Although gaslighting is probably a better word for it.
The lying is just… endless. Key stats are bullshit (CPI is the one I’ve talked about most) or damn nearly meaningless (GDP). There’s a genocide going on and most media organizations are pretending it isn’t happening, even though it’s live-steamed. In Britain “Palestinian Action” is designated terrorists, while Israel is not. The President of America lies almost every time he opens his mouth to do anything but shove another McDonalds burger into it. Everything Israel says is a lie.
The biggest media personalities are mostly lying about half the time and when they aren’t, what they say is misleading.
Software exists to modify surveillance footage. Combined with AI you can’t trust pictures or video any more.
In the US politicians scream about communism, when there has never, ever, not once, been a US government that was remotely communist and there isn’t a single communist elected member of Congress. Most Americans couldn’t even define communism, and think it’s things like universal healthcare or being against genocide, not workers controlling the means of production.
Outright lies about enemies are common:
He’s gotta sue all these people. Enough is enough. https://t.co/0pPFscUx2v
— Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) August 31, 2026
I mean, no, he never said that. Ever. Similar to the concerted media lies (an academic study found over 80% of media articles lied about Corbyn.)
It’s just relentless. I feel like I’m an intellectual janitor facing a mudslide worth of shit. No matter how fast I shovel, there’s always a thousand new lies.
Today I saw some scumbag claiming that building data centers is re-indstrialization (no, and it makes re-industrialization harder because it raises energy prices and misallocates capital.) I saw someone else say that insurance companies in the US are heroes because they deny care and someone has to tell doctors no, when international comparisons show that universal systems which deny far less care produce better results and cost less.
Sigh…
Nothing.
Nothing can be fixed if we believe lies. Nothing.
All of these lies exists because some group of evil scumbags want to do something that they know is bad for the majority of people. They need to manufacture consent, or at least muddy the issue enough to enrich themselves by impoverishing, sickening or straight up killing people.
It is that simple. It is that simple. It is that simple.
And it is radicalizing me to a degree I would never have thought possible because nothing can be fixed while these people are in charge or even tolerated. They all need to be removed from having any influence or power or wealth. This means basically every senior executive, every politician and every senior editor, producer or media owner. (Yes, there are exceptions, they are so exceedingly rare that they are meaningless.)
“Climate change isn’t real. There isn’t a genocide going on. Having billionaires hasn’t destroyed the middle class completely, the price of cars is only slightly higher than in the 90s.”
Remember all the idiots calling Clinton and Obama communists?
Garbage. Flaming mountains of garbage. All in the service of wanting more money than anyone could need, said money to be “earned” by hurting as many people as possible.
What I write here is for the benefit of everyone, but alas, I live in capitalism and I, and the site, take money to keep running. If you value the writing here and can, please subscribe or donate.
Jan Wiklund
Nothing to be desperate about. Probably the liars lie because *they* are desperate. Desperate because if they fall out from the socalled elites they are nothing, and the places there shrink. Or because they see their control of the world exploding up in their faces.
Perhaps this needs an explanation; here is a good one from Neutrality Studies (a good channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXStbbMKwGw (“It’s over” The West destroys itself”).
But the flip side of it is that there are practically nobody there to take care of the fallout. All experience says that when the power collapses the ones that fill the hole tend to be worse than the ones that collapses (Louis Philippe replaced by Louis Napoleon, Mubarak replaced by al-Sisi, etc). There is an utter lack of organization among the anti-systemic left.
Feral Finster
Lies are the ocean that the sociopaths who rule over us swim in.
StewartM
You too, uh? And you’ve just scratched the surface.
There’s a name for believing the lies when they’re starkly rebutted by obvious fact. It’s called being delusional. Remember when the Duyba staffer chided a reported for being a member of the “reality-based community?”
Although, a perhaps better word for that state is “ideology-blinded”. It’s denying what is obvious because your ideology tells you what you are actually seeing is impossible.
