30 October 2022: The big lies in politics today
Source: https://tinyurl.com/2m3pm6ba
There are 5 big lies in politics today:
1. The COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax - it is not that serious and this "crisis" has been manufactured for political purposes.
2. Vaccinations are dangerous. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines is hazardous to your health.
3. Climate change is a hoax, intended to promote a political agenda that has no validity.
4. Donald J. Trump won the 2020 presidential election.
5. There was massive fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
None of these statements is true. There is no reputable evidence to support any of them. Yet a large minority of the US public still believes them or is willing to state that they do.
According to the American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology, a big lie is:
a propaganda device in which a false statement of extreme magnitude is constantly repeated to persuade the public. The assumption is that a big lie is less likely to be challenged than a lesser one because people will assume that evidence exists to support a statement of such magnitude. Josef Goebbels, the propaganda minister in Nazi Germany, repeatedly used this technique when he charged the Nazis’ enemies with heinous crimes. See https://dictionary.apa.org/big-lie
What should our response be to these big lies?
First, we should shun the public officials, institutions and individuals who are promoting them. We should not vote for them or give them our money or attention. I try to avoid listening to them speak or to even be in the same room with them. If we get close to these evil people and activities, there is a strong likelihood that it will affect us, no matter how opposed we may be to their views. Evil is seductive, and none of us is immune to it. Initially, we may find the speakers interesting or important to listen to, even though we oppose their views. This is the first hook. As our exposure to them increases, the more hooks they will get into us (e.g. some of their views are not that outlandish, they really are a good speaker, I guess that makes some sense, etc.) until we have been "brainwashed" or become part of their "cult".
Second, we should demonstrate the courage to publicly denounce the big lies. Many public officials know that these claims are false but are afraid to denounce them because Donald Trump and his supporters will attack them politically. This is a real fear because Trump has repeatedly done this in the past. However, the effective and proper way to respond is for enough of us to stand up to these liars - only then will their power diminish. If we side with them or even stay silent, their evil will grow and there may ultimately be few people left to speak out:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
—Martin Niemöller, https://tinyurl.com/38u555m4
Third, we must vote and encourage others to vote. We should do all we can to ensure that we have a 90% voter turnout in our community. Voting makes individuals stronger and better people and also makes our communities stronger (http://natpernick.blogspot.com/2022/09/12-september-2022-voting-to-achieve.html). Legally, we do not have to vote, but morally, this is a requirement for us as citizens.
Finally, we must become more politically active. There are a myriad of activities we can do but we have to do more than we did in the past if we want society to get stronger, or even to prevent things from getting worse. Some people work on political campaigns for candidates or issues. Some attend meetings of their city or county governmental boards. Some work for nonpartisan groups supporting issues they believe in. Some support the social action activities of their religious institution. What we do is up to us, but we need to choose something now and start working to make the world a better place through these activities.
@NatPpolitics