On a powerful date in democratic history, historian Anne Applebaum has an excellent #essay on today's authoritarian psyops.
"This tactic—the so-called fire hose of falsehoods—ultimately produces not outrage but nihilism. Given so many explanations, how can you know what actually happened? What if you just can’t know? If you don’t know what happened, you’re not likely to join a great movement for democracy, or to listen when anyone speaks about positive political change."
https://www.anneapplebaum.com/2024/06/04/the-new-propaganda-war/
@MLClark Still waiting for the prescriptive part of what to do about it.
It is no fun being Cassandra.
The weird thing is that none of it would work without the complicity of evangelical leaders. Actual evangelicals used to be properly horrified by Trump till he was embraced by their pastors.
Whole segment of society is way too easy to be led by the nose.
@MLClark SUCH a good read. Vital.
#propaganda #disinformation #Russiancolonialism #Russia #China
(This is a VERY long read, but the comprehensive analysis of Russia and China--among other sites of state oppression--is followed by some potent commentary about MAGA and key efforts to protect US elections and general democratic society that will matter greatly to many readers. It's too thoughtful a read to be captured well in screencapped quotations, so... if you're a weirdo on lunch break with the time for it, do enjoy the whole!)
#Democracy #Politics #History #International