And–you’re right, the mediasphere and its control is responsible. It doesn’t even take a lot of digging to find out the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes; but most simply accept the “everyone knows” answer they’re fed and moves on.
spud
Immunity and limited liability can distort accountability in society by allowing entities, particularly government and corporate bodies, to evade responsibility for their actions. This can lead to situations where these entities benefit from their mismanagement or wrongdoing without facing the consequences, ultimately undermining trust and fairness in economic and legal systems.
americanstaffing.net BYU
Understanding Immunity and Limited Liability
Immunity and limited liability are legal concepts that can significantly impact accountability in society. They allow certain entities, such as government bodies and corporations, to avoid facing consequences for their actions. This can lead to a range of societal issues.
Immunity: This legal doctrine protects government entities from liability or prosecution. It can prevent individuals or businesses from seeking compensation for damages caused by these entities.
Limited Liability: This principle allows shareholders of a corporation to limit their financial losses to their investment in the company. It protects personal assets from being used to satisfy corporate debts.
Effects on Accountability
The combination of immunity and limited liability can distort accountability in several ways:
Aspect Impact
Evasion of Responsibility Entities can evade consequences for mismanagement or wrongdoing, undermining trust in systems.
Economic Inequality Victims of mismanagement may suffer financial losses without recourse, leading to greater inequality.
Public Trust When entities benefit from their own failures, public trust in institutions can erode.
Examples of Distortion
Government Entities: A government body may fail to pay a contractor due to sovereign immunity, even after benefiting from the services provided. This can leave the contractor in financial distress without legal recourse.
Corporations: Shareholders may avoid personal liability for corporate debts, leading to riskier business practices since they do not face direct financial consequences.
The interplay of immunity and limited liability can create a system where entities operate without sufficient accountability. This can lead to a lack of fairness and trust in both economic and legal frameworks, ultimately harming society as a whole.
americanstaffing.net BYU
Immunity and limited liability can reduce corporate accountability by allowing companies to evade responsibility for harmful actions, as they often shield owners and shareholders from financial losses. This creates a situation where corporations may prioritize profit over ethical practices, leading to negative economic and social consequences.
wur.nl irshadjournals.com
Immunity and limited liability can erode public trust by shielding officials from accountability for misconduct, making it harder for victims to seek justice when rights are violated. When accountability is weakened, citizens may perceive government institutions as unresponsive or unfair, undermining confidence in their ability to uphold the law.
Cato Institute columbialawreview.org
Sovereign immunity and limited liability shift legal and financial risks away from government entities and corporations onto citizens, making it harder to hold them accountable for harms or wrongdoing.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln columbialawreview.org
Understanding Sovereign Immunity and Limited Liability
Sovereign immunity and limited liability are legal doctrines that protect government entities and corporations from being held accountable for certain actions. This can have significant implications for citizens.
Sovereign Immunity
Definition: Sovereign immunity prevents individuals from suing the government without its consent.
Impact on Accountability: This doctrine makes it difficult for citizens to seek redress for wrongs committed by government officials or agencies. Victims often find themselves without legal recourse, which can lead to a sense of injustice.
Limited Liability
Definition: Limited liability protects corporate owners and shareholders from being personally liable for the company’s debts and obligations.
Impact on Citizens: This legal protection can shift the financial burden of corporate wrongdoing onto the public. When corporations engage in harmful practices, they may not face significant penalties, leading to a lack of accountability.
Consequences for Citizens
Aspect Sovereign Immunity Limited Liability
Legal Recourse Limited options for suing the government Individuals cannot hold owners liable for corporate debts
Financial Burden Citizens bear the costs of government failures Public may suffer from corporate harms without compensation
Perception of Justice Erodes trust in government accountability Can create a sense of unfairness in corporate practices
Both sovereign immunity and limited liability can radicalize citizens by limiting their ability to seek justice and hold powerful entities accountable. This can foster feelings of disenfranchisement and frustration among the public, as they may feel that their rights and interests are not adequately protected.
Cornell University columbialawreview.org
In America, elites often face criticism for being out of touch and not held accountable for their actions, leading to public frustration. This perception stems from their significant influence over policy and governance, which can create a disconnect with average citizens.
