It seems that the Information Age has been hijacked by social “influencers”.
These media stars appear to be human beings that are not experts on anything, per se, but put their opinions out there in cyberspace for other to “like”. This gives them notoriety, the ability to sway public opinion, and to make money off their opinions because they can influence behavior of the idiots who pay attention to them.
The social media influencer can be a pimply nerd sitting in his basement among his Star Wars collectibles while trying to get attention, a guy who just loves the sound of his own voice (Rush Limbaugh, R.I.P.), a one-issue fanatic (former Playboy centerfold/anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy), a mysterious guy who has a conspiracy theory about everything (Qanon), a megalomaniac (the ex-President), or just about anyone who wants to shout out, “I exist: listen to me!”
We watched a crime documentary the other night where a bored, lonely teenager in a remote Canadian province created some fake personas on social media, ruined some lives of innocent people living thousands of miles away, tried to cash in on associated scams, and then acted as if she’d done nothing wrong and shouldn’t be punished in any way.
With a couple of keystrokes, she influenced behavior (in a destructive way) of folks thousands of miles distant.
There is small dustup going on right now on Spotify, from what I gather. A Rush Limbaugh wannabe named Joe Rogan has a podcast “show” online where he outrageously spouts off on all manner of subjects of which he knows nothing. Rogan taps into conspiracy theories, popular political controversies, race baiting, etc., anything to get attention and have people talking about him.
Rogan has been on tilt for awhile spreading misinformation about the pandemic, Covid-19, vaccines, and the like. Some famous people (performers Neil Young, Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell) have reacted by demanding that Spotify either sanction Mr. Rogan or remove their music from the streaming site. Rogan, in his defense, has stated that even he doesn’t believe a lot of the stuff that he says: it’s just “entertainment”.
Therein lies the rub: there is so much shit floating about in cyberworld that no one can tell what is factual and what is fiction (i.e. entertainment). We all love our Free Speech, but is intentionally harmful free speech something that we should protect? How about the guy who, for fun, yells “Fire!” in a crowded theater? Does he have a right to do this? The Supreme Court ruled many years ago that he doesn’t.
It’s a complicated issue, to be sure.
We had snacks and played a board game with a very nice couple last night. They are “seniors”, like us, and eventually the conversation turned to the pandemic. My friend, the guy, tossed off the old dismissive conspiracy theory line about “It’s overblown: every illness and death nowadays is attributed to Covid-19”, as if the pandemic is a big to-do about nothing spectacular. My friend, the Joe Rogan wannabe, got his medical degree working as an equipment mechanic in the rock mines of Montana.
Of course, in today’s world, this man’s opinion, which he proudly and loudly shares, is as important as the opinion of medical doctors, the CDC, and disease researchers who’ve devoted their entire lives to…science. My friend, and many others, deride science in political debates, but they privately avail themselves of the fruits of science (electricity, cell phones, automobiles, high-yield agriculture, manufacturing, and virtually everything that has advanced human beings from the apes) during virtually every second of their existence.
Yes, they seem to say, science and scientists are great…except when they are talking about viruses: then, of course, they’re clueless.
Many of the same folks, who plan their days using increasingly-accurate weather forecasting by meteorologists (i.e. scientists), also argue that scientists who specialize in climatology don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to “global warming”…because Sean Hannity of Fox News has told these know-it-alls the truth…that 97 percent of the world’s scientists are lying about climate change and potential impacts.
Expert-for-hire/blowhard Hannity was a paperboy and a house painter before failing to graduate from college. He later became a general contractor before becoming a human bullhorn, Conservative talk show host on Fox News. This is the guy who, according to himself, knows more about science than scientists and more about government than those in government. He is a professional know-it-all.
Hannity’s idol, the recently deceased Rush Limbaugh, was another loser who flunked out of college after two semesters, choosing to become a low-level DJ on local radio. By his own admission he was a “moderate failure” at this occupation and later tried other roles in radio, from which he was fired on several occasions. He finally hooked up with a station in Sacramento, California that would allow him to do a “talk” format, covering any subjects he wanted to, and espouse any opinions that he wanted to, even if they were outrageously misinformed. This format was made to order for a guy who loved the sound of his own voice.
In both Limbaugh’s and Hannity’s defense, they were “entertainment talent”: the audience called in/watched for the shock and awe of their hyperbole. Unfortunately, millions of followers misinterpreted the schtick for factual news, in many cases the only supposed “news” that they consume.
Thus, we have the “fake news” that has now become commonplace in the media, with everyone trying to one-up the other guy with more outlandish claims and conspiracies. Hurtful gossip and hate speech are now accepted coin of the realm in societal discourse, and real experts are derided and harassed.
A good example of what passes for factual information lately was the rumoring by Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas) that Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau had fled to the United States to escape the wrath of his constituents. Twice over the past three days Congressman Roy, who represents a Texas district that is all lathered up over Covid-19 restrictions, tweeted the fictional online rumor that Trudeau had fled his country because of the angry protests of truck drivers and others opposed to vaccine mandates, Covid-19 protocols, and such. Congressman Roy, one of 535 individuals who legislate laws in our country, today demanded that Prime Minister Trudeau, who is not in the United States, be deported!
Isn’t it ironic that members of Congress are introduced as “the Honorable…” (name)? Since when do liars have any honor?
It is no wonder that cultism is on the rise.
A cult involves a zealous devotion to a philosophy, often manifested in a charismatic leader. This guy (almost always a man) acts like he knows what he’s talking about and has the manipulative skill to convince gullible individuals to swallow his lies and directions. Examples would be the biblical Apostle Paul, murderer Charles Manson, Rev. Jim Jones (the People’s Temple), David Koresh (Branch Davidians), Bernie Madoff (Ponzi investment scheme), Warren Jeffs (polygamist/child molester), misinformation entertainers Limbaugh and Hannity, and master salesman Trump.
The Trump cult is a doozie. A guy who was known by Americans to be a womanizer, a cheat, and a liar, who failed in numerous businesses, and who couldn’t be elected dog catcher in his hometown, runs for President. He doesn’t know anything about the job and has no experience, either. Because he isn’t a professional politician and isn’t a Democrat (any more… as he was into the early 2000’s), desperate/loyal Republican voters throw their lot in with him.
As happens with personality cults, these diehard Republicans somehow identified with Trump (a narcissistic billionaire!), pushed all of their chips into the pot, and stood with him as his Presidency predictably unraveled, because he didn’t know what he was doing, wanted to do things his way, and couldn’t get qualified people to advise him…even if he was interested in good advice, which he wasn’t.
You know it’s a cult when, even after the twice-impeached President soils himself by trying to pervert our democracy and overthrow an election that he lost by 10 million votes…his followers, for the most part, stayed with him. It’s apparent that their feet are encased in political and cultist concrete: the idea that he is The Savior is too big to fail (and the embarrassment that they were wrong to follow him is too great to bear).
Like Jim Jones’s fan club in Guyana, the cult members are apparently willing to drink the Kool Aid all the way to the bitter end, which could be the creation of a dictatorship in America (if Trump has his way).
This is “the power of one” charismatic person who can convince gullible people that down is up, money grows on trees, and one plus one equals three.
