Trump's followers believe Trump because he has conditioned them to believe no one but him. They believe that the democratic rules have already been violated by corrupt Dems. They see Trump as a truthteller & his fight as democratic. nytimes.com/2020/11/21/us/…
Which is why you don't let a dangerous demagogue take power. The language strategies he used to gain power are the very same he's using to subvert democracy.
Trump uses three strategies to ingratiate himself with his base.
And three strategies to divide him & his followers from everyone else (these three are typically a recipe for war rhetoric):
I re-wrote the conclusion a few times because I kept going back and forth about the seriousness of Trump’s threat to democratic stability. It’s hard to believe until you see it & even when you see it it’s still hard to believe.
Trump keeps proving that my fears are justified.
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I've been paying $700/month for my student loans since 2003. I still owe more than 50k though I've paid off more than I borrowed at this point. Interest is a bummer.
Someday I hope to own my brain free and clear!
It would be extra great if I could pay them off before I retire! lol/cry
😂 But, also, I've been thinking about these kinds of false equivalencies and why they're so prevalent. I think it's the difference between a parallel case argument and an argument by analogy. Explanation below.
Parallel case argument: two things or situations are essentially the same. The strength of this kind of argument is in explaining all of the ways that the cases are the same so that we can reasonably conclude that what is true in case 1 is also true in case 2.
Argument by analogy: the relationship between two things is similar to the relationship between two other things. The things are not the same, but the relationships between the things are. The strength of these arguments rests with the accuracy of the analogies & comparison.
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.
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.