Political Abuse

[Mike Weaver]

I'd have said this applies as much to ways of Western capitalism as it 
does to authoritarian regimes. The hoo ha about alt facts/false news 
seems to me to be a sign that the longstanding consensus (Gramsci's 
collective subjective) is breaking down, and the general populace is 
becoming open to different narratives as they look for fresh certainties 
to underpin their day to day lives. How much these narratives cleave to 
longer term realities are not as important as their appeal to shorter 
term emotional needs.

On 24-Jan-17 4:10 PM, David Morris wrote:
> http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/01/22/is-shawn-spicer-gaslighting-the-press/
>
> The truly horrible thing about propaganda in authoritarian regimes is 
> not that it convinces the true believers, but that it demoralizes 
> opponents by saying in effect: “Yes, we know that you know we are 
> lying, but we don’t care! We do it because we can and you can’t stop 
> us!” As for the majority of apolitical citizens, it infects them with 
> a corrosive cynicism and dissuades them from all forms of public 
> engagement. Apathy may be a more powerful silencer of dissent than 
> overt physical coercion.



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