The Big Lie 2.0

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Thanks to the unintended implication of the name, I must now and again remind people what I mean by the expression โ€œconspiracy theory.โ€ I will begin by reminding them of what I donโ€™t mean. Yes, Iโ€™ve heard of a conspiracy called Watergate and yes, Iโ€™m aware that there are legitimate theories about that. And yes, Iโ€™m aware of the theories about the January 6th insurrection conspiracy that are not only legitimate they are being proven daily by the January 6 Committee and in courts of law. I hope itโ€™s obvious that I have never said nor implied that conspiracies donโ€™t exist.

When I use the term โ€œconspiracy theoryโ€ Iโ€™m talking about a particular species of unsubstantiated claims supported by nothing more than innuendo sloppily glued together by coincidences and, above all (drumroll please), endlessly parroted entirely without evidence.

It is unfortunate that we donโ€™t have a less legitimate-sounding term to describe this mental pandemic. That it leads to confusion and โ€” letโ€™s face it โ€” people pretending to be confused so they can score a cheap political point, is unfortunate but not my fault.

Now that weโ€™ve cleared that up letโ€™s talk about the next conspiracy theory, this yearโ€™s Big Lie. No, I donโ€™t mean the one Trump trumpeted as usual at his rally in Arizona last Saturday. Iโ€™m talking about the Big Lie 2.0. Iโ€™m talking about what theyโ€™re going to say if the 2022 midterm should turn out to be a success for Democrats.

If you think theyโ€™re going to try to legitimately spin it as a win, e.g., by claiming such things as Democrats may have retained the majority in the House but lost seats overall, and so on, think again. What theyโ€™re going to say instead is that the 2022 election was stolen just like the 2020 election was stolen. Any outcome other than a complete success for Republicans is going to be touted as a theft, and weโ€™d better get ready for that.

This is going to be the new normal for Republicans. Itโ€™s going to be that way because itโ€™s proven to work. It doesnโ€™t matter how many times the mainstream media calls it the Big Lie because Americans who believe such rubbish donโ€™t watch the mainstream media. They watch Fox News. And if Fox News doesnโ€™t tell them what they want to hear theyโ€™ll go and watch OAN. And if OAN doesnโ€™t tell them what they want to hear theyโ€™ll go and watch Newsmax.

But donโ€™t worry, for the most part those networks are going to tell viewers what they want to hear and damn the consequences. Itโ€™s why these days theyโ€™re telling their viewers that white people are being sent to the back of the lines in vaccination centers. They like to shake the bug jar and watch the black ants and the red ants fight. Itโ€™s all about bucks and ethics be damned. And there are a lot of bucks in fear, conflict and artificially manufactured outrage.

This is how the human race chokes to death on ignorance. Conspiracy theories are deadly dangerous. They fuel the ignorance which leads to such things as climate science denialism, vaccine hesitancy and a complete loss of faith in Americaโ€™s election system.

So get ready for the Big Lie 2.0 and many more versions in the future. The war against ignorance continues, but we have no choice but to continue fighting. The alternative is that it will all end, not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a conspiracy theory. And, as ever, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, comrades and friends, stay safe.

This is the fight of our lives. Trump and his unelected henchmen are actively to destroy our government, our democracy, and our way of life. We only have one choice, and that's to fight back as loudly and aggressively as possible.
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