(Thread) Lies, Liars, and the Capitol Riot
This is #7 in my video series:
If you’re like me and you prefer to read, here it is on a Twitter thread.
Lying and presenting myths as a way to solidify power goes all the way back to the ancient world.
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This is #7 in my video series:
If you’re like me and you prefer to read, here it is on a Twitter thread.
Lying and presenting myths as a way to solidify power goes all the way back to the ancient world.
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Take the Behistun Inscription.
In huge lettering on the side of a cliff, King Darius, who was born in 522 BCE, presented the story of his life. mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Persia/…
If you believe him, power was given to him by the gods and he never suffered a single defeat.
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In huge lettering on the side of a cliff, King Darius, who was born in 522 BCE, presented the story of his life. mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Persia/…
If you believe him, power was given to him by the gods and he never suffered a single defeat.
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Moreover, he single-handedly killed anyone who dared question his authority. Scholars call this a pseudo-autobiography.
Donald Trump came to power with a pseudo-biography, which went like this: “I am a successful businessman.”
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Donald Trump came to power with a pseudo-biography, which went like this: “I am a successful businessman.”
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Of course, if that were true, he wouldn’t be hiding his taxes and financial information.
Another form of ancient lie is what one ancient leader called “concealed wars.”
Let’s go back to the Mauryan Empire in India.
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Another form of ancient lie is what one ancient leader called “concealed wars.”
Let’s go back to the Mauryan Empire in India.
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The founder of the Mauryan Empire had a prime minister, Kautilya, who wrote a manual on how to use lies to win wars.
He talked about “concealed wars” as opposed to “open wars.”
An open war is when two armies meet on the battlefield and have it out.
columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pri…
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He talked about “concealed wars” as opposed to “open wars.”
An open war is when two armies meet on the battlefield and have it out.
columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pri…
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6/ Kautilya told the king that open wars are a bad idea. Your own people can die. Heck, you can die.
Concealed wars are when you spread lies to beat your enemies. This is safer and easier.
He gave examples of how to do this.
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Concealed wars are when you spread lies to beat your enemies. This is safer and easier.
He gave examples of how to do this.
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For example, figure out how to get an undercover spy to spread the rumor that their king is cheating his top ministers.
If you’re lucky one of them might even be driven to assassinate the king and then throw their kingdom into chaos.
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If you’re lucky one of them might even be driven to assassinate the king and then throw their kingdom into chaos.
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Think how much easier that is than trying to kill your enemy king in an open war.
A Soviet Union spy manual bragged that Russians had invented and perfected the art of disinformation.
Interestingly, that claim is a piece of disinformation, told for a purpose.
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A Soviet Union spy manual bragged that Russians had invented and perfected the art of disinformation.
Interestingly, that claim is a piece of disinformation, told for a purpose.
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By the way, I know these things because I have a book coming out on disinformation so I had to do a lot of research.
The point is that using lies as a way to weaken and destroy an enemy, and build up your own power, goes back a long way.
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The point is that using lies as a way to weaken and destroy an enemy, and build up your own power, goes back a long way.
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Disinformation is used by people who are trying to consolidate power, which is exactly what the Republican Party is trying to do.
I’ve said that oligarchs and would-be oligarchs have a problem: If they are trying to consolidate their own power and maintain a hierarchy. . .
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I’ve said that oligarchs and would-be oligarchs have a problem: If they are trying to consolidate their own power and maintain a hierarchy. . .
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. . . with themselves at the top, they have to enact policies that hurt their own constituents.
So what do they do? They lie. They invent enemies who are trying to upset the order and destroy and take what belongs to ‘real’ Americans (who are of course, white).
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So what do they do? They lie. They invent enemies who are trying to upset the order and destroy and take what belongs to ‘real’ Americans (who are of course, white).
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People who are lying on purpose in order to gain power are not going to stop.
People believe lies for all kinds of reasons. The lie can make them feel good. The lie might reinforce their worldview.
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People believe lies for all kinds of reasons. The lie can make them feel good. The lie might reinforce their worldview.
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Trump told his base that they are the "real Americans" and they would be at the top of the hierarchy except for people taking what belongs to them. This made them feel good.
(Most of us don't consider these guys the top of any hierarchy)
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(Most of us don't consider these guys the top of any hierarchy)
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Sarah Huckabee Sanders explained that Trump’s lies pointed to an "important truth."
