The U.S. will mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection on Saturday, a milestone that will confer upon the reality-dwelling citizenry a grim reminder of the potency of propaganda and how quickly it can warp perception when introduced into the public square.

Just three years ago, most of the country watched with dismay and horror as a violent MAGA mob beat back authorities and stormed the country’s citadel of democracy. The Donald Trump-incited crush of disillusioned rioters, fueled by a stream of fantastical lies, believed that the 2020 election had been stolen by sinister forces working to undermine the democratic election.

Of course, not only was their belief flatly incorrect, but evidence later emerged indicating that it was Trump who, in fact, had tried to subvert democracy.

Facts, however, have little bearing on the sentiment inside the Republican Party, which has been fed a steady diet of lies and half-truths by Fox News and the rest of the sprawling right-wing media machine. To wit, the false notion that Joe Biden nefariously stole the 2020 election is now widely shared inside the GOP. A CNN poll conducted over the summer found that nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s win was not legitimate, a number that has continued to tick up.

  • tygerprints
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    -36 months ago

    Oh more than a bit biased, I’d say extremely so. I realize no politician gives a flying shit about me (why should they). But if I’m going to have a lord and master, I want one that I can predict and understand. I don’t have to love them (and I won’t). All politicians are selfish, all people are selfish.

    Yes I see the irony totally, the point i’m making is that at least with Hitler, you know what you’re getting. It’s horrible and miserable, but you know what you’re getting. And of course I’m being more than little facetious to make a point about how awful trump truly is.

    • @jmp242@sopuli.xyz
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      26 months ago

      The dangerous thing about Hitler is at least in the beginning he was competent. Trump wasn’t - and so far hasn’t done anything to make me think he’s changed. The thing that has saved us from Trump was his sheer incompetence.

    • Shake747
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      16 months ago

      Fair enough, I see where you’re coming from. Id suggest though, that selfishness and greed are easy to predict - moreso than radicals whose country was backed into a corner of starvation and depression by the rest of the world.