For republicans, personal belief defines freedom, rather than freedom providing space to define belief. It’s perfectly backward and an abuse of free speech.
The Republican Party has a problem, and it’s one that has become dangerous for the rest of us. Admittedly, the Grand Old Party has a sinking-boat-parade-load of problems, but one in particular looks to be pushing it over the precipice: a belief – or love affair – with conspiracy theories.
As with all things related to the modern iteration of the Republican Party, we must start with the republican voter bases’ modern iteration of Christianity.
Since the GOP did a deal with the evangelical devil and partnered with American evangelicals, republicans have used the First Amendment as a weapon to beat down anyone who doesn’t believe their form of religio-magicocity. In the Trump era, however, the base’s obsession with conspiracy theories has crossed the lines that the First Amendment was designed to protect: the conspiracy theory culture within republicanism has become the equivalent of shouting fire in a crowded theatre, and as such, it should no longer be protected by the First Amendment. That’s not cancel culture, that’s the social contract.
Belief Is Anti-Social
The Republican Party embraces the most extreme believers. Belief holds the political factions together. And not just the ever-more-extreme evangelical base, it’s the sort of person who requires something tangible to represent or manifest their belief: a Bible, a flag, a parade, a gun, a hat, a commemorative plate, a banner with Trump riding a dragon… they need the “thing”, otherwise the belief poofs out of existence. Like playing peekaboo with a baby.
The problem with hobbling together a coalition on the basis of “tangible belief” is that belief at its core is incredibly anti-social: it draws a hard line between the believer and non-believer…. gender lines are more flexible belief lines. As such, the vast majority of republicans are anti-social insofar as their hardline beliefs separate them from the rest of society. They strive not to build communities, but to isolate their own group until group-purity is attained: anti-social. For republicans, personal belief defines freedom, rather than freedom providing space to define belief. It’s perfectly backward and an abuse of free speech. Ironically, their narrow-minded definition of freedom makes them more a slave to their belief. Trapped, really.
Civilized society requires civilized discourse. That’s not possible when the person you try to engaged perceives an attack on a belief as an attack on them personally. It’s just like trying to critique a self-proclaimed “singer-songwriter”: they always take criticism of the creation as criticism of the creator.
When belief is spawned by conspiracy theories, maintaining a functioning society becomes next to impossible because the very basis of the belief’s creation exists in an alternate reality. One has no basis on which to critique because the belief itself is baseless, and that, then, creates a feedback loop of people actually seeking to be offended by “the other side” as a means of keeping the absurd belief tangible. Once again, the image of the “Don’t Tread On Me” snake eating its own tail.
Belief, as a function of self-definition isolates those who share the belief from the rest of society and as a result creates an every more intense feedback loop. In the larger arc of a society and a culture, that is always the case. The belief will gain ground and attempt to expand itself (because after all, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition), but it always becomes more and more removed from normalcy, progress, and dies to the passage of time.
Republicans’ Propensity For Belief & Conspiracy Theories Makes Them Dangerous
I’ve been saying it for over a decade: social media will destroy civilized society. It’s already succeeded at electing Donald Trump, the aftermath of which, by any measure proves my point.
Social media is a revenue-driven mathematical spiral that narrows belief and isolates a person or group of people. Sure, it starts off with reunions, but the ultimate result is a collection of same-minded echo chambers programmatically designed to engage and enrage… because that makes more money.
Hate and fear are more profitable than love. Period.
Couple the profit motive of social media with the vast majority of people not knowing how to do proper research online – the non-self affirmation kind – and we get… well… QAnon and President Donald J. Trump secretly working from the inside to reveal baby-eating pedophile vampires.
The problem with that eventuality: those believers show up at pizza shops and protests with guns.
Conspiracy theories used to be cute. I’m a fan, honestly, because it’s like playing a game of Clue or solving a difficult puzzle… but more like joking at a bar or a thought experiment to see “who can take it the farthest”. Unfortunately, America now has millions of people who have taken what I’m still somewhat convinced started as a prank by creative writing students into a belief system. So much so that Donald Trump is literally the savior of the story. For many, all real sources of information are “covering up the truth”, and they believe someone posting videos on youtube more than vetted news sources. Conspiracy theory mongers inside the republican party are being played for fools so others can make money from youtube video views and donations to fake causes. People who believe conspiracy theories are the easiest mark for conmen, which is why Trump has set himself up as their Jesus figure. Many worship him.
Social Media Is A Crowded Theatre In Which Trump Yells “FIRE!!!” 50 Times A Day
This is the main point, really, and it’s a short one. Trumpian republicans are packed together in their particular echo chamber; a virtual version of a crowded theatre. Their dear leader shouts at them in day in and day out that the theatre is burning down, and that the mob is knocking down the doors trying to destroy them.
What Trump should be illegal. It would be illegal for any other person in any other time, so… WTF America?
While the initial act doesn’t cause a riot inside the theatre at that moment, it incites violence once these people re-enter the real world, and for that, Trump is accountable. Trump’s “shouting fire in a crowded social media bubble” speech should be banned, not merely posted with an added comment to fact check his rallying cry lies.
The Republican Party’s abuse of the First Amendment, starting with religion and (hopefully) ending with Trump and QAnon is inexcusable. America exists because of the open sharing of ideas, but through the decades the GOP has worked to isolate them and pit one belief against another.
I have no solution to offer. Trump leaving followed by at least 2 additional election cycles to clean out Trump republicans is a possible first step, but nothing will ever be solved until we solve the problem of social media and it being the perfect venue for radicalizing and weaponizing belief.
Published: by | Updated: 09-11-2020 10:31:17