Cambridge University Press BBC
Perception of Elites in America
Accountability Issues
In the United States, elites are often criticized for their lack of accountability. This perception arises from several factors:
Influence Over Policy: Elites, including wealthy individuals and organized interest groups, have substantial power in shaping government policies. This can lead to a disconnect between their actions and the needs of average citizens.
Out of Touch: Many believe that elites are disconnected from the everyday experiences and challenges faced by the general population. This feeling is exacerbated when elites make decisions that seem to ignore the public’s interests.
Public Frustration
The frustration towards elites is fueled by:
Lack of Consequences: Elites often do not face repercussions for their decisions, leading to a perception that they operate without accountability.
Cultural Disconnect: Many elites are seen as living in a different reality, with their education and status creating barriers between them and the average citizen.
Impact on Democracy
This dynamic raises concerns about the health of American democracy:
Erosion of Trust: The perception that elites are unaccountable can erode public trust in democratic institutions.
Populist Movements: Frustration with elites has contributed to the rise of populist movements, as citizens seek leaders who they believe will represent their interests more effectively.
In summary, the criticism of American elites stems from their significant influence over policy, perceived disconnection from the public, and a lack of accountability for their actions. This situation poses challenges for democratic governance and public trust.
Cambridge University Press Los Angeles Review of Books
Many Americans feel that elites, including political and corporate leaders, often evade accountability for their actions, leading to widespread frustration and anger among the working and middle classes. This perception of being out of touch and incompetent contributes to a growing backlash against the elite class in the U.S.
hoover.org truthout.org
Perception of Elites in America
Many Americans believe that elites, including political and corporate leaders, often evade accountability for their actions. This perception has led to significant frustration among the working and middle classes.
Reasons for Frustration
Out of Touch: Elites are often seen as disconnected from the everyday struggles of average citizens. Their decisions may not reflect the needs or realities of the general population.
Incompetence: There is a growing belief that the qualifications and status of elites do not necessarily correlate with effective governance or decision-making. This has led to skepticism about their capabilities.
Hypocrisy: Many elites are criticized for advocating policies that they themselves do not follow. For example, some promote open borders while ensuring their own homes are heavily secured.
Impact on Society
The lack of accountability among elites contributes to a backlash against them, as many citizens feel that their voices are not heard in the political process. This growing discontent can lead to significant political and social movements aimed at reforming the system.
In summary, the perception that elites evade responsibility for their actions fuels anger and frustration among the working and middle classes in America.
hoover.org Time
Elitism can undermine trust in institutions and fuel social instability by prioritizing narrow self-interest over collective welfare, as seen in analyses of Sri Lanka’s challenges and historical cases like the French Revolution and Roman Empire.
Colombo Telegraph frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk
Elitism can significantly undermine a country’s stability and trust in its institutions. This phenomenon occurs when a small, privileged group prioritizes its own interests over the collective welfare of the population.
Several historical events illustrate how elitism can lead to societal downfall:
Event Description
French Revolution Resentment towards the aristocracy’s privileges sparked an uprising against the elite.
Fall of the Roman Empire The growing power of wealthy landowners led to a focus on self-interest, contributing to decline.
Collapse of the Soviet Union A disconnected ruling elite eroded public trust, leading to widespread discontent.
Elitism can result in various negative outcomes for a country:
Social Instability: Disconnection between elites and the general populace can lead to unrest.
Economic Disparities: Wealth concentration among a few can exacerbate poverty and inequality.
Political Corruption: Elites may prioritize personal gain over public service, undermining democratic processes.
Elitism, by fostering self-interest and disconnecting leaders from the needs of the people, can destabilize societies and erode trust in governance. Understanding its implications is crucial for addressing the challenges faced by nations today.
Colombo Telegraph frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk
Public perceptions of police and prosecutors in the U.S. vary widely by race, age, income, and party, with nearly half of Americans believing officers are not held accountable for misconduct and majorities of Black and Hispanic Americans sharing that view.
