WHAT WE CAN DO: Spreading the Truth!
It doesn't seem like much, but everything adds up.
Never underestimate the power of propaganda.
Fox News has been the leader in cable news almost since its inception in 1996. And being number one has had a domino effect in our culture. Beyond your mom, dad, aunt and uncle, we all know that Fox is the default cable news you see almost anywhere in public — from restaurants and bars to your doctor’s office and the auto shop where you got new shocks.
But, it’s also important to remember that even given its ubiquity, not everyone who watches Fox is a full-on MAGA cult member. There are millions that keep a somewhat open mind even given the non-stop tilt of the channel that has turned into pure propaganda during the Trump years. The kind of propaganda that found the channel guilty of lying to the public about the 2020 election and fined them almost $800 million.
That didn’t stop them, just made them more careful to not libel an individual company.
Take the economy.
Those of us that live in the world of facts know that President Biden and his significant policy achievements put the United States at the top of the heap following the global chaos created by the pandemic. By every measurable metric the US was the envy of the world — including the best performance lowering inflation which affects the lives of every non-rich American.
From inflation and unemployment rates, manufacturing jobs, deficit to GDP, and countless others, these are facts, not political opinions. And while Fox did cover them, albeit briefly, they then spent the next 23.5 hours of every day shooting holes in them. Putting those facts in the worst possible light.
Maybe that was too many jobs and could raise inflation even more. Are manufacturing investments driving all this inflation? Gas prices went up a nickel, let’s go live to our reporter at a local BP station to get reaction from real people suffering pain at the pump...
This non-stop, coordinated shitting on the economy had the desired effect. Don’t get me wrong, while economic health is an aggregate science, that doesn’t mean there aren’t always people who are legitimately hurting, and prices were high, although that was never put in the true global context.
There’s no doubt that the economic pessimism was in itself enough to swing 200,000+ that Trump needed to win. And now that false narrative continues. Trump and his minions are trying to blame current (and ominous) economic numbers on the disaster of Biden. But they’re not going to stop there.
Cuts in the federal workforce, cuts in important investments that stimulate growth, idiotic trade wars, all these things are going to hurt our macro economy and individuals. But, they’re going to try to shift the blame.
And we can’t let them.
That’s where you, where we all come in.
There are many ways that we as individuals can work to try to stop (or slow) the Trump regime agenda and put MAGA down, once and for all. From joining resistance groups and participating in marches and demonstrations — that are going to be bigger and more frequent in the near future — to all the ways to help in 2026 elections, there’s going to be real work to do. And I for one want to be not only do it, but spread the word to mobilize as many people as possible.
But, spreading truth is something that we can do right now and every day, in our own lives.
That’s why I started my Anatomy of a Lie series and an upcoming Under the Radar series to arm people with facts that can be shared with family, friends, and co-workers who are able to be reached.
We all know people in our lives who aren’t cult members but who are susceptible to propaganda and disinformation. And we know best how to communicate with them. Whether it’s countering social media lies, or simply talking in person, good people who have gone astray can be persuaded and brought back.
On social media, I would suggest muting or blocking the real MAGA cult members. It’s not worth the fight and they’re never going to come back to the light. That goes for X/Twitter as a platform. It’s lost and not worth the stress. But if you’re still on Facebook I say stay, and try to spread the truth in the most effective way possible.
This goes way beyond the economic example. If your uncle is a vet, let him know that federal job cuts are hurting vets more than any other demographic. When services are cut at the VA — as they will be — make sure you (at least) share that if not tag uncle or talk to him at the next birthday party.
How each of us does that is a delicate balance in finding those pressure points and knowing how much to push them. But, we need to do it more than ever. We can’t draw back into the safety of our own political bubble. It took years of Fox news disinformation and billions of lies shared on social media to get us where we are.
This may seem small and stupid, but it’s not. Just like a new semiconductor chip plant has a positive rippling effect throughout the economy, spreading the truth changes minds, even if you may not see the results.
So, seek out the truth, from whatever trusted resources you rely on. Share that article, have that gentle conversation. And remember, you don’t have to be an expert to engage people.
The TRUTH is on our side!