Hey. So, we need to talk about Russian interference, US intelligence, the Iranian Coup of 1953, the myth of American exceptionalism, and why we address any of our problems and actually get better. 1/
Following Russia's interference in '16 we've all kind of looked at this thing in horror and waited on someone, anyone, to do something about it. The results have been outrage, silence, and, with Trump, quiet support. But we're unable to REALLY talk about it because of our past 2/
Russia actively interfered. They spread misinformation, paid people to disrupt our national discourse, probably influenced our votes. Most of this has been proven time and again. We agree it's wrong, but the conversation has been stunted because America does this same stuff. 3/
Right now I'm researching the 1953 coup in Iran where Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown, after being democratically elected, because he interfered in oil production. Britain, US, and BP were mighty concerned. So, they interfered. 4/
What they did was they spread constant misinformation, propaganda, sowed discord, and eventually paid people to behave like communist hordes intended to takeover the country. They were plants, puppets, and their opposition was paid and arranged as well. 5/
Eventually, Mosaddegh is thrown out in favor of the Shah of Iran, which, as we al know, leads to another revolution, this one presenting the problem we have now and the problem that has plagued us for decades. We created that. That's ours. 6/
What we need to learn from Iran '53 is that America has played a role in these attacks for one reason or another, and because that's a stain we're not able to actually address what's happening to us because we can't address who we actually are and who we have been. 7/
When we discuss this, when our media and commentators talk about Russia interference, there's a certain level of discourse that can't be reached because we can't address our long and dirty history of interference in democracy around the world. We're stunted. 8/
As a result, our discussions on the most pressing issues of our time are stunted and incapable of addressing what's actually happening. We'd have to completely relearn who we are, what our history is, what our actual values are. 9/
The conversations we have, in the media, in politics, are shorthand, simplified explanations of what has happened through a lens of American exceptionalism. Our history is uneven, propaganda unto itself, and because we don't have access to reality, we can't address reality. 10/
Any actual conversation about Russian interference would have to also include major nation interference throughout the years, the idea that powers have assumed the right to override democracy. That? That's a HUGE conversation we're not capable of right now. 11/
To get better, to progress, to actually move forward as a society, we're going to have to unwind the past, tear myth from fact, and start to understand the longterm influences and problems that have been unleashed. Relying on myths and simplified stories got us to Trump. 12/
What happened is that simple patriotism and simple history can be weaponized and taken over by anyone willing to repeat the slogans. That's what Trump does. We have to get more complicated, we have to get to the bone of what happened and what's happening. 13/
Americans have to look at our faults head on if we want to get past this crisis. We have to start from the beginning and relearn all of it, get new perspectives, find the faults and heal them. Otherwise, we're going to continue to be immobilized and powerless. 14/14
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