Cato Institute
Public Perception of Police and Prosecutors
Accountability Concerns
In the United States, there is a significant perception that police and prosecutors operate with a lack of accountability. Nearly half of Americans believe that law enforcement officers are not held accountable for misconduct. This sentiment is particularly strong among Black and Hispanic communities, where majorities express distrust in the accountability of police practices.
Factors Influencing Perceptions
The views on police and prosecutors vary based on several demographic factors:
Race: Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to feel that police are not held accountable.
Age: Younger individuals may have different perceptions compared to older generations.
Income: Economic status can influence experiences with law enforcement and perceptions of justice.
Political Affiliation: Views on law enforcement can also differ significantly between political parties.
Implications of Perceived Elitism
The perception of police and prosecutors as an elite group with little accountability can lead to:
Distrust in Law Enforcement: Communities may feel alienated and less likely to cooperate with police.
Calls for Reform: Increased advocacy for systemic changes in policing and prosecutorial practices.
Social Tensions: Heightened tensions between law enforcement and communities, particularly marginalized groups.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing the challenges of police accountability and rebuilding trust within communities.
advocatemagazine.com Johns Hopkins University
Mark Level
First 3 comments all good. I assume Ian was motivated here by the latest God-Emperor’s steaming piles of Bullshit.
Anthony Aguilar, well-informed, on Nima today. Trump said that they have “demined” the Hormuz Strait entirely, and some island was “attacked.” Utterly delusional. He also said Hegseth will be the fall-guy, and out before Thanksgiving. To be fair, Drunky Crow (see the comic strip Maakies) was the only one in the room to buy Netanyahu’s “1 attack and it’ll be over, regime change” fantasy.
Will the Donald last or be forced out. Aguilar thinks they’ll want to push him out, Bibi, the real Occult Secret Master, won’t let them resign for “health” or “family” reasons or whatever.
Hannah Arendt noted that when everything from TPTB is lies, people don’t just disbelieve the lies; they start to disbelieve Everything. That matters.
The ZioFanatics are the worst liars, the DimmieCraps a subtle shade “lighter” perhaps, but every bit as ill-meaning and vicious.
“Nothing can be fixed.” That’s intentional. “Fundamentally nothing will change,” Brain-Bleed Joe promised on a hot mic, couldn’t restrain himself. President Newsom (most likely) will work the same M.O. even as it becomes more threadbare and obvious as a lie.
mago
I’ve been aware of living in a world of lies and propaganda from a young age. In my teens I was outraged, in early adulthood cynical, and now that old age is knocking on the door and the lies and deception have increased exponentially, i wouldn’t exactly say I’m weary and resigned, but more like screw the assholes and whatever horses they rode in on.
Karma will out.
mago
And oh yeah, what about this social media “influencer” trend?
What a crock of shit.
People buy it because they’re brain dead and dumbed down, not because of Covid, although there’s that, too, but because of cognitive decline from too much screen time.
spud
they lie because they can get away with it.
Elite theory posits that power is concentrated in small groups who influence major decisions, and studies show policy outcomes often align with the preferences of higher-income groups rather than the broader public. Immunity from prosecution for state officials can shield elites from accountability for wrongdoing, reinforcing perceptions of unchecked power.
Wikipedia
Understanding Elite Immunity and Accountability
The Role of Elite Theory
Elite theory suggests that power is concentrated within small groups, often referred to as elites, who significantly influence major societal decisions. This concentration of power can lead to a disconnect between the interests of these elites and the general public. Studies indicate that policy outcomes frequently reflect the preferences of higher-income groups, rather than the broader population.
Immunity and Its Implications
Immunity from prosecution for state officials plays a crucial role in this dynamic. It can shield elites from accountability for their actions, allowing them to operate without fear of legal repercussions. This lack of accountability can foster an environment where unethical behavior is overlooked or ignored, reinforcing the perception of unchecked power among elites.
Concentration of Power: Elites hold significant influence over political, economic, and social decisions.
Immunity Mechanisms: Legal protections can prevent state officials from facing consequences for misconduct, contributing to a culture of impunity.
Public Perception: The ability of elites to evade accountability can lead to diminished trust in institutions and governance.
