The Language of Power
The Images of Lies
Last night can be boiled down to two things: POWER AND IMAGES
POWER. The words don’t matter, it’s all about projecting the power to ruin America, American lives, and other countries and their citizens’ lives also. It doesn’t matter if what he says makes sense. It doesn’t matter if it’s full of easily fact-checked lies. It doesn’t matter if it flips reality on its head. Even the length of the speech projected the power that says, “I don’t care if you’re bored, if you’re angry, if you’re protesting…You still have to listen to this because I’M IN CHARGE.”
This inversion of reality, where the we (the supposed bad guys) don’t respect the law and they (the real criminals) do, lays the groundwork for criminalizing everything: speech, assembly, free press, existing while Trans, Black, Brown, Female, Pregnant, Queer, or really anyone they want to demonize. The list is long and it includes everyone. It also lays the groundwork for rounding people up, with whatever fig leaf reason they choose.
IMAGES. This is what Trump has always understood and the Dems haven’t (and still don’t). This is his signature on Covid relief checks (which arguably was one of the reasons he won the election). It is highlighting a kid who beat cancer, even as he slashes funding for all cancer, Alzheimers, infectious diseases, science research. The constant refrain of Social Security fraud will be his reasoning for cutting social security…kind of like voter suppression, but far more deadly. The image of the kid, Jason Hartley, a White boy being accepted to West Point is meant to show us that warriors are White. No POC need apply. The image of the fresh faced boy elides the fact that the Trump Musk shitshow is degrading military readiness, closing down it’s cyber defenses against Russia and is firing veterans en masse from government jobs. And completely overshadows Alina Habba’s comments yesterday calling vets unfit for duty.
The only image the Dems made was Al Green of Houston protesting Trump’s mandate to slash Medicaid. That’s it. That’s not enough.
DO FACTS MATTER?
Yes and no. Anyone reading this article knows the mountain of egregious lies for what they are….lies. Low information voters, and Trump’s other audience of 1, neither know nor care whether he lies or speaks truth because he’s speaking to them. In any case, fact checks only serve a narrow purpose…to show people slowly awakening from their Trump stupor to the inversion of truth and reality. Oh, and they’re also for the judges that are issuing stays, TROs, etc, while it still matters. What matters is that we know the facts despite the shit tsunami of lies. That’s why we need a values-based, fact-based independent, interdependent ecosystem media ecosystem.
NOW FOR THE DEMS. I saw Chuck Schumer on
last night, and hope that Dems will fan out and talk (and build up) the fact-based independent media system we’re trying to build. Elissa Slotkin’s speech was a surprisingly clear call to action. But it didn’t stick.At first I thought Dem congress critters should all boycott the speech until AOC said that Rs were filling the seats left open on the D side. So there wouldn’t be an image of an empty section…it would be worse. It would be a full (white, male) chamber full of applauding puppets.
Dems also need to start making indelible images. Nuance is a liability. Repetition of a simple message is necessary.
Remember, there is NO BOTTOM.
They’re screwing YOU. And we will help YOU. We see YOU. We hear YOU.
WHAT DO WE DO? We don’t give up. We keep building a fact-based media system for real information and understanding of where the world really stands. We keep showing up in all the ways (but choose just one for yourself—we all need to stay healthy): demonstrations, boycotts, selling Teslas…knowing it’s a lot more dangerous than it used to be and doing it anyway. And we build real life, offline, analog, in-person community. We don’t slow ourselves down by relying on a cavalry that will never save us. We ARE the cavalry.
Thanks to these folks for continuing to give us fact-based reporting, information, and insight.
, and so many more.
Thank you. Very clear and very direct - just what we need now. Nuance is the enemy. "I told you so" is now the enemy. We're way past that. More than ever, our lives are on the line.
Simple messages, indelible images. We are "We the people" - and we're standing together to save ourselves. We'll sort the other stuff out once the rule of law returns.
To add to Stephanies question "What Do We Do?"
A fact-based media system is absolutely necessary.
Staying informed is crucial. I must admit, watching his address last night left me questioning some of the "facts" presented. His presentation style can be persuasive, making you doubt your own understanding - just as Stephanie pointed out. 🤦🏻♀️
This is key: those negatively impacted by Trump's executive orders will be "triggered" by a need. They may not understand why their benefits were cut, premiums increased, electric bills rose, or parents' assisted living costs went up. We need to be there for them, with empathy rather than saying "I told you so." Our goal is to draw the connection back to the GOP, neighbor to neighbor. Direct them to fact based media sources.