REBOOT — Conspiracy Theories Are Weapons of War
Re-releasing my report from January 24, 2023 that recognizes conspiracy theories as tools of fascist politics
***In light of today’s coordinated conspiracy efforts, rebooting my report from January 24, 2023. Please subscribe and support.***
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.”-George Orwell, 1984
“Fascist politics creates a state of unreality, in which conspiracy theories and fake news replace reasoned debate. As the common understanding of reality crumbles, fascist politics makes room for dangerous and false beliefs to take root.”-Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works
Because we are in a continual trauma loop - more congressional grotesques, another FBI agent charged with working for the Russian mob, multiple mass shootings, rolling insurrections - I am going to ask you to press pause.
Press pause on the anguish, and take a breath with me. Inhale. Exhale.
All the lies we are being fed, all the unreality being carpet-bombed online, all those Kremlin propagandists loitering in corporate green rooms and Twitter Spaces - waiting their turn to plant poison in our brains - all of it is intentional.
Repetition, chaos, destabilization - designed to create the illusion that liberal democracies are broken. They are not - wounded, yes, but not broken. The people delivering the lies, chaos, and destabilization are broken. Recall, Keir Gile’s explainer on the broken people delivering Russian propaganda.
“Spreading wild conspiracy theories benefits fascist movements.”-Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works
Conspiracy theories are weapons of war…
We must acknowledge that conspiracy theories are fanned in order to kill the shared narrative of truth - to create chaos, destabilization, fear, disruptions. All this to benefit authoritarians, who are trying to take over the world with hybrid warfare.
Anti-science conspiracies create fear, distrust, and death. QAnon lies create a cult to be weaponized to violence. The content - easily debunked - is not the point. The destruction of truth is the point. The creation of militant mobs is the point.
If you are wondering, as I have been, why empathy has been replaced with nihilism, just know it’s a false reality being imposed upon us.
Equality, according to the fascist, is the Trojan horse of liberalism.-Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works
Those of us who have not had our minds cognitively hacked must be the light bearers. Reality is under constant assault. As Jason writes, “When propaganda succeeds at twisting ideals against themselves and universities are undermined and condemned as sources of bias, reality itself is cast into doubt. We can’t agree on truth. Fascist politics replaces reasoned debate with fear and anger.”
In RadPod’s interview with Dr. Mia Bloom, the co-author of Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon, she explains the radicalization process and how people already suffering from traumatic pasts are more vulnerable to the lure of conspiracies. She also warned about the dehumanization of others, and how dehumanizing has led to some of the world’s worst atrocities.
When dehumanizing is successful, the group that is duped into believing the worst of others will feel rage at the target group and many will want to lash out - as we saw on January 6.
“Fascist politics exchanges reality for the pronouncements of a single individual, or perhaps a political party. Regular and repeated obvious lying is part of the process by which fascist politics destroys the information space.”-Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works
As corporate media merely documented lie after lie after lie after lie spoken by Trump, I was screaming on Twitter: “Lying is the message! He is trying to wear down our ability to see truth. Parroting the lies promotes them.”
And that is exactly what happened.
“A fascist leader can replace truth with power, ultimately lying without consequence... By replacing the world with a person, fascist politics makes us unable to assess arguments by a common standard. ”-Jason Stanley
I began to see truth as an endangered species.
Jason explained the phenomenon: “The fascist politician possesses specific techniques to destroy information spaces and break down reality... Anyone looking at current U.S. politics, or current Russian politics, or current Polish politics, would immediately note the presence and political potency of conspiracy theories.”
Conspiracy theories try to destroy reality. But we must defend truth.
Conspiracy theories try to destroy decency. But we must be decent.
Conspiracy theories try to destroy empathy. But we must be empathetic.
Conspiracy theories are trying to steal our humanity. But we must be humane.
As Jason wrote, we are all flawed, but “none of us demons.”
Allowing others to be demonized, is to invite fascism to take root in our soil.
Nurture that soil with love, not hate.
Recognize conspiracy theories as weapons of war. Do not be dismissive. Be vigilant. Be kind.
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Author’s Note 10-4-2023 — Read Jim Stewartson’s report on this phenomenon here:
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