This interplay between elite power and immunity raises important questions about justice and equality in society, highlighting the need for reforms that ensure accountability for all individuals, regardless of their status.
Wikipedia Diggit Magazine
The fall of Rome is often attributed to various factors, including political instability caused by an imbalance between ruling elites and the majority. When the equilibrium between ruling elites and the majority tips too far in favor of elites, political instability is all but inevitable.
peterturchin.com
Factors Contributing to the Fall of Rome
The fall of Rome is a complex historical event influenced by multiple factors, including political instability and social dynamics.
Political Instability
The balance of power between ruling elites and the general populace was crucial.
When the elites gained too much power, it led to significant political instability.
This imbalance often resulted in civil strife and weakened the state’s ability to govern effectively.
Elites sometimes misled the populace, contributing to a loss of trust in leadership.
As the gap widened between the elites and the majority, dissatisfaction grew among the people.
This discontent was a significant factor in the eventual decline of the Roman Empire.
Summary of Key Points
Factor Description
Political Instability Imbalance of power led to civil strife and weakened governance.
Elite Misleading Loss of trust in leadership due to deception by the ruling class.
Social Discontent Growing dissatisfaction among the populace contributed to the empire’s fall.
The interplay of these factors illustrates that the fall of Rome was not solely due to the actions of elites but rather a combination of political, social, and economic issues.
peterturchin.com
different clue
Here is a little ray of hope, or an island of hope, or a tenuous little beachhead of hope, or however one wants to put that. In my not-even-amateur political opinion, Mayor Mamdani seems to have some of the political awareness and sensitivity and dare one even hope instincts of the late great FDR from long ago.
When American forces worked to fight their way over to Japan after Pearl Harbor, they didn’t take “every Island”. They took “strategically important and tactically useful” islands. It was called Island Hopping.
Pacific Island Hopping in World War II
https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-across-the-pacific-2361460
What if Mamdaniform groups and forces were able to analyze their way to knowing which Blue Cities were first-and-most important in a sort of “Blue Urban Island Hopping” strategy to create impregnable Blue Fortresses of of “stop it here” and then “turn it around” across America?
Anyway, here’s the link to the little Mamdani interview.
What Latino Voters Told Zohran Mamdani About Trump | The Moment Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqr2g1ebJq4
Jan Wiklund
Mark Level: There are no masters. This is only a convenient lie from the opposition, a way to hide that they are utterly disorganized and unable to be a real alternative to the aristocracy that is running the business for now.
These people are incompetent idiots in everything except “networking”. They would even scorn the idea that they should know anything about the world they are trying to manage. But they are really good at networking. So was the aristocracy of the Ancien Régime.
More about this at https://worldlinesletter.substack.com/p/incompetent-or-imperial-rethinking
Valiant Johnson
It seems as if the line between lies and story telling has become very blurry, not that it hasn’t always been.
Stories have a moral, truth and lies don’t.
Eclair
Yes, Ian, daily life, reading and watching the comments and actions of our ‘leaders’ feels like the intellectual equivalent of endless wading in a humid, fetid, stinking swamp, infested with flying stinging insects and scaly mammalian snake-like beasts with forked tongues and razor-like teeth. And it’s about to rain fire from the volcano next door.
I go dig in the garden, pull weeds, talk to the leeks, watch the full moon rise over my neighbor’s house, bathe in the music of the crickets at dusk. Offer my neighbors, on our group text chat, a bounty of cucumbers left on my doorstep. No takers, but we had a nice chat about cucumber recipes.
bruce wilder
Lies or bullshit?
Is that a distinction without a difference?
It seems to me that B.S. is what is flooding the communication space. The stock-in-trade for political journalism is narrative without regard to checking the factual foundation of the narrative. That is practically the definition of b.s.: spinning out abstract narrative explanations with no regard for consistency of narrative with fact.
Narratives have persuasive power and moral weight. That’s why narratives have value as political currency: narratives can organize and mobilize — or demobilize and paralyze — masses of people.
