Trump has ushered in a Golden Age of conspiracy theories and establishment distrust (1 Viewer)

[adonis]

It's truly unnerving how much cover and encouragement he's given to the worst elements of human nature in our country.

He's provided cover for extremist groups, he either champions or supports conspiracy theories, and he calls into question almost everything stabilizing in our country from the intelligence services, to lifetime public servants, the judicial system, the DOJ, foreign intervention...etc.

The man is a wrecking ball going through our countries most stabilizing features.  Rule of law, respect for science, respect for our intelligence community, respect for our judicial system, on and on.  And on top of that, he's feeding all the trolls - nationwide.

It's crazy the level of support he still maintains when he's doing such obvious damage to the framework of our country.

Folks who have a "burn it all down" mentality, or who dabble or wallow in conspiracy theories, or who have extremist views, are LOVING this time.  It's their golden age, a time to shine.  But for the rest of us, we're left to wonder what the hell has happened to our country?  Are we always just one Trump away from being a second or third rate country?

 

[supermike80]

Cool thread. I guess I could go to other threads to discuss this but hey another one is a good thing I suppose.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

 at blaming Trump for establishment distrust.   Seriously?   All those honest, looking out for the people, politicians before Trump were overtaken by one man?   Speaking of crazy and conspiracy theories

 

[adonis]

 at blaming Trump for establishment distrust.   Seriously?   All those honest, looking out for the people, politicians before Trump were overtaken by one man?   Speaking of crazy and conspiracy theories

Not blaming him for the distrust, i'm saying he's brought it to a Golden Age. 

Fox News and the right wing media empire have laid the ground work.

Trump just mainstreamed, and mainlined all of it.

Before, the GOP just gave lip service to all of the stuff going on with FN and talk radio.  They used the support to get their guys in office, but then governed as mostly reasonable folks.  But the drug was too strong, conspiracies too compelling, distrust of government and dislike of the establishment too strong that Trump was able to come along, use the full language of fox news and talk radio, capture that audience, and actually govern as those outlets suggest.  Hell, he even watches Fox News to find out what to worry about as president, calls into the station to have rambling long conversations with talk show hosts....

So no, he didn't create it.  He just harnessed it and rode it into the national forefront.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Not blaming him for the distrust, i'm saying he's brought it to a Golden Age. 

Fox News and the right wing media empire have laid the ground work.

Trump just mainstreamed, and mainlined all of it.

Before, the GOP just gave lip service to all of the stuff going on with FN and talk radio.  They used the support to get their guys in office, but then governed as mostly reasonable folks.  But the drug was too strong, conspiracies too compelling, distrust of government and dislike of the establishment too strong that Trump was able to come along, use the full language of fox news and talk radio, capture that audience, and actually govern as those outlets suggest.  Hell, he even watches Fox News to find out what to worry about as president, calls into the station to have rambling long conversations with talk show hosts....

So no, he didn't create it.  He just harnessed it and rode it into the national forefront.

There's already a conspiracy theory thread this would fit in

 

[Slapdash]

It's truly unnerving how much cover and encouragement he's given to the worst elements of human nature in our country.

He's provided cover for extremist groups, he either champions or supports conspiracy theories, and he calls into question almost everything stabilizing in our country from the intelligence services, to lifetime public servants, the judicial system, the DOJ, foreign intervention...etc.

The man is a wrecking ball going through our countries most stabilizing features.  Rule of law, respect for science, respect for our intelligence community, respect for our judicial system, on and on.  And on top of that, he's feeding all the trolls - nationwide.

It's crazy the level of support he still maintains when he's doing such obvious damage to the framework of our country.

Folks who have a "burn it all down" mentality, or who dabble or wallow in conspiracy theories, or who have extremist views, are LOVING this time.  It's their golden age, a time to shine.  But for the rest of us, we're left to wonder what the hell has happened to our country?  Are we always just one Trump away from being a second or third rate country?

Pretty much.  Hyperpartisanship with an increasingly unbounded exuctive branch was all always a toxic brew.  Combine it with a DOJ that is completely corrupt and there is really nothing you can do.

 

[The Z Machine]

Pretty much.  Hyperpartisanship with an increasingly unbounded exuctive branch was all always a toxic brew.  Combine it with a DOJ that is completely corrupt and there is really nothing you can do.

The check on this behavior was supposed to be Congress, especially the Senate. They have failed repeatedly in that duty, which is evermore difficult in the age of atomized mass media / social media.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

I don't think "golden" is quite the word I would use here. "Dark Age" perhaps.

