4 ms·
How did it let you slip into extremism?
by maxlamb 6y ago
How did it let you slip into extremism?
- gfodor 6y agoMemes are mind viruses and a robust immune system built from exposure and defeating of them is a good protection from the bad ones, but a good way to prevent being infected by a mind virus is to just never enter places where most people are already infected.
- yxwvut 6y agoRepeated exposure to things you know to be false or to bad arguments has been shown many times to shift your beliefs towards those false beliefs. It effectively wears your mind's defenses down. This 'repeat a lie enough and it becomes the truth' idea is a Trump specialty: 'Crooked Hillary', the wall, voter fraud, etc. Re: extermism, the far right's arguments are bad but if you're not actively exposed to counterarguments/lived experience it's easy to fall prey to such bombastic arguments that cities are crime ridden shitholes, BLM burned down everything, urban voting is rife with fraud, etc (not to mention even more harmful dehumanizing memes about minorities that further ingrain negative sterotypes). They offer a facile, comforting (to white suburbanites) view of the complex, often unsatisfying world that is easy to lower your defenses to.
- saynay 6y agoIndeed. Repetition of phrases, images, or ideas - regardless of their truth - is the basis of propaganda and brainwashing.
- doodlebugging 6y agoYep, I totally agree. I've always said that you can prove anything if you ignore enough facts. Law of Propaganda Design. Just throw out anything that doesn't fit your narrative and keep your message on repeat and your audience will fall captive eventually since most are not open to doing their own fact-checking.