I don’t think the TPTB are intending to deceive with lies. I think the game is to debase completely the currency of democratic discourse. The idea is to prevent the political organization of masses of people pursuing their common interest by undermining the foundation of narratives in a common reality. There is always another freshly manufactured narrative explanation on offer to explain some set of facts and to hasten the forgetting of the recent past. It wears down the cognitive, critical capacity of anyone trying to process the flood of information. People are mobilized into cosplaying pointless crusades led by hollow heroes — “No Kings” rallies and worse.
bruce wilder
I have been watching two recent incidents reported in the news and thinking about what they indicate about the disability of public authority to maintain accountability.
One was the Tennessee hospital where a hospital pharmacy provided syringes of poison in place of anesthetic to an anesthesiologist in a surgical operating room. Four patients suffered catastrophically, before a surgeon called a halt to the proceedings. An 80-page investigation documented the serial failures to follow procedure in the pharmacy AND of the larger hospital organization to respond promptly with corrective action.
I am always interested in bureaucracy-in-action, since that is the unacknowledged but dominant form of economic organization. At the very bottom of this hierarchy was a tech, whose incompetence and inability to follow direction was previously documented but uncorrected. It was all videotaped, so score one for the ineffectualness, too, of the panopticon.
No reporting that I have seen, yet, on anyone being fired, losing a license, prosecuted criminally or civilly, the institution losing certifications or authorities. There is, theoretically, a dense thicket of legal liability in place and even active systems of institutional oversight from state and Federal regulators. This, not the highly abstract principles spud referenced at length, is where things work or don’t work in detail.
bruce wilder
The other case I have followed is the multi-state suit against Meta seeking penalties and remedies for harm to children on social media platforms run by Meta. The suit was settled by an agreement between the states and the company, despite damning evidence that was leading to a consensus among observers that Meta would lose in the eventual judgment of the jury.
The settlement may effectively prevent the states from pursuing or investigating the issues involved again for ten years. I might not be characterizing that part of what Meta gets from the settlement with complete accuracy, but that’s the gist. Meta gets a big obstacle to a legal power path for public campaigns against it, just as public opinion is swinging against surveillance capitalism.
A big reason the states caved is that they lacked confidence that the Federal judge would be willing to support remedies sufficiently invasive to corporate power. A previous high-profile antitrust suit against Alphabet (Google) succeeded at judgment only to fail at remedy, so it was not at all an unreasonable fear.
Eric Anderson
For the 10,000th time … “it’s the #CapitalistPropaganda stupid.”
Also see “The Long Con” by Rick Perlstein: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-long-con
To lie is a marker of tribal acceptance. To lie, is to know you belong.
To err is human. To lie about it without consequence is … divine.
Eric Anderson
And, I’ll continue in this vein.
I’ve written on here about the Epstein Class and how everyone misses the obvious. The people who rape children have ALWAYS been the elite. We have historically called those pedo factories “harems” and flaunted them before the masses as a symbol of power.
I can (family blog) your kids and you can’t do anything about it.
Same thing … I can call “black” “white” and you can’t do anything about it.
It’s the point.
Power, without accountability. This is the way of the world. And when the powerful get to comfy in their power — the poor kill them all and make an example of them for a generation or two.
John
I recently listened to a Nate Hagens podcast interviewing Greg Elliot about his book Psychopathic Selection Hypothesis, which views our damaged elites and institutions through the lens of game theory. He maintains that Dark Triad (Narcissism, Machiavellism and Psychopathy) individuals and the institutions they inhabit use corrupt practices such as lying to manipulate game wins and thus rise to the top of institutions. It was a very interesting dialog naming the problem. It was a bit short on solutions.
Dan Lynch
I gave up on debunking misinformation because as Ian put it, no matter how fast you shovel, there’s always a thousand new lies to debunk, because debunking requires research and time but lying does not.
So I think it is better to focus on having a positive agenda, positive framing, and constructive solutions.. I.e., I will never have all the facts for atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians, so rather spend time trying to wade through the propaganda to ascertain what really happened, my position is “Palestinians are human beings and have the same basic rights as all human beings. I support a secular state where everyone has equal rights regardless of race or creed.”
