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Disinformation is the deliberate use of lies to manipulate people, whether to extract profit or to advance a political agenda. Its unwitting accomplice, misinformation, is spread by unknowing dupes who repeat lies they believe to be true. In America today, both forms of falsehood are distorting our perception of reality.
In a democracy, the people need a shared set of facts as a basis to debate and make decisions that advance and secure their collective interests. Differences of opinion, and even propaganda, have always existed in the United States, but now, enemies of democracy are using disinformation to attack our sovereign right to truthful information, intellectual integrity, and the exercise of the will of the people. Online disinformation is particularly insidious because of its immediacy, its capacity to deceive, and its ability to reach its target.
The cloth masks were supposed to be a simple thing society could all agree to do for a while until better, medically proven masks were readily available. While they probably provide a benefit by reducing transmission, even if only by a small amount, they certainly don’t hurt. This was all that was available at a time of overflowing hospitals, supply shortages, and rapidly increasing infection rates.
Republicans, a club of mostly white guys who have publicly declared themselves the nemesis of science, immediately embraced obviously false claims arriving in their AOL email inboxes that the masks were actually harmful and that by wearing them, they were endorsing an impending government takeover by a new world order run by black antifa Jews… or some shit, I mean Jesus fuck you guys will believe anything. So anyway, those same Republicans loudly shouted “oppression” and to this day they won’t stop talking about it even though the rest of the world can’t stop thinking about just how batshit crazy these people went in the early days of the pandemic.
Entire international medical community : “While we really prefer if you would just stay home for a bit and cut down on social gatherings, we know you’re still going to go out. But if you could please at least wear this. It’s cheap, readily available, and we’re desperate to do anything to slow this thing down. We think they probably help in certain circumstances like if you’re infected but don’t know it yet. If we all work together and exercise basic precau…”
Republicans: “This is literal slavery. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late to church.”
Now do Hunter Biden not being a political figure so who gives a shit about some laptop when what you’re really concerned with is the porn on it.
Or do the Steele Dossier always being presented as political oppo research to which anyone has reasonable suspicion of Trump having a boner for Putin as demonstrated by his actions.