2 hours Ago By Donald E. Maypole, Lake Nebagamon
Each American is a small island surrounded by a sea of disinformation. We are similar to fish in a pond. All we know is derived from our sea, which is designed and filled by others.
The sea is created for us by people following their own agendas and goals, not ours. We are faced with crisis after crisis, conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory, and lies after lies. Baseless attacks are continuously made against opponents.
The more lies are repeated, the more they are likely to be believed. All of these events are designed to send our critical-thinking train off its track. If the propagandists can confuse us, they can direct our thinking and opinions toward theirs, which benefits their obtaining power, not our well-being.
ADVERTISEMENT A major goal of propagandists is to destroy our faith in and the credibility of our federal government and the agencies which implement the laws determined by Congress. Claims of a mythical “deep state” within our government are themselves used as evidence of the existence of the “deep state.” What nonsense.
I worked five summers in a federal agency, 10 years in a Wisconsin state agency, and five years in county agencies and never observed anything of the sort. I never saw anything other than a commitment by personnel to do their jobs. The propagandists also target mass media.
If people are convinced the news is fake, how can they find the truth? All authoritarian groups, including the Nazis and Communists, have used exactly the same technique. Once people are confused and separated from their critical-thinking train, they can be convinced to believe about anything. This explains the success of cults.
Our best defense is to listen, keep an open mind, and demand propagandists provide supportive evidence for attempts to get us to meet their goals. Donald E. Maypole Lake Nebagamon ADVERTISEMENT Email submissions to: letters@duluthnews.
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