I focus on policies rather than politicians. I support good policies no matter which politicians backs them, and I oppose bad policies no matter which politician backs them. I don’t engage in “my flawed politician is better than your flawed politician” debates.
Rather than debate or belittle MAGAs, my position is that many of today’s MAGAs voted for Trump because Democrats abandoned the New Deal in favor of neoliberalism and divisive social issues. Yes, racism is a thing, but it has always been a thing yet racists voted for FDR and LBJ because they did tangible things to help the working class. You’re not going to “win” by criticizing MAGA, you win by doing positive things.
Dolly Parton is a good example of someone who focused on doing positive things.
Feral Finster
Anyway, the lies will continue, unless and until stopped. Because they work, They get the desired results, and as for the consequences? Nobody cares.
spud
bruce wilder:
but can the hospital management hide behind limited liability for hiring incompetence? you bet they can. the incompetent get fired, the hospital gets sued, and those with limited liability, get free to do this again and again, and keep all of their ill gotten gains.
Eric Anderson:
Power, without accountability. This is the way of the world. And when the powerful get to comfy in their power — the poor kill them all and make an example of them for a generation or two.
BINGO!
Dan Lynch:
Rather than debate or belittle MAGAs, my position is that many of today’s MAGAs voted for Trump because Democrats abandoned the New Deal in favor of neoliberalism and divisive social issues. Yes, racism is a thing, but it has always been a thing yet racists voted for FDR and LBJ because they did tangible things to help the working class. You’re not going to “win” by criticizing MAGA, you win by doing positive things.
BINGO!!
Brian M
This is all the result of the psychological studies done in the 19th and 20th century that were the basis for propaganda and, later, advertising and social media algorithms.
They lie because it works.
And in today’s world, where lies can be generated and distributed globally at the speed of light, they work really well. They provide those who want to believe with something to hang their hat on. They can be repeated so many times in so many places that they muddy the waters for those who would normally dismiss them.
A lie repeated often enough becomes indistinguishable from the truth.
Sad, but true.
DMV
A big factor in the fall of the Roman Empire was the massive influx of slaves that resulted from the success of military campaigns against the northern barbarians, who displaced rural poor as principal farm labor. The knock on effects led to a general emiseration of all but the elites and their immediate retainers.
The brief distinction between lies and bullshit is that the liar knows that what hr says is unttue while the bullshitter doesn’t care wheather what he says is true or not, as long as it advances his point
different clue
Here is a little couplet I remember Charles Walters Jr. offering decades ago in Acres USA.
” Truth there was, well laced with lies,
to baffle the fools and fool the wise.”
StewartM
Dan Lynch
Yes, racism is a thing, but it has always been a thing yet racists voted for FDR and LBJ because they did tangible things to help the working class.
Wrong. They voted for FDR because the New Deal was pretty much a “whites only need apply” thing (a necessary concession to get Southern votes in Congress). They turned against the Dems in 1968 because the Dems opened up those programs for blacks, and the very notion of blacks getting pubic assistance just like whites turned the white working class against welfare. That showed up in just 1968!
American democracy, wrote Edmund Morgan, was corrupted at its very inception by a contempt for the poor and the black. The Trumpists had a chance to lock that advantage in, probably for generations, by being more FDR or LBJ than either, but making getting guv’mint goodies a “straight white Christians only need apply” thing which is EXACTLY what MAGAs want. But the Trumpists are too corrupt, too incompetent, and too greedy (Trump is the true Ayn Rand hero in action, he lives his life with the sole purpose to satisfy his own desires) to have done that. And the Trumpists too, even those not rich, have a ‘contempt for the poor’.
And I don’t know whether to be thankful for all this or not.
DMV
On BS: Steve Bannon said one of the intentions of Trumpism was (echoing Goebbels) was “to flood the airwaves with sh*t” to offer a bogus counter-narrative to actual true narratives (not that the true narratives got much traction in US corporate media to begin with; witness Gaza, or Cuba, or Iraq, or….). So yeah, it’s to advance their point, but they do know they’re lying.