From 2017, still relevant: When Paranoid Rhetoric and Falsehoods Prevail, Public Trust Crumbles | Essay | Zócalo Public Square zocalopublicsquare.org/2017/03/13/par…
“The demagogue does not recognize controversial attitudes. He declares his adversary a liar, a traitor to the only truth. Dissension is no longer a matter of opinion, but of heresy. The “party line” wins a sort of mystic holiness..."
"Totalitarian governments and their leaders are “infallible.” To question their policies is sin. As soon as complete power is obtained, the monopoly over all instrumentalities of communication gives unlimited propaganda possibilities to the totalitarian.”
Sigmund Neumann, 1938
“A mixture of gullibility & cynicism had been an outstanding characteristic of mob mentality before it became an everyday phenomenon of masses. In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything &"
"nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. The mixture in itself was remarkable enough, because it spelled the end of the illusion that gullibility was a weakness of unsuspecting primitive souls and cynicism the vice of superior and refined minds."
"Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda.."
"on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism;"
"instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness." Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 382

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More from @jenmercieca

10 Nov
This >>

There is the legal procedure and then there is the infowar. Don't get them confused. And don't let the infowar take you by surprise. It was all predictable.

Trump lost. The vote will be certified. The EC will vote.
You have a role to play in the infowar: defend reality against Trump's propaganda campaign. Just say the truth: America voted, Trump lost, Biden won. The vote will be certified. The Electoral College will vote. Biden will be sworn in January 20, 2021.
Read 6 tweets
10 Nov
Trump has exploited historic levels of distrust, polarization & frustration in America--attacking our public sphere.
His strategies are designed to make his followers more distrusting, so they believe no one but him; more polarized, so all decisions are about whether or not they support Trump; and more frustrated, so that they are energized to act to support him.
Image from @brianstelter & @ReliableSources. See the strategies of distrust, polarization & frustration in Fox graphics. Message: they are hypocrites, they are irrational, they hate you.

We have to defend reality. Trump lost. The people have spoken.
Read 4 tweets
9 Nov
A dangerous demagogue is an unaccountable leader. Unaccountable to the rule of law, unaccountable to political norms, unaccountable to the will of the people.

Trump is doing exactly what we'd expect a dangerous demagogue to do. Image
Trump is using a narrow definition of "the people" based on how he's used ad populum throughout: only his supporters are "true" Americans, only their votes are "legal." Image
He's also using conspiracy theory in the same way he's used conspiracy theory throughout: as a "self-sealing" narrative--a narrative that evidence is not allowed to prove or disprove. Here's a good explainer:
Read 11 tweets
9 Nov
I’ve learned so much from your reporting @maggieNYT, thank you. I know it wasn’t easy. I wish folks were easier on you. The Trump Presidency Is Ending. So Is Maggie Haberman’s Wild Ride. nytimes.com/2020/11/08/bus…
I’ve gotten to see first hand how hard Maggie has worked: working on a story while taking her kid to a bday party, for example.
Folks fight her all damn day on twitter. It’s gross & wrong. I quote her reporting more than anyone else’s in my book. She was always there, questioning Trump, pushing back on his framing. Amazing, especially considering the gross way he treated other female reporters.
Read 7 tweets
8 Nov
I'm booked on Television Malta's Monday morning show. 7.15am CET

This will be my first time on Maltese tv!
Almost every time I do a big media interview in the US I receive a very kind note from a Maltese man in Malta. They always ask if I'm Maltese, say that they're very proud of me & offer to connect me w/ high profile people in Malta. It's absolutely amazing. What a great country🥰
Malta is the only place where I don't have to tell people how to pronounce my last name. It's amazing how that helps a person to feel like they belong.
Read 4 tweets
8 Nov
Madame Vice President Elect. 🥰
Mr. President elect Biden.
Read 5 tweets

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