An example: Birtherism was a provable lie, but pointed to what Trump’s base sees as an "important truth": Obama is Black. He’s not a real American.
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https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/936332447284899840
An example: Birtherism was a provable lie, but pointed to what Trump’s base sees as an "important truth": Obama is Black. He’s not a real American.
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Some people embrace the lies because the lies destroy, and they want to destroy.
I wrote about that in 2018, here: slate.com/news-and-polit…
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I wrote about that in 2018, here: slate.com/news-and-polit…
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Some people caught in these cults hard to reach. Some are your own family members. Cult specialists have ideas for reaching them.
Psychologists tell us that mocking them will not help.
The best strategy is to outnumber them at the polls.
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Psychologists tell us that mocking them will not help.
The best strategy is to outnumber them at the polls.
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Right now, one of the best vehicles we have for reaching them is the criminal investigations into the Capitol Riot because the people who participated were deep in these conspiracy theories.
I’m reading their pretrial motions, and some are realizing they were duped.
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I’m reading their pretrial motions, and some are realizing they were duped.
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That's why I'm watching these investigations closely. I also think that defamation lawsuits can help dissuade those who are lying on purpose.
In the end, there will always be liars who cynically lie to gain power.
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In the end, there will always be liars who cynically lie to gain power.
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There will also be people who believe the lies because they want to believe the lies, and people with cognitive limitations, who I believe we should think of as victims.
Another strategy is how to respond to the lies, but that's a big topic, so I'll save it for another day.
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Another strategy is how to respond to the lies, but that's a big topic, so I'll save it for another day.
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I think disinformation is the greatest threat to democracy. As our friend Kautilya explained, it's easy and much safer than violent coups.
Fascism is based on lies. Rule of law requires truth (I talked about this in video #6)
They can't coexist.
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Fascism is based on lies. Rule of law requires truth (I talked about this in video #6)
They can't coexist.
https://twitter.com/jayg108/status/1364995994752978944
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The Internet makes it much easier to spread disinformation and harder to control.
The most important thing we can do is educate people. If you have teenagers (particularly boys) online, teach them to spot a person trying to radicalize them.
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The most important thing we can do is educate people. If you have teenagers (particularly boys) online, teach them to spot a person trying to radicalize them.
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Speaking of teenagers, mine is looking at superfun videos.
Me: "You don't think informational videos on the history of disinformation are fun?"
Teenager offers one of those teenager-special-level-stares. Almost an eye-roll, but more effective.
Me: "You don't think informational videos on the history of disinformation are fun?"
Teenager offers one of those teenager-special-level-stares. Almost an eye-roll, but more effective.
There are probably some who are so far gone that they'll think the courts, judges, juries, and police are all in a grand conspiracy to get them to lie and say that they were duped.
I think enough, though, will see the light and tell their friends.
I think enough, though, will see the light and tell their friends.
https://twitter.com/paulkva/status/1365021900716572677
There was a thread making the rounds, I think by a psychologist, on how to innoculate teenage boys from people online trying to radicalize them.
I googled and found this: teachingwhilewhite.org/blog/2020/4/13…
I googled and found this: teachingwhilewhite.org/blog/2020/4/13…
https://twitter.com/EBHarrington/status/1364998185815396352
Don't get me wrong. When I say, "enough" I don't mean "enough to solve the problem" I mean "enough to make a dent and help."
We outnumber them anyway, so any pieces of their base that we chip off and splinter helps.
https://twitter.com/paulkva/status/1365027825191964673
We outnumber them anyway, so any pieces of their base that we chip off and splinter helps.
I put this one on my blog, here: terikanefield-blog.com/lies-liars-and…
Don't you get the feeling that for some of these guys, some of their frustration is because nice girls don’t like them?
Don't you get the feeling that for some of these guys, some of their frustration is because nice girls don’t like them?
Me too, but I totally understand the people who prefer videos. Once I got used to talking at a camera, they're easy.
I didn't thread the earlier ones because I've done threads on them. I'll attach a link to transcripts for each. See the next tweet.
https://twitter.com/RidleyDM/status/1365135921939697668
I didn't thread the earlier ones because I've done threads on them. I'll attach a link to transcripts for each. See the next tweet.
Link to transcriptions: terikanefield-blog.com/youtube/ All seven are transcribed here.
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