Conspiracy theories, I've written about them to some level in previous posts, but things have quickly shifted since then. For a while now, I've watched as the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories reshape the political landscape. Quite simply, topics that were once largely esoteric and decided by dull policy debate are now clouded by partisanship and largely hyperbolic rhetoric.
I sat through eight years of this, but it truly began to take shape in 2010 when further right of center politicians capitalized on the messages of doom and gloom; getting elected to roles within our government at both the state and federal levels. However, the events between now and then are far too extensive to cover here.
Taking us to today, we have a President that ran a campaign that appealed to a lot of voters. I do not wish to diminish the concerns of the frustrated and disenfranchised. It is not a simple matter to analyze the reason of why voters chose Trump at the macro level. This does not change the fact, however, that a large part of his success was fueled by hyperbole, lies, and conspiracy theories (e.g. birther, thousands of Muslims celebrating 9/11, 42% unemployment rate, blacks commit 81% of white murders, illegals commit more crimes than citizens, all unfavorable polls are rigged, 30 millions illegals in America. And these false statements were candidate Trump, not President Trump)
Trump did not create a lot of these conspiracy theories, but he sure as hell capitalized on them. He continued the notion that the burden of proof is quite literally on every single other person to prove the absurd claim incorrect. So often I'll hear "prove him wrong". No, I'm sorry, if someone tries to sell me a chocolate bar, but it looks and smells like bullshit, you'd better believe I'm going to expect the salesman to prove otherwise before I buy it.
Now you may notice, this was directed at liberals. I want to address this head on before it gets worse. The amount of direct hypocrisy that is going on since the election, on both sides, is staggering. For eight years of Obama we had right wing talking heads that spewed unverified bullshit that people ate up because it fit their preconceived bias. To me, bullshit is bullshit, I don't care if the bull was liberal or conservative.
More specifically, this concerns the Trump-Russia connection. Many liberals are foaming at the mouth, just impatiently waiting for the bombshell to drop, theorizing outcomes, and readying the noose. Do I find it strange so many connections keep popping up? Yes. Do I find it suspicious that Trump and Co. keep deflecting on the subject. Yes. But none of this is proof.
While I understand that the court of public opinion requires less evidence, and why I acknowledge my own bias, I try damn hard not to jump to conclusions. And as I have written about before, I try to have some faith in our institutions despite their flaws. Forgive the obvious quote, but Socrates famously stated "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing". The lack of self doubt that exists in the political climate is so frustrating.
Let me be a little more specific about the hypocrisy to which I speak, because they are so direct it's almost strange (and yes, they go both ways). Trump and associates are under investigation by the FBI and House Intelligence committee for possible ties to Russia and their election interference. Similarly Clinton was also under FBI investigation for which conservatives wanted Clinton in prison, but many liberals are just as quick to want to hang Trump even though the investigation has not concluded and they have not personally seen any of the intelligence. Michael Flynn requested immunity. Various Clinton staffers were granted immunity, both Flynn himself and Trump indicated that implied guilt, which it does not, but many liberals want to use that as evidence of guilt against him.
Is it possible, once all of the dust settles, that it is proven the Trump team colluded with the Russian government to sway the election results though various methods. Yes, I think we can say that is within the realm of possibility. But it also possible that the FBI and House committee will reach their conclusions and find no sufficient evidence of collusion. What will liberals do then, accuse these institutions of the same corruption as we saw from conservatives when they cleared Clinton? If so, that's a conspiracy I could not even begin to unpack. FBI and intelligence committees that are so corrupt they're playing both sides of the aisle?
Am always, am I saying conspiracies do not happen and corruption does not exist? Of course not. But the question again becomes do we have enough faith in our institutions to let them do their job, even if it may be in a flawed manner? If the answer is no, then we have a much larger problem than who is in the Whitehouse.
We continue to have a President that pushes conspiracy theories while offering no evidence, following a pattern of using anecdotal or circumstantial evidence out of context to "prove" the point after the fact (e.g. Nunes "briefing" the President of evidence he got from the Whitehouse that do not even remotely prove the wiretapping claim or Susan Rice requesting intelligence as National Security Advisor on intelligence that was not targeting the Trump campaign). This is infuriating. My hope is that Liberals do not become so desperate to take Trump down that they further disenfranchise his supporters with speculation they cannot prove.
There is plenty of proven nonsense regarding Trump to address without getting bogged down on that which we do not really have control. Trump's hyperbole simply cannot be combated with further hyperbole. Those opposed to Trump on any issue or at any level should focus their efforts on things within their control, it's going to take hard work, but as always, this is our county.
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