It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it. Upton Sinclair How could every Republican member of the Senate, save one, have voted to acquit Donald J. Trump of abuse of power in the January 2020 impeachment trial despite the clear evidence of his guilt? … Read more
We now live in a state of “malignant normality.” Lies, assertions, accusations, misinformation, and disinformation flow freely and routinely from the White House and from Fox News. They then get amplified by elected Republicans and through social media to a gullible public. The coronavirus pandemic is highlighting the danger of this situation. A few days … Read more
Pathocracy — a system of government wherein a small pathological minority takes control over a society of normal people. Andrew Lobaczewski Pathocracy — governance by individuals with a seriously defective or missing conscience, specifically narcissists, and their ilk. Elizabeth Mika The government of the United States is now unmistakably pathological. The behavior of the United … Read more
In August, 1941, Harper’s Magazine published an essay by journalist Dorothy Thompson entitled, “Who Goes Nazi?” The essay walks the reader through descriptions of the various attendees at a fictional dinner party and speculates about which of them would “Go Nazi” given the proper social or political circumstances. Some historical background To put the article … Read more
Disinformation is more than simply misinformation, or false information. Disinformation is false information that is deliberately spread in order to deceive. In our day to day lives we tend to trust the people we live with, work with, and worship with. We usually don’t live our daily lives in a suspicious, guarded, fashion. In our … Read more
On January 21,2010 the Supreme Court decided that “Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce individual candidates in elections.” This was the infamous “Citizens United” decision. People generally don’t know that the organization called … Read more
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Matthew 24:24 In 1978, the IRS revoked the tax exempt status of “Christian” Bob Jones University (Greenville, South Carolina) due to its racist policies. The next year, … Read more
Rather than shutting down dissenting voices, these leaders have learned to harness the democratizing power of social media for their own purposes—jamming the signals, sowing confusion. They no longer need to silence the dissident shouting in the streets; they can use a megaphone to drown him out. Scholars have a name for this: censorship through … Read more