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Sarah Teresa Cook's avatar

"They want power without reason or responsibility." Reeling from the clarity--Truth--of that statement.

As with this one: "Destructive movements always depend on ordinary people’s vulnerability to propaganda—their willingness to associate a big, soaring emotion with a Big Lie."

We really need to support ourselves and each other with understanding our big soaring emotions!

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Jody Frank's avatar

Yes! Mobs are made of feelings... maybe the best thing we can do is keep a human, feeling connection to those under the spell of the lies. I don't know.

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Sarah Teresa Cook's avatar

I can't figure out how to reply with emojis, otherwise I'd put like 8 of those exploding brain ones here. Holy cow, Jody. What you just said feels IMPORTANT. Keep those sentences nearby...

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Just Sayin''s avatar

freedom of speech will always mean leaving space for hateful, divisive speech. That in turn demands endless vigilance for the potential that purveyors of hate will gain traction within sectors of the public. It falls to the rest of us to rebuke them, refute their insane "theories" in perpetuity, whenever and where ever they gain a foothold. It will never stop.

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Jody Frank's avatar

Thanks for responding. It's only recently that I've made a firm distinction (for myself) between "freedom from government suppression of speech"--which I'll always defend--and "freedom to exploit mass media platforms to spread hateful lies." After COVID and Jan. 6, I no longer believe in the latter. I also no longer engage purveyors of hate online because even a rebuking response boosts their reach. Psychopathic content promotion algorithms may do us all in. :-|

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Just Sayin''s avatar

Rebuking, refuting can be different than directly responding/engaging. What one can do is provide an alternate narrative. articulate a different aspiration for the present and future, continue to recall a factual, rather than fantastical past.

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Caroline Grevelle's avatar

Thank you, Jody, for writing this.

I agree with you about, "a digital megaphone is completely optional. Media platforms have a moral duty not to hand them one."

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Jody Frank's avatar

Thanks, Caroline. I hope you're doing well.

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Caroline Grevelle's avatar

Thanks, Jody. I am doing Ok. I hope you and P. B. are doing well, too.

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