As all politicians know, language is a powerful thing, and there is no law that says that the meaning of words can’t be twisted so as to favor a certain person, party, etc.
Aristotle wrote his book “On Rhetoric” on the art of persuasion, somewhere during the 4th century BCE. We’ve been at this for a long time.
When the phrase “fake news” was coined soon after Trump was elected in 2016, it originally applied to the torrent of lies that were spewing forth from the president. Unfortunately, Trump was able to subvert this to mean the precise opposite, i.e., everything that was coming from the mainstream media.
As expressed in the meme here, Republicans have redefined the word “radical” to apply to everyone with even moderately progressive ideas: common-sense gun laws, a woman’s right to an abortion, quality public education, etc.
What Noam Chomsky says here is spot on, especially with respect to Trump.
What makes Trump so good at this is his facility to invent a new boogieman every couple of days. Communism, Dr. Fauci, Venezuela’s drug boats, Iran, birthright citizenship, democrats, the damage done by previous presidents, the climate hoax, the Kennedy Center, the arch, the vandals at the Reflecting Pool, Black Lives Matter, Antifa, liberals in education, the Hollywood elite, unsafe vaccinations, trans people, a nuclearized Iran, massive voter fraud, Haitians eating our pets, Harvard, the ex-Fed Chairman, NATO, wind turbines, the far-left radicals, the election control people, the list goes on.
Then there are the near-daily outrages:
Turning Gaza into a luxury resort, annexing Greenland, curtailing environmental emission standards, usurping the Panama Canal, refusing to pay E. Jean Carroll, pardoning hundreds of violent convicted felons, accepting bribes for pardoning white collar fraudsters, insider trading, orchestrating deals that benefit his children, targeting Jack Smith, protecting ICE agents who commit murder/manslaughter, and leasing federal wilderness land for oil exploration
The more indefensible the better.
Is her point that there are countries that are even more repressive to women’s rights?
Does anyone disagree with that?
The words at left may seem obvious to you and me but realize that we live among tens of millions of people who are completely desperate to cling onto their beliefs that Trump is an honest and effective servant of the American people, however contrary to the evidence this may be.
-
Climate Change11 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases11 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Renewable Energy9 months agoSending Progressive Philanthropist George Soros to Prison?
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits
-
Greenhouse Gases12 months ago
嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测