“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.”
I AM THE ENEMY OF POWER - written during Trump’s first term - early in 2020 before his loss in a free and fair election he still says was stolen - without evidence. Since the truth is still under attack by Trump and his allies, I offer this Haiku series for your consideration …
I don’t have a right or left bias when I choose sources for news. My bias is for the truth. I don’t trust sources who use secret algorithms to serve me “news” (X and Meta) or sources that paid a settlement of almost $1B because they were caught lying (Fox News). Because I fact-check everyone and everything I hear and read, I do trust sources that present verifiable evidence to allow me to reach my own conclusions.
Mike, thank you for your work. It needs to be spread further and wider & I'm sharing with others who have a larger platform in the hope that they engage you.
Also, in reference to this post, one of my brothers was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 15 years ago. He has since chased many rabbits and having conversations with him is challenging because we exist on different planes of reality.
Having this experience with my brother, in relation to having and maintaining a pluralistic liberal democracy, I look at it this way... we all have latent fascisism/authoritarianism within our psyches, just like we all have latent cancer cells in our bodies. It is a matter of influences in societies that allow for the expression of fascism/authoritarianism, mainly rooted in bigotry and fear.
Those who seek authoritative or tyrannical power systematically create conditions to exploit this latent fascism that fosters fear and bigotry in some people leading them to support the would-be fascist/authoritarian/tyrant. This has been in the playbook of the modern Republican Party since McCarthy and became more organized and networked decade after decade. All the while, there was no organized counter from the segment of our population that supports pluralistic liberal democracy and the institutions built to protect it.
This lack of an organized network of support for pluralistic liberal democratic institutions, including an effective communication network, I think, is a key factor that must be addressed immediately to claw our way out of this spiral of tyranny.
This support will take time and money, but moreover and organizing unit to create and facilitate the structure for a network in support of pluralistic liberal democracy to form and evolve.
Excellent essay, thanks! Makes me think of Hannah Arendt: "...the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true..."
All this needs to be toned down a bit with fewer epistemics and generalities. There might be something here, but who can tell? would you please be more specific in your writing, and include some examples.
I did warn at the beginning of this piece that this is a philosophy blog. I promise you it makes perfect sense. But it's denser than your average read, I must concede.
This exactly. The Stoics would have been firmly on your side. We need a much better, robust education system. In the meantime, more robust democratic action is absolutely critical but where is it? Everyone needs to get on the same page. Same three bullet points. Same message. Keep it simple. Direct. Quit chasing the dog every time it barks!
“[Democracy] is not just about making choices; its [sic] about how societies discover, contest, and act upon shared truths.”
This highlights a truth about this moment in the history of the world: enemies of democracy and democratic institutions are actively, speedily, and relentlessly dismantling mechanisms that support and sustain trust. Without trust, without the shared belief that trust is possible, shared truths (to be discovered, contested, and acted upon) become impossible.
Of course antidemocratic actors have an alternative to trust: fear and terror, effective tools if the goal is not to support citizens but to create subjects. And subjects do not discover, contest, and act upon shared truths. They obey or suffer the consequences.
If you are able to withstand Shadi Hamid's infuriating needle threading you are made of sterner stuff than me.
“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.”
― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
I AM THE ENEMY OF POWER - written during Trump’s first term - early in 2020 before his loss in a free and fair election he still says was stolen - without evidence. Since the truth is still under attack by Trump and his allies, I offer this Haiku series for your consideration …
I AM THE ENEMY OF POWER
Slandered and abused
Beaten, bruised, but still fighting
For you - I am Truth
Not welcomed by all
To those who would do you harm
I’m the enemy
Behold my allies
Diverse views, skepticism
Inconvenient facts
My foes tell their flocks
“Others will lie to you. I’ll
tell you what to think!”
They’re threatened by me
Their power comes from closed minds
Anger, fear and hate
They will convince you
You didn’t see what you saw
Or hear what you heard
They will vilify
Shout-down, demean and malign
Those who speak for me
Trust your eyes and ears
Trust your power to reason
Trust I am there, but …
May be obscure. There’s
not always a smoking gun.
Sometimes, only smoke
But connect the dots
The proof is in the picture
Yes, that’s me you see
I’ve nothing to hide
I can stand your scrutiny
Because I am Truth
©2020 HHThorpe. All rights reserved.
EPILOGUE
I don’t have a right or left bias when I choose sources for news. My bias is for the truth. I don’t trust sources who use secret algorithms to serve me “news” (X and Meta) or sources that paid a settlement of almost $1B because they were caught lying (Fox News). Because I fact-check everyone and everything I hear and read, I do trust sources that present verifiable evidence to allow me to reach my own conclusions.
Mike, thank you for your work. It needs to be spread further and wider & I'm sharing with others who have a larger platform in the hope that they engage you.
Also, in reference to this post, one of my brothers was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 15 years ago. He has since chased many rabbits and having conversations with him is challenging because we exist on different planes of reality.
Having this experience with my brother, in relation to having and maintaining a pluralistic liberal democracy, I look at it this way... we all have latent fascisism/authoritarianism within our psyches, just like we all have latent cancer cells in our bodies. It is a matter of influences in societies that allow for the expression of fascism/authoritarianism, mainly rooted in bigotry and fear.
Those who seek authoritative or tyrannical power systematically create conditions to exploit this latent fascism that fosters fear and bigotry in some people leading them to support the would-be fascist/authoritarian/tyrant. This has been in the playbook of the modern Republican Party since McCarthy and became more organized and networked decade after decade. All the while, there was no organized counter from the segment of our population that supports pluralistic liberal democracy and the institutions built to protect it.
This lack of an organized network of support for pluralistic liberal democratic institutions, including an effective communication network, I think, is a key factor that must be addressed immediately to claw our way out of this spiral of tyranny.
This support will take time and money, but moreover and organizing unit to create and facilitate the structure for a network in support of pluralistic liberal democracy to form and evolve.
Russia invaded Ukraine, should read Russia was provoked into invading Ukraine.
Excellent essay, thanks! Makes me think of Hannah Arendt: "...the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true..."
Once you accept a lie/contradiction, everything becomes logically defensible. Trust is impossible.
All this needs to be toned down a bit with fewer epistemics and generalities. There might be something here, but who can tell? would you please be more specific in your writing, and include some examples.
I did warn at the beginning of this piece that this is a philosophy blog. I promise you it makes perfect sense. But it's denser than your average read, I must concede.
This exactly. The Stoics would have been firmly on your side. We need a much better, robust education system. In the meantime, more robust democratic action is absolutely critical but where is it? Everyone needs to get on the same page. Same three bullet points. Same message. Keep it simple. Direct. Quit chasing the dog every time it barks!
“[Democracy] is not just about making choices; its [sic] about how societies discover, contest, and act upon shared truths.”
This highlights a truth about this moment in the history of the world: enemies of democracy and democratic institutions are actively, speedily, and relentlessly dismantling mechanisms that support and sustain trust. Without trust, without the shared belief that trust is possible, shared truths (to be discovered, contested, and acted upon) become impossible.
Of course antidemocratic actors have an alternative to trust: fear and terror, effective tools if the goal is not to support citizens but to create subjects. And subjects do not discover, contest, and act upon shared truths. They obey or suffer the consequences.
thanks for the informative blog! (: