Why has such a large number of people bought into conspiracy theories and turned against science? There are so many reasons, and forgive me for missing some of the subtleties or causes as I write this on the fly.
When someone says, "you can't make me," and is scared and angry and has bought into the MAGA media machine -- and when they correctly believe that the system has been rigged against them, they don't want to be told what to do.
But a public health crisis that is killing people requires expert advice and mandates to prevent huge losses of life. Unfortunately, we had the worst possible president in office. It was more important for him to use the fear and anger to political advantage, because he doesn't care about anyone else. The MAGA media machine swung into full gear and promoted BS that raised their revenues and their political support.
Cynical leaders who value power over anything else challenge any legitimate expert authority. Over the years, corrupted leaders have taken down the guardrails by deregulating media ownership and political spending, so we do have a conspiracy among would-be oligarchs. Sometimes even Democrats supported this to try to find a middle ground with corporate America. Unfortunately, power corrupts and many of them lined their pockets or their campaign war chests. So they failed to lead and allowed the guard rails to come down.
Sowing distrust in expertise is a key element in the authoritarian playbook. And we do live in hard times that are becoming more intense with climate change and the advances in weaponry and AI. Large parts of the global population struggle to survive or to create a stable life for themselves and their families. They are too busy to pay attention to what their leaders are doing and only seek safety. And failed states breed tyrants and warlords. We see it in Russia with Putin and Prighozin.
So back to today's newsletter, Alan. How do you appeal to those who aren't able to trust expertise and who resist being told what to do because they have succumbed to right-wing propaganda? I keep coming back to engaging voters to unite behind leaders who are public servants and who support democracy. Be careful with mandated regulation and more red tape when education and opportunity are also needed so that more people buy in to what's recommended. But again, we'll need to elect leaders who defend democracy.
Considering human history, these issues are perennial. How do we balance mandates with freedom? What expertise do we trust and why? Who can be reached and who is too busy struggling and is scared or angered into supporting those who work against their best interests?
Why has such a large number of people bought into conspiracy theories and turned against science? There are so many reasons, and forgive me for missing some of the subtleties or causes as I write this on the fly.
When someone says, "you can't make me," and is scared and angry and has bought into the MAGA media machine -- and when they correctly believe that the system has been rigged against them, they don't want to be told what to do.
But a public health crisis that is killing people requires expert advice and mandates to prevent huge losses of life. Unfortunately, we had the worst possible president in office. It was more important for him to use the fear and anger to political advantage, because he doesn't care about anyone else. The MAGA media machine swung into full gear and promoted BS that raised their revenues and their political support.
Cynical leaders who value power over anything else challenge any legitimate expert authority. Over the years, corrupted leaders have taken down the guardrails by deregulating media ownership and political spending, so we do have a conspiracy among would-be oligarchs. Sometimes even Democrats supported this to try to find a middle ground with corporate America. Unfortunately, power corrupts and many of them lined their pockets or their campaign war chests. So they failed to lead and allowed the guard rails to come down.
Sowing distrust in expertise is a key element in the authoritarian playbook. And we do live in hard times that are becoming more intense with climate change and the advances in weaponry and AI. Large parts of the global population struggle to survive or to create a stable life for themselves and their families. They are too busy to pay attention to what their leaders are doing and only seek safety. And failed states breed tyrants and warlords. We see it in Russia with Putin and Prighozin.
So back to today's newsletter, Alan. How do you appeal to those who aren't able to trust expertise and who resist being told what to do because they have succumbed to right-wing propaganda? I keep coming back to engaging voters to unite behind leaders who are public servants and who support democracy. Be careful with mandated regulation and more red tape when education and opportunity are also needed so that more people buy in to what's recommended. But again, we'll need to elect leaders who defend democracy.
Considering human history, these issues are perennial. How do we balance mandates with freedom? What expertise do we trust and why? Who can be reached and who is too busy struggling and is scared or angered into supporting those who work against their best interests?