Rubin: Time to confront the right-wing myth-makers

[JHB]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/06/time-confront-rightwing-myth-makers/

Opinion by Jennifer Rubin
Columnist
November 6, 2020 at 7:45 a.m. EST

***
Many in the right-wing media bubble are marooned in a weird time warp in which the “other side” is some Cold War-era Marxist caricature. (Hence, the infatuation with the word “socialist." ) But there is also a jaw-dropping, willful blindness about U.S. history and race that allows Trumpian media personalities to exempt anyone from the charge of white supremacy unless they don a robe and hood. These opinion-makers and politicians have imbibed an unhealthy dose of authoritarianism and self-satisfaction with the status quo to the exclusion of concern for social justice, tolerance, freedom, equality and inclusion. Wittingly or not, they are the quintessential defenders of white supremacy, in which challenges to authority are painted as extreme and dangerous.

Mix in a heap of White evangelical Christians’ sense of victimhood (for whom no legal accommodation of religious liberty is sufficient), and you get a writhing right-wing culture that feels justified in its intellectual dishonesty. It is more than willing to recklessly dispense whatever snippets of information advance its philosophy with little regard for the source’s credibility. The results are injurious to our democracy and often even to the right wing’s stated values (e.g., capitalism, family integrity).

***

What do we do about this phenomenon? Appealing to the better angels of their nature seems like weak tea. Instead, we need steady determination to rebuke falsehoods at every turn and drain the myth-makers of some of their effectiveness. Some public-spirited billionaires’ investment in media outlets — not to change their ideological outlook, but to insist on strict adherence to reality — would be welcome. A willingness to debunk right-wing dishonesty on its own turf (God bless former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg for going on Fox News) might also help. (Disclosure: I’m a contributor for MSNBC.) And, sometimes, an intervention comes from within, as when numerous reporters and editors at the Wall Street Journal revolted against the editorial page’s proclivity to play fast and loose with facts. There are also heroic efforts among NeverTrumpers, such as the team at the Bulwark, to take on purveyors of right-wing lies and nonsense.

***

We have seen one painful consequence of this intellectual dishonesty: Millions of Americans are convinced to put themselves at risk of contracting a deadly disease rather than listen to fact-based “elites.” Many have died as a result, and self-governance has been weakened. The sooner we confront the right-wing myth-making industry, the better.

Although I do feel the need to point out that absolutely none of this is new to us liberals who saw these points coming together over the last several decades, but were dismissed as "too shrill" and "radical leftists" by people who needed Trump to yank the scales from their eyes.


Can we have some rich Democrats support an actually-liberal media?

[The Genealogist]

1. Neutralize the RW propaganda machine

That is necessary. I don't mean censor it. I mean drown out its noise with viable alternatives.

[JHB]

2. That, but also do what the Right did to us...

Look for ways to break it up and get the pieces working at cross purposes.

There are a lot of media ownership laws and regulations that need to be gone over and revised. Even though there's a lot we probably won't be able to do right away (especially with a Senate run by Moscow Mitch), we need a plan of action to work towards where and when we can.

[orwell]

3. The propaganda machine has largely moved online...

...radio and traditional television are dying.

This was the key to Trump's 2016 victory. The democrats for all their vaunted "digital dominance" did not understand this.

They got dominated in 2020 as well but Trump was such an unmitigated disaster it wasn't enough.

Democrats better get their social media and online propaganda machine ramped up or they will allow minority Republicans to over achieve again.

Online media is so much more conducive to mind control due to micro targeting it is not even close. Robert Mercer, a billionaire hedge fund manager with deep roots in IBM speech and pattern recognition put Trump in office using Cambridge Analytica micro targeting and mind control techniques on a weaponized Facebook platform. He had willing foot soldiers using Putin's psy-ops boys from the GRU.

This is high level mind control warfare and the democrats better get up to speed. We already have the facts and the issues on our side. We are losing a real lasting majority because we are bringing a knife to a gun fight.