The GOP's Descent into Fiction - Or How to Recognize Propaganda

 The GOP's Descent into Fiction - Or How to Recognize Propaganda

        Conspiracy is a growing part of the right and Republicans. It is hard to deny with current politics, as January 6th riots still exist in the cultural consciousness. Or Pizza Gate. Or even Qanon. It is spread by figures such as Alex Jones, who “is the very epitome of cutting-edge political discourse, where outright fiction is presented and consumed as nonfiction” (FL 357). It is important to note that conspiracy theories are fiction, they would not be conspiracy otherwise. What is more important is that these conspiracy theories are a form of propaganda, to inspire a devotion akin to fascism. 

        So, what do philosophers have to say about this? Two philosophers come to mind to help dissect propaganda and dog whistles. These are Ludwig Wittgenstein and Hannah Arendt. Ludwig Wittgenstein can help us understand the language that is used and Hannah Arendt can help us understand empathy, and why it is important to be vigilant. So, it is the hope of this essay to showcase how, through philosophy, one can be aware of propaganda, dog whistles, and conspiracy. 

        Firstly, what is a dog whistle. A dog whistle is “political shorthand for a phrase that may sound innocuous to some people, but which also communicates something more insidious either to a subset of the audience or outside of the audience’s conscious awareness.” In a sense, it is a language game. Those who know the rules can interpret the meaning, while those who cannot are left with a different one. In a sense, it is what Ludwig Wittgenstein is getting at. 

        Ludwig Wittgenstein helped explain the philosophy of language, most importantly, how language acted as a game: 

        If we apply Wittgenstein’s idea to dog whistles, we can get a profound understanding of dog whistles. To use a dog whistle means to play two language games, the one for the public, and the one in the know. Language now serves two purposes, it acts as a multipurpose tool, it conjures multiple images based on your understanding. So, if we want to be able to recognize this game, we must know the language, we need to know the rules of the game. 

So now that we hopefully understand why understanding dog whistles is important, we should look at examples of dog whistles. A great resource is https://gopadtracker.com/ which documents GOP ads that uses such dog whistles. Take for example “critical race theory,” a new favorite buzzword of the GOP. The usage of it is often wrong, as critical race theory is an academic term for a study of legal code. Instead, “critical race theory” is often used to hate on discussion of race in schools. This forces a person who wishes to be smart, and politically able to not only know the literal meaning, but the supposed meaning. The meaning that is supposed to be hidden. You are forced to play this game. 

Another example is from Alex Jones. He often cites conspiracy such as “the New World Order,” or Sandy Hook Conspiracy. These are not only conspiracies but a form of dog whistles. You can be quick to write off people talking about the “New World Order,” but you might find other forms of truth in that statement (FL 359). Its important to be cautious and wise, to look at what someone is saying and why. What is there goal.  

Now you may be left with a question, “why should I bother?” You may not want to ask these questions, to do your research, and to do your thinking. If you do not engage, you may fall into what Hannah Arendt named banal evil (LHP 212). In a sense, by not engaging or talking or thinking, you may very well be engaging in this banal evil. So, the ethical thing to do is to at the very least recognize this when it occurs. Do not be quick to accept someone’s version of reality and instead make sure that it is sound and supported by logic.  

So, after all this talk about conspiracy and dog whistle, why focus on the GOP? Well, the GOP is seemingly more and more eager to engage in conspiracy as a political strategy. This is not just an observation I, someone who leans much more left, see, it is something even Republicans notice: as Kurt Anderson writes, “Why did the grown-ups and designated drivers on the left manage to remain more or less in charge of their followers while the reality-based right lost control to its fantasy-prone true believers?” (FL 363). He cites the growing power of the Evangelical Right, and that certainly is part of it.  

Another part is the rights growing tides with fascism. I do not think every republican is a fascist, nor everyone one of their politicians, but it has certainly been growing and can be most seen with Trump’s presidency. So now we have to ask, how do we spot a fascist?

 

These are some good signs. Although it has had some criticism it does work as a way to quickly look at someone’s speech and recognize if it has fascist leanings. The most important are power and continuing nationalism, identification of enemies / scapegoats, and obsession with national security. These are all big signs that someone may be leaning fascist. Another important thing to look out for is fascists infiltrating a group. Often, they will be a fringe group aligning themselves with the right (not always, but often) as a sort of infiltration. Moreover, they gain more power during economic or social turmoil (sound familiar?). So it is more important then ever to be on the lookout. 

Do not worry, this is not a new issue. 

        Once again, it is important to say that not all Republicans think like this nor do they believe this. I’ve have had many conversations that were productive with Republicans. Moreover, this is not to say the Democratic party or leftist can fall prey to these tactics, because they can. I have had conversations with democrats where almost nothing happened because I could not decipher the many meanings their words had. What I am saying is the republican party is leaning more towards this conspiracy and propaganda, forcing you the average person to be more aware and wiser. Think back to the two philosophers I had covered, being Wittgenstein with his views on language and Arendt with her view on banal evil. Be a thinker, and think critically. 

        The last thing I will lead you with is a video by Oliver Thorn (now Abigail Thorn). He does an excellent job looking at the way white supremacist propaganda exists and how it opposes truth. This propaganda is filled with dog whistles and conspiracy and is perpetuated by the worst parts of the Republican Party, so it is a great watch.