the group of ministers is a
folk etymology, although the coincidence was noted at the time and could possibly have popularized its use. The group, who came to prominence after the fall of Charles's first prime minister,
Lord Clarendon, in
1667, was rather called the Cabal because of its secretiveness and lack of responsibility to the "Country party" then out of power.
Use in relation to Computers and Usenet
During the rise of
Usenet, the term was used as a semi-ironic description of the efforts of people to maintain some order over the chaotic, anarchic Usenet community; see
backbone cabal. As in this specific case, references to an alleged cabal often fall within the realm of
conspiracy theory
Valve Software, the creators of games such as
Half-Life, use "Cabal Rooms" when working on projects such as new games or
bug fixes. These rooms usually comprise 10-15 people, many computers and design technologies, and at least one whiteboard. (See adjacent image).
Current usage
One recent example of the use of the word Cabal came in an accusation by former
Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff,
Lawrence Wilkerson, who claimed that the
Bush administration's foreign policy is run by a "Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal" implying a sinister intent. Currently on the
Comedy Central program
The Daily Show, the phrase "a global cabal of
Jews" is referenced from time to time, as a spoof on
antisemitic conspiracy theories. The existence or otherwise of cabals has led to the
Internet phenomenon originating on
Usenet, "TINC" (standing for
There Is No Cabal). In the
Computer Game Blood the dark cult of Tchernabog is called the Cabal, and is the protagonist
Caleb's main enemy. Many
Masonic conspiracy theories have pictured
Freemasonry as an international secret cabal; the propaganda of this vision was satirised in the
Sacred Order of the Stonecutters episode of
The Simpsons:
» Who leaves Atlantis off the maps?
Who keeps the Martians under wraps? » :We do! We do!
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cabal'.
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