Yeah, disastrous. Trump is just trying to gain power of a narrative, and passing the blame of him mishandling the pandemic onto the WHO.
Yeah, then there is that. You might think that these inane contradictions are a bug, but no. They are a feature. This is (unironically) post-modernism. It’s the implicit rejection of objective truths and facts or the rejection that these things can be ascertained through objective means.
Many tend to think that these people must be lying, but a liar is (by the common definition) aware what the truth is and they are knowingly being dishonest. After many years of this insanity, I am not convinced that this applies Trump and his most loyal followers (hopefully a minority among people who voted for him). I am not saying that they honestly believe the claptrap they spout either. The distinction of ‘truth’ and ‘falsehood’ as we understand it just doesn’t cross their minds. They may use these words, but merely signifies confidence to get a narrative going, but only when it’s most convenient for them at the moment, which can be dropped and replaced by another just like that. You can even juggle multiple narratives at the same time. It doesn’t matter if they contradict one another. In fact, you can use this to your advantage in multiple ways. You can confuse any potential opponent with multiple positions. They don’t know where to start. Whenever your opponent starts to respond and refute one narrative with solid arguments, you can undermine the progress of discourse by pivoting to a different narrative. And even if your opponent points out the contradictions, just say that the former narrative was a misrepresentation. “Trump did not mean that. He speaks in hyperbole. Don’t take things too seriously or literally”. Basically, gaslight your opponent to make them believe they were the ones who were claiming the now defunct narrative. And you can switch narratives every time you respond. That way, no argument from your opponent will stick and your are the one who is in the lead. The one who appears to be in control. Debate is not a means to come to an agreement, not even to convince your opponents. It’s a display of power. But also make sure you don’t state that you are the one who is in power. Claim victim status every single opportunity you can get, that you are fighting against the “global elite”… but ignore the fact that the elites are squarely on your side.
Article by Matt McManus: Professor of Politics and International Relations at TEC De Monterrey. Author of the book ‘What Is Post-Modern Conservatism: Essays On Our Hugely Tremendous Times’
A very blatant self-admitted instance of post-modern conservatism in action on live TV is vice president JD Vance when he was pushed on the fact that he and Trump were spreading the false claim of ‘Haitian immigrants eating pets’
If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m gonna do…
Also remember the time when Kellyane Conway’s infamously used the phrase “alternative facts” to defend Trump’s lies about the size of the crowd at his inauguration.
Lastly, here is a 6 year old video that explains this better than I did here:
Case in point: a fascist salute was clearly performed at Trump’s inauguration rally by a well-known supporter of far-right movements, and it was immediately recognized by actual fascists as such. But a huge proportion of the American public has been gaslit into thinking that it somehow was not what it very clearly was.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have been told the communications pause announced by the Trump Administration earlier this week includes a pause on all purchasing, including supplies for their ongoing studies, according to four sources inside the agency with knowledge of the purchasing hold.
The supply crunch follows a directive first issued on Tuesday by the acting director of the Department of Health and Human Services, which placed a moratorium on the release of any public communication until it had been reviewed by officials appointed or designated by the Trump Administration, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN. Part of this pause on public communication has been widely interpreted to include purchasing orders to outside suppliers. One source noted they had been told that essential requests can proceed and will be reviewed daily.
Researchers who have clinical trial participants staying at the NIH’s on-campus hospital, the Clinical Trial Center, said they weren’t able to order test tubes to draw blood as well as other key study components. If something doesn’t change, one researcher who was affected said his study will run out of key supplies by next week. If that happens, the research results would be compromised, and he would have to recruit new patients, he said.
“It’s difficult to tell if what’s going on is rank incompetence or a willful attempt to throw sand in the gears, but it really could be either, neither reflects well on them,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, who is president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Dr. Lurie was previously an official at the US Food and Drug Administration.
I do very much like the parallel to post-modernism (a strange and disturbing kind of post-modernism) in the reasoning of the current administration. I might steal it
I can expect that you are familiar with the back and forth about the fascist salute. Did he (Musk) mean it that way? Or was it just another example of him being very awkward? Aren’t those pictures of famous Democrats at rallys using a similar gesture? One can go round and round. The only thing clear to me is that the various camps will only interpret this sort of thing according to their own politics. Very few will admit just saying “I don’t know” is an option.
Yes. Obviously so. It is a calculated attempt at pandering. With just a smidgeon of enough vaguery that he can then blame a reactionary left for being biased against him.
No. There is what position your arm ends up in so it can be captured in a still frame, and then there is the sort of body movement you go through in your salute or wave
Elon’s was a goddamned Nazi salute. An obvious one. He threw it with force and intent. Twice. That’s not an accident. Stop making excuses for him, he knew what he was doing.
The clown then turned up on a giant monitor supporing Germany’s far-right AfD party, saying entirely non-fascist and plausibly humanitarian, just concerned, and “just asking questions” things like:
“It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” Musk said.
Last week, the U.S. billionaire caused uproar after he made a gesture that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute during U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities.
On Saturday, he said “children should not be guilty of the sins of their parents, let alone their great grandparents,” apparently referring to Germany’s Nazi past.
“There is too much focus on past guilt, and we need to move beyond that,” he said.
Yeah it’s all just a giant accident. He’s just a misunderstood nerd.
Sorry but to pretend to be this stupid I would need to have my toes surgically uncurled.
This is the sort of brainrotting blather he likes to post on his X account, when he’s not making sure to post about problems with muslim immigration in Germany and Britain.
“Autism Capital”. The Reich effect. It’s almost like being socially awkward or on the spectrum is being used debilerately as an excuse for flaunting your fascistic views in public.
“Anyone who disagrees with us must not be capable of rational thought.” — (Because if they are capable then then we might have to consider if our own position is wrong.)
We see this sort of thing quite often, imagining the opponents as less capable, or in some cases even less than human.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media continues to play its part in aiding and abetting the rise of fascism in America. This time, by misconstruing a foolish and unnecessary diplomatic gaffe (not to mention human rights violation) into some sort of great victory for Fearless Leader.
And then he unironically depicts himself as a 1920’s gangster. A mafia boss.
Meanwhile as the US decays into isolationism out of xenophobia while high on dictatorial fumes, actually ironic is that tiny Denmark is pretty much teaching Trump (or well, attempting to, fat chance the lesson will sink into his orange skull) the value of strong alliances and diplomacy.
In related news, the new administration has ordered that all viruses and bacteria cease mutating. They believe this will greatly reduce the need for the NIH, the CDC, and the WHO. (Besides, Trump believes the WHO has not been all that great since the departure of drummer Keith Moon in 1971.)
