Time To Turn Down The Heat

Combating right-wing propaganda

Foreword: I grew up in a small Georgia town during the 1990’s when Democrats were getting annihilated by Newt Gingrich . The easiest way to become a social outcast was to support the Democratic Party. Everyone was Republican, went to church, and watched baseball. The first time I admitted being a liberal or a feminist out loud, I expected to be struck down.

It is my position that changing the mind of right-wing Christians is impossible unless we confront the fact that we live in 2 different realities. I am referring to the perspective hawked by media personalities for their economic benefit. When I see a news item, my perspective is vastly different from others. A story about a missing child prompts completely different reactions. For example, my family genuinely believes that Christians have been persecuted since the 1950s and that special interest groups are funded by evil forces. Every piece of informations is filtered through the story of prosecution that began when religion was “forced out of schools”. Understanding their behavior requires a few assumptions:

• The country was great before the 1960's
• Religion was immediately removed from schools
• Things are actually worse now than in previous generations

Each of these assumptions are constantly reinforced. Shows like Leave it to Beaver, Andy Griffith Show, old Westerns, country music and 50’s music also play their part. Grease remains a popular musical, movie, and decor style.

Religion was not removed from schools in the 1950’s. Administrators, teachers, and students continue to press the bounds of the Supreme court ruling. Christian clubs such as the Y-Club and Bible Club have huge membership numbers while Muslims, Atheists, Wiccan, and others met with obstacles or hate.

The third perception is trickier to counter. Most people rely on stories to understand the world around them. Very few people understand how statistics work, algebraic thinking, or how to sway people using different data sets. As such, people believe stories that confirm their bias rather than listen to an “expert screaming about made up numbers”. Let’s say I tell my father that I want to buy a Ford F-150. Without asking any questions, he will begin ranting about their flaws and recommend others. His “evidence” will be that his father hated them, they are Chevy people, and the two Fords he was forced to drive were pieces of crap. His mind is set on the matter and no matter the evidence I cite about electric trucks and Ford’s record, he will continue to give additional examples of Ford vehicles that did not run properly.

Once you understand the mindset, it becomes easier to see how Alex Jones, Jerry Falwell, and Glenn Beck are able to exploit fear and shame to gain wealth. Their followers are preparing for war, the apocalypse, or the rapture. The easiest way to prevent the first two is by removing those people who are spreading hate like a virus. Once the temperature of the room cools, maybe we can have honest conversations, and fix our country and our planet.