I've been reading a book on the Spanish-American War and IMO this seems to be hearkening back to the bad old days of yellow journalism. It's dangerous stuff on top of everything else.

 

[adonis]

I don't think "golden" is quite the word I would use here. "Dark Age" perhaps.

I've been reading a book on the Spanish-American War and IMO this seems to be hearkening back to the bad old days of yellow journalism. It's dangerous stuff on top of everything else.

Yeah, all about perspective.  Golden Age for the conspiracy theorists, a Dark Age for society as a whole.

It's an effort to undermine the enlightenment and go backwards.  We've come far as humankind by trusting science, by empirical fact, by valuing merit, by setting up systems of justice and checks and balances, by valuing experts, by investing in R&D and moving society forward by building on truths and values.  

And Trump comes in with the support of an element of society never fully onboard with the enlightenment, with an age of reason, who would be more comfortable intellectually in a time where spirits controlled the world and authoritarians ruled absolutely.

We're absolutely taking steps backwards right now, and the it's never been a better time for fools in our country at least not in the past few generations.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I've become kinda glad about this age. Raised in a golden time - Kennedy/spacerace/civil rights - i was deceived by a properous post-war generation to believe that mankind was on a path of improvement and innovation so great it didnt really need an ultimate goal. Up & away - beyond what can be imagined.

Turns out that a war on two fronts required all of one society to be excellent in order to save the rest from the greatest evil we had known and i was born into the blush of that success. There was a time that i was melancholy over likely not seeing what we would become.

No longer. We are a venal race, so selfish that we see our pets as selfless. Turns out that a vigilant excellence is required to make democracy survive and, even though there are survivors of the last evil extant among us still, we have forgotten and/or discarded every lesson we learned along the way to wide prosperity and are at the brink of casting life back into wallows of wolven survival. I've but to hold on a few more years to see resolution. Thank you all.

 

[Football Jones]

Are we always just one Trump away from being a second or third rate country?

No, but we're a couple of lefties away from our country turning into something we would all regret.

It's not happening, & in a weird way (maybe something that was destined to happen), Trump is a part of it.

 

[rockaction]

I don't know who's been warning about the executive branch's power mixed with a hotbed of big government/progressive ideas for a long time now. Just can't think of anybody who went back to law school to take courses in admin just because of it.

Can't...try...but...I'll...get...that...guys...name

I've become kinda glad about this age. Raised in a golden time - Kennedy/spacerace/civil rights - i was deceived by a properous post-war generation to believe that mankind was on a path of improvement and innovation so great it didnt really need an ultimate goal. Up & away - beyond what can be imagined.

Turns out that a war on two fronts required all of one society to be excellent in order to save the rest from the greatest evil we had known and i was born into the blush of that success. There was a time that i was melancholy over likely not seeing what we would become.

No longer. We are a venal race, so selfish that we see our pets as selfless. Turns out that a vigilant excellence is required to make democracy survive and, even though there are survivors of the last evil extant among us still, we have forgotten and/or discarded every lesson we learned along the way to wide prosperity and are at the brink of casting life back into wallows of wolven survival. I've but to hold on a few more years to see resolution. Thank you all.

They said the space race was venal from your CPUSA perch. Whitey on the moon and all that. Don't try and re-write that which was great about our government, commie.

 

[KiddLattimer]

I've become kinda glad about this age. Raised in a golden time - Kennedy/spacerace/civil rights - i was deceived by a properous post-war generation to believe that mankind was on a path of improvement and innovation so great it didnt really need an ultimate goal. Up & away - beyond what can be imagined.

Turns out that a war on two fronts required all of one society to be excellent in order to save the rest from the greatest evil we had known and i was born into the blush of that success. There was a time that i was melancholy over likely not seeing what we would become.

No longer. We are a venal race, so selfish that we see our pets as selfless. Turns out that a vigilant excellence is required to make democracy survive and, even though there are survivors of the last evil extant among us still, we have forgotten and/or discarded every lesson we learned along the way to wide prosperity and are at the brink of casting life back into wallows of wolven survival. I've but to hold on a few more years to see resolution. Thank you all.

 

[rockaction]

This is where we try and re-write things to be dumb and dumber, right?

Like somehow a generation of flatulent, group-sex loving navel gazers are busy happily watching the decline the West as we've known it for two hundred and fifty years.

Sounds right.