The Electronic Roots of Delusion
“A convincing
lie can get halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its
shoes”
I work as outreach coordinator for the UN-affiliated NGO,
International Medical Crisis Response Alliance1. One dilemma we've
encountered lately is responding to foreign colleagues who ask: “What is going
on in your country? Millions refuse
vaccination for political reasons? Trump incited a coup attempt and his
followers are blaming democrats? Are Americans insane?”
One of our practice areas is international psychology2, so I've got credentials to
respond to the sanity question: Why do over 35% of voters and 60% of
Republicans vigorously continue to support the policies of the most inept and
dangerous presidential regime in American history3?
Think of it this way; today's average Tiktokking, Facebooking,
Twittering American, with little time for extended analytic thought, is a prime
candidate for Pavlovian conditioning; and comprehensive conditioning can
succeed beyond Pavlov’s wildest dreams.
For over 40 years, electronic media has cultivated the 8-second attention
span, the vid-byte, the knee-jerk response4. The next step, socio-political indoctrination, was easy.
In the
flush Reagan-Bush years, republicans learned the
value of wrapping themselves in endless patriotic imagery, (flags, yellow
ribbons, weeping eagles etc.), praising the military and highly weaponized law
enforcement, damning gun control, striking aggressive poses against foreigners,
and circumscribing easy enemies (e.g. "Liberals"). The political
target of this was an agitated electorate immersed in bombastic emotional
patriotism and kneejerk xenophobia. Millions
of true believers, hungry for a unified American tribal identity, loved it.
Thereafter, the Right has ferociously maintained one of the most
convincing e-propaganda campaigns in history, and there has been little to
counter it. Since 2003, (when my parents mapped me onto their Republican email
forums), I’ve been receiving mails with titles like: “Antifa Celebrates after Cop Is Killed”5 headlining a campaign focused on a conservative demographic
with little tolerance for the vagaries of cautious objectivity. With the 2009
debut of online entities like the Tea Party daily email barrages were pumped
out with increased frequency and vehemence riddled with subtle
misrepresentations, blatant lies, false quotes from noted celebrities,
photo-shopped images, and
an us/them lexicon worthy of Goebbels6.
Today, Trump-aligned email-based news platforms like The Epoch
Times, Blabber Buzz Alerts, the Daily Signal, the Conservative
Newsroom and myriad others transmit daily inflammatory mailings like “Make America Socialist: Ilhan Omar
Legislation” abetted by talk radio, Fox news, Twitter posts, Facebook
memes, and Instagram images7. Demagogues-in-the-making like Matt Gaetz spout provocations and inaccuracies8. Trump himself continues to
claim (with the vigorous support of 66% of republicans) he is the “real
president”, blurting unrestrained belligerence while millions cheer themselves
hoarse9. In a development
chillingly reminiscent of Horst Wessel, the dead rioter Ashli Babbitt is now
being reconstructed as a martyr to the Cause10.
And just goes on, metastasizing into the national psyche until events
like the attack on the Capitol become nightmare reality. The relentless indoctrination
is so immersive that for millions, reality has become terra incognita.
Americans like my parents are adrift in a sea of cherished misinformation where
established media is dismissed as either “fake news” or “deep state”, leaving
no choice but a delusional alternate reality where nothing outside the Trumpist
universe is factual. As noted by our Israeli and German colleagues, the
parallels to Fascism are inescapable11.
Worse, following their voting base, major Republicans have lately
traded responsible statesmanship for agenda loyalty12. When elected representatives actively bow to
the electronic media-fed delusions of their electorate, the problem is serious.
Opposition to this onslaught of groupthink has been largely
ineffective. Those not exposed to the daily barrage of email and social media
propaganda fail to realize its penetrance and effectiveness. Instead of cleverly
strategic responses to widespread misinformation, we often get a lukewarm
series of cautious, vetted arguments which, alas, no longer resound with a
large segment of the American public.
An unprecedented
threat requires a novel and unprecedented approach. Why might that not be a response in kind?
There is no reason why accurate science, the rule of law and democratic
fundamentals cannot be conveyed through an alternate set of strategically-targeted
social media platforms, also wrapped in American flags, respect for the
military and patriotic symbolism, but focused instead on exposing blatant
misinformation and delusions.
Those
who understand the danger must focus on reaching their fellow citizens
languishing in a propaganda swamp. This is a
dangerous new phase for the world’s longest-surviving republic and our
awakening to it must involve skill, intelligence and strategic daring.