CommentsMY TURN-We all know that having conversations with conservatives is an exercise in futility.
However, be “wary” of those who claim to be non-partisan, aka so-called “Independent”. This can often be conservative-speak for “I don’t want to reveal my basic racism and bigotry” while I proclaim and push my belief in Jesus.
I recently had this kind of discussion with a family member. She is adamant about not being a Republican and yet every word that comes out of her mouth is directly from Fox (aka the propaganda channel). She holds vitriol hate for Hillary Clinton and President Obama and spews the same debunked conspiracy theories that one hears from Breitbart/Limbaugh/Sinclair/Jones.
She knows I am a researcher and a writer and when she demanded “proof” for all the Republican atrocities I told her it was very much available on sources other than Fox. Of course, then she wanted me to supply her with MY research and that’s when I gave her a test.
We are aware that conservative trolls will deny any and all data, research, and proof from viable sources, so I dangled the Politifact media fact checking which showed that Fox is not a “news channel” as they only report an average of 18% truth — they are indeed on the bottom of the barrel when it comes to being reliable.
Her response? “It’s a lie”
I then told her that no amount of information that is supplied to a cult will dissuade their delusional beliefs. We have witnessed this throughout history, from Jim Jones to Marshall Applewhite. When someone buys into the cult mentality it is a psychological adoption of anything and everything that reinforces their core beliefs and everything else is untrue.
The hypocrisy of these people is absolutely astounding. In this case, the woman proclaimed that she didn’t believe in the accusations until proof is offered to prove them guilty. And yet in the same breath she attacked Hillary Clinton, a woman who asked to go before Congress and spent 11 hours being grilled by some of the nation’s most disgusting Republicans…without evidence to prosecute her for any wrong doings. They ignore the fact that President Obama took a failing economy and, even though he had to battle the Republicans, brought us out of a horrid GOP-caused recession. They can’t even remember what it was like nine years ago!
All that was left unsaid in this conversation was that Hillary and Obama were in league with reptilian aliens.
The Psychology of Brainwashing and Propaganda
While this particular family member said she watches both Fox and CNN for her news sources, I am very adept at hearing the standard Fox propaganda. After all, I see it every day and they have the same standard talking points, accusations and pretty much “cut and paste” comments. She complied with each of the requirements in her responses and this validated she had indeed succumbed to the brainwashing techniques.
I wrote an article detailing the history, methodology and psychology in my article:
How Fox Brainwashed Conservative America
Conservatives Believe More News Lies than Liberals
This is not just an opinionated statement, it is backed up with scientific studies. Many of us may have asked why our uncle, father, cousins or associates buy-into the false narratives of Fox. In a previous article I wrote entitled: “The Misinformation Fallout: Conservatives Still Taking the Bait,” I included:
“Conservatives and the extreme left share one thing in common: they live in a bubble of denial and they will believe anything, no matter how bizarre, that appeals to their beliefs. Now this may sound like a glove being thrown down, but let’s address conservatives first. In an article by PsychologyToday which stated:
“An interesting study by Fessler et al. (in press) found that conservatives are more receptive to believing false negative information regarding hazards (relative to benefits) than liberals. This is called negatively-biased credulity. The study was covered in The Atlantic by Olga Khazan in “Why Fake News Targeted Trump Supporters.”
It should be noted that the purveyors of these foreign and domestic fake news sites admitted that they couldn’t do the same thing with standard liberals as they were caught when they “fact checked.”
While those of us with common sense and the ability to discern facts recognize and understand what is going on, we are also feeling powerless to do anything about it. Every fascist regime had people that knew the truth and yet when they spoke up were removed from the scene.
It only took two generations to downplay the horrors that led up to World War II and in today’s Amerikkka, we are seeing the same behavior, hyper-nationalism, lies and deceit that Hitler and the Brown Shirts who supported him portrayed.
Even When Given Simple Proven Charts — They Deny It
Yes, I admit, when dealing with these people who might otherwise seem like every day “folks”, I often feel like I should break out the crayons. There is a litany of data and information supplied by fact checking organizations that demonstrate the inability of the Republicans to actually “lead” and instead fill our government with nonstop criminal activities while they line their pockets and those of their donors and turn the economy upside down.
What is mind boggling is that while all these conservatives are touting outright falsehoods, they actually believe they are patriotic Americans! They will attack anyone who doesn’t follow blind patriotism, have no understanding of how protest is part of our American history, and if you scratch beneath the surface, you find out they literally know little about history at all! In their misbegotten minds, they see their own whitewashed version of our forefathers and the belief that anyone who isn’t a “my country do or die” is an outcast.
I also wrote another article that included some additional research: Conservatives Suddenly Become Patriotic? — The Fake Amerikkkans
“Conservatives also define their idea of patriotism differently than liberals. In a fivethirtyeight article they include data that isn’t really surprising:
‘The poll also suggests that Democrats may define patriotism differently than their conservative counterparts. Specifically, YouGov found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe that patriotism can include dissent:
52 percent of Democrats told YouGov that someone can criticize U.S. leaders to foreigners and still be considered patriotic, compared with 35 percent of Republicans.
51 percent of Democrats say disobeying a law they think is immoral doesn’t detract from their patriotism, compared with 33 percent of Republicans.
34 percent of Democrats think a person can still be a patriot even if he or she burns the American flag in protest, compared with 10 percent of Republicans.
And 55 percent of Democrats think an American can refuse to serve in a war he or she opposes and still maintain his or her patriotism, compared with 25 percent of Republicans.”
The importance of this information is in understanding how their cult functions.
Patriotism Is Standing Up Against a Government Gone Wrong
There is no point in trying to change the ideas and beliefs of those who have joined the conservative/trumptrain cult. Some have said that it is worth their time to try, but I have found these people to be borderline insane. There is no ability to present fact checked information they will accept and when you do, they feel cornered and will drag out their tin foil hats and begin ranting about Hillary selling uranium or the hundreds of people who the Clintons had murdered.
The founders of our Democratic experiment had hoped the Constitutional crisis we are facing today wouldn’t happen. They made every attempt at putting checks and balances in that sufficed for their time. There is no way they could have foreseen a time that we have now: the technologies, the massive greed, and the fact that so many people simply refused to vote and allowed this monstrosity to happen.
For those of us who are from military families, we know our men and women fought so we could stand up in protest when the country has gone astray.
We must remain strong throughout the turmoil we are seeing, refuse to be overwhelmed with the propaganda, enact laws that remove the Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression, and get everyone out to vote.
Voting is our power, and in a world that once looked at the United States with respect, it is our only hope of overthrowing the travesty.
Let those who want to yell “it’s a lie” go back to the slime under the rocks where they belong. We want to move forward.
