Ministry of Truth?

[Dill]

(05-10-2022, 01:37 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Your position on this is surprisingly short sighted.  You don't have to "quash" anything, you just have to officially label it disinformation.  Then you get thrown in with the crackpots and conspiracy theorists, for all intents and purposes rendered a side show attraction.

Dill Wrote: If the bolded were really the case, Trumpism would be long dead.
 
You're actually helping me make my point.  How many of Trump's statements were labeled crackpot that ended up having far more truth to them?  The Steele dossier?  His being spied upon by the Hillary camp?  The problem is that the disinformation accusation is the new racism allegation.  It got used too often and, in some high profile instances, was proven to be wrong.  The accusation itself has become politically tainted.

To the bolded, I'm not sure that, outside of Fox Nation, ANY of the thousands of Trump's dis-informative statements ended up having "far more truth." And accurately labeling them "crackpot" has not at all had effect you claim for it, and couldn't even if it came from some government "ministry of truth." The Steele dossier may be your strongest example, and yet it is still rather weak, as many of its points/allegations are still credible. I am still unaware that "the Hilary camp" spied on Trump in the WH. Fox and at least 8 other RW news sources were trumpeting that "breaking news" some weeks back--"bigger than Watergate"--then went silent.

Just not good or effective to use Trump as an example of someone falsely accused of spreading disinformation, and all as part of an argument that we don't want government addressing disinformation of the sort that set a mob on the Capitol and sent red states somersaulting to control election outcomes—as if we dare not challenge that threat to democracy for fear it would limit our freedom.

(05-10-2022, 01:37 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Quote: You are attributing to government the power Trump actually has for his followers,and which government might have, should voters put Trump and GOP in control of all three branches. You titled the thread "Ministry of Truth?" For some, at least, that rendered Biden's initiative an "extremist" position. 

Trump has more power than the federal government?  Can Trump mobilize the entire weight of the Federal government to decide and enforce what is officially true or not?  To even suggest such a thing is an excellent example of your blind spot.  Blind trust in a source is hardly confined to Trump supporters

Well now I didn’t “suggest such a thing.” 
 
My statement says NOT that Trump, who is out of office, has more power than the federal government. Only that HE, not the government, actually has a cultish power over his followers, only them, and that YOU, on no good basis, ATTRIBUTE a similar power to U.S. government that it has never had over the mass of citizenry. Who slavishly follows the U.S. government the way many Trump followers follow Trump?

The Oathkeepers were not ready to die for government because they bought into government disinformation; they were ready to die for Trump because of Trump disinformation, augmented by Russian disinformation.

Even when Trump was president, he was unable to mobilize “the entire weight of the Federal government to decide and enforce what was officially true or not.”

So maybe not an excellent example of my alleged but stlll elusive blind spot.