The U.S. will mark the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection on Saturday, a milestone that will confer upon the reality-dwelling citizenry a grim reminder of the potency of propaganda and how quickly it can warp perception when introduced into the public square.

Just three years ago, most of the country watched with dismay and horror as a violent MAGA mob beat back authorities and stormed the country’s citadel of democracy. The Donald Trump-incited crush of disillusioned rioters, fueled by a stream of fantastical lies, believed that the 2020 election had been stolen by sinister forces working to undermine the democratic election.

Of course, not only was their belief flatly incorrect, but evidence later emerged indicating that it was Trump who, in fact, had tried to subvert democracy.

Facts, however, have little bearing on the sentiment inside the Republican Party, which has been fed a steady diet of lies and half-truths by Fox News and the rest of the sprawling right-wing media machine. To wit, the false notion that Joe Biden nefariously stole the 2020 election is now widely shared inside the GOP. A CNN poll conducted over the summer found that nearly 70% of Republicans believe Biden’s win was not legitimate, a number that has continued to tick up.

  • Diva (she/her)
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    6 months ago

    US progressives are objectively the single most accomplished force for LGBTQ rights in the entire world.

    Sincerely disagree. It’s because of the horrific shit that the US does with an LGBT flag as the excuse that so many reactionaries and bigots around the world are empowered to persecute LGBT people under the guise of anti-imperialism.

    I oppose the pinkwashing of empire.

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      What the actual fuck. So the US can’t ever advance human rights because anti-western reactionaries will use it as reason to persecute LGBTQ communities?

      We are done here.

      • Diva (she/her)
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        6 months ago

        You’re the one using a supposed lack of support of LGBT ‘rights’ as some sort of excuse for collective punishment and genocide. Honestly idk how I managed to avoid throwing up reading some of your posts.

        (I view human rights as pretty fucking important, but stop killing people first, fuck)