The Big Lie 2.0

Thanks to the unintended implication of the name, I must now and again remind people what I mean by the expression โconspiracy theory.โ I will begin by reminding them of what I donโt mean. Yes, Iโve heard of a conspiracy called Watergate and yes, Iโm aware that there are legitimate theories about that. And yes, Iโm 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 itโs obvious that I have never said nor implied that conspiracies donโt exist.
When I use the term โconspiracy theoryโ Iโm 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 donโt have a less legitimate-sounding term to describe this mental pandemic. That it leads to confusion and โ letโs face it โ people pretending to be confused so they can score a cheap political point, is unfortunate but not my fault.
Now that weโve cleared that up letโs talk about the next conspiracy theory, this yearโs Big Lie. No, I donโt mean the one Trump trumpeted as usual at his rally in Arizona last Saturday. Iโm talking about the Big Lie 2.0. Iโm talking about what theyโre going to say if the 2022 midterm should turn out to be a success for Democrats.
If you think theyโre 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 theyโre 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 weโd better get ready for that.
This is going to be the new normal for Republicans. Itโs going to be that way because itโs proven to work. It doesnโt matter how many times the mainstream media calls it the Big Lie because Americans who believe such rubbish donโt watch the mainstream media. They watch Fox News. And if Fox News doesnโt tell them what they want to hear theyโll go and watch OAN. And if OAN doesnโt tell them what they want to hear theyโll go and watch Newsmax.
But donโt worry, for the most part those networks are going to tell viewers what they want to hear and damn the consequences. Itโs why these days theyโre 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. Itโs 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 Americaโs 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.
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Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.