Remember the "Big Lie?"
It's not about the election being stolen*. It's much worse.
Not to malign the world of fungii… but the way fungus can proliferate is a good lead into what I want to say today…
The Big Lie was Hitler’s basic operating method:
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame them for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.
The biggest and most dangerous lie*—of all the thousands of lies Donald Trump has spread—is that the mainstream media is not to be trusted; their reporting is “fake news.”
Granted, the MSM has its own issues, but on the whole, professional journalists do their best to find and deliver the facts. But when Trump claims over and over that his truth is the only truth, and that even the fact-checkers are lying, the unwary public is left with no place to turn for a reality check.
I have loved ones who actually fall for this shit, and it breaks my heart.
An Open Letter to My/Our Loved Ones who Live in Trump Country
Politics was never really your thing. You vote in every election, but otherwise you’re into other stuff. Unfortunately, the 2024 election drama has been impossible to avoid. Your friends watch FoxNews and NewsMax, and they follow Trump’s blizzard of “truths” and “retruths” on his own social media platform TruthSo…
When you undermine the public’s trust in its customary institutions, and you lie repeatedly and convincingly (to the gullible, anyway), you win the keys to the kingdom.It’s not just Trump either—it’s endemic in the current Republican MAGA party.
As Chico Marx said, “Who ya gonna believe? Me or your lying eyes?” [Classic description of gas-lighting.] Perhaps you recall Trump’s original spokesperson, KellyAnne Conway, who called his version of the truth, “alternative facts.”
Any negative story that breaks about Trump is immediately attacked as fake news. Then he whines he’s the victim of a leftist hate campaign. And to cap it off, he projects his misdeeds or personal short-comings onto his opponent or critic by accusing them of the flaws instead.
Remember this childhood stunt? “Who farted?” one of us would demand to know. The guilty party gleefully responds—“He who smelt it dealt it!!!”
Hence “Lyin’ Ted Cruz/Hillary etc”, calling women “fat pigs,” Democrats “cheaters,” etc. By now you can bet if he badmouths someone, he’s actually describing himself or something he’s done.
Well, we’ve got less than two weeks for the truth to break through… here’s praying.
…no matter the result, it is a devastating blight on America that this man—authoritarian, felon, racist, misogynist, sexual abuser, narcissistic serial liar—is nonetheless a viable candidate for president, even after all these facts are widely known.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I need to name the source of my anxiety right now: we’re losing the war on truth, on reality. With AI from malignant actors only magnifying the lies, we must find ways to regain public trust or democracy is doomed.
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* OK, the second most dangerous lie is that elections are rigged, corrupt—and any results not in Trump’s favor are not to be believed.
PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF POSITIVE THOUGHTS
I know, I know. I’ve been a Debbie Downer lately. Here’s advice from my dear wise friend Ginny Logan. It’s something we can all do—on another plane:
Imagine it is November 6, and you are incredibly relieved and joyful at the election results! She won!!!!! Really experience your feelings, imagine yourself sharing your relief with friends and loved ones, hugging one another, celebrating the positive outcome. Don't worry about the subsequent challenges, lawsuits, whatever. They will be worked through. Just feel how you will feel with Kamala's victory, and let the energy from those feelings travel forward in time to contribute to a victory for democracy and decency. The mind will come in with all its reasons and proof of how it's not possible, but do it anyway. Practice the visualisation, with the ensuing emotions, and try to do it at 3 or 4 in the morning, when the dread and terror arise.
AND, AS ALWAYS…PUT YOURSELF IN THE WAY OF BEAUTY
Excellent column - you really captured the anxiety I am beginning to feel as the election creeps closer. How can the polls be tied when Trump is so obviously unfit to be the president? Harris is doing a great job of presenting her qualifications and her vision for the country, but nobody seems to be listening. I would love to take your friend Ginny's advice and imagine that Kamala wins, but in doing that we could be setting ourselves up for an even greater disappointment if it doesn't happen!
So spot on. I’ve never felt such a profound well of anxiety. You’re extremely wise and adept at naming exactly what’s going down, which somehow helps to cope. Will humans ever learn, I question..??? These are terrifying times to watch unfold. Because no one can deny our country is in big trouble that this is even a contest.