The ideal subject of a totalitarian state is not the convinced Nazi or Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (that is, the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (that is, the standards of thought) no longer exist.
Hannah Arendt
America (not just Russia) has a problem with misinformation. And if history shows, this is a common feature of nations where freedom of the press is suppressed and replaced with lies and propaganda.
Take the tragedy of Putin’s war on Ukraine. The Russian dictator’s forces continue to shell major cities, toppling hospitals and schools, killing civilians and children, causing millions to flee their homes and in turn creating the worst refugee crisis since World War II. The Kremlin has cracked down on social media and independent outlets in Russia, manipulating the narrative of its invasion of Ukraine by calling it a “special military operation” rather than a war. Putin announced to the Russian people that he was sending “peacekeepers,” and that his troops went into Ukraine to “de-Nazify” a democratic country whose president happens to be Jewish. Putin also claimed that Moscow needed to move in to defend Ukraine’s Russian speakers from a Ukrainian “genocide.”
Like so many autocrats and dictators, Putin is a liar and uses propaganda to legitimize his untruths. In her book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, New York University professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat states that “at its core, propaganda is a set of communication strategies designed to sow confusion and uncertainty, discourage critical thinking, and persuade people that reality is what the leader says it is.”
Here in America, Putin has perfected the craft of peddling lies to deepen racial and political divisions, and these lies have infected our nation at the highest levels of government. Take, for example, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The controversial representative spoke at a weekend event earlier this month (organized by a white nationalist) where she openly applauded Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to crowd chants of “Putin!” On Twitter, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug” and stated that the Ukrainian government is “incredibly evil.”
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the clearing of the trucker’s protest in Ottawa, saying: “We also have neighbors to the north who need freedom and who need to be liberated.” Boebert says a lot of dumb things, but such a statement implies that Putin is “liberating” Ukraine.
But it’s not just Republicans spewing lies and “alternative facts.” Former U.S. representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), posted a video on social media that pushed the debunked theory about Biolabs in Ukraine, and that the Biden administration had been trying to cover it up. It’s probably not a coincidence that Garrard’s biggest donor was an indicted Russian oligarch who runs a nonprofit seeking to foster “cooperation” between the U.S. and Russia
Then there’s Tucker Carlson. The Fox News talking head has described the war in Ukraine as merely “a border dispute” and wondered why Americans would hate the Russian “president.” No doubt Putin has found allies in the US media as well, seizing on recent comments by Carlson to further push his propaganda about the Russian invasion. Recently, Russian state TV spends a lot of time talking about high US gas prices, indicating that such prices are proof that American sanctions are backfiring (a sentiment shared by the Fox News host). MSNBC commentator Chris Hayes stated that “Tucker works to legitimize a lot of the Kremlin’s favorite talking points. And that’s not really an exaggeration.” He also added that “The Kremlin itself sees Tucker as a useful asset.”
Putin’s biggest cheerleader, DJT, known for his sycophantic support of the Russian dictator, has even offered to help Putin file for bankruptcy. Calling our US sanctions, the “former guy” stated that the
The Russian economy is “in very, very bad, terrible shape” and that bankruptcy was “quite frankly” Putin’s only option. DJT is quoted as saying “Bankruptcy is scary the first time you do it,” Trump said. “But once you’ve done it five or six times it’s the easiest and most beautiful thing in the world.”
He should know.
But I digress.
The popularity of conspiracy theories surrounding Putin’s assault on Ukraine abound, and our nation is suffering from a malady of misinformation, where the lines between fact and fiction, truth and lies do not exist. I find it horrifying that individuals such as MTG, Madison Cawthorn, DJT, Gabbard, Boebert, and Tucker Carlson maintain such a cognitive disconnect when it comes to seeing the truth, but I’m not surprised.
That’s how autocrats roll.