Lies are lies

A few people have used Twitter to explain how the media fails us.

Lois Beckett is a West Coast reporter for The Guardian, though the views in her Twitter feed are her own. She is sick of the media proclaiming hopelessness and stalemate after each mass shooting. There are ways to prevent such shootings, things that are already law. The fixes are not simple and don’t work all the time. Even so they should be tried. But these solutions are not well known, even by government officials. And media is good at making things well known. So, media, switch from hopelessness to action.

Michael Stuchberry reviews the rise of Hitler. The Munich Beer Hall Putch was a disaster. But during his trial Hitler was allowed to speak for hours and to cross-examine his witnesses. It was all nonsense but sounded great to a weary, scared German population. He was imprisoned under light guard, which meant he had the time and resources to focus his ideas into *Mein Kampf*.

Stuchberry concludes:

Basically, the German Weimar state, as it were, give Hitler all the time, resources and media training he'd possibly ever need to become a popular demagogue, during his trial and incarceration. It focused him, it gave him something to work for.

When presented with fascists, don't play by their rules. Don't concede ground to them. Don't give them the oxygen to spread their ideas. Repudiate them loudly, and forcefully. Stop them before they can grow into something more deathly persuasive.

We are making the same mistakes that plunged the world into darkness just under 75 years ago. In our attempt to ensure that all our voices are heard, we're giving a pulpit those who'd have all voices silenced. Do not ever think it can't happen again.

Chelsea Peretti wants more people to call things what they are. Why are we resigned when the nasty guy calls journalists the enemy of the people? Why are we calm in discussing how elections are being stolen? Why is there debate about whether the nasty guy is an autocrat? She concludes:

Lies are lies. Cruel is cruel. Racist is racist. Cheating is cheating. Votes are votes.

Though not through Twitter, Melissa McEwan of Shakesville has a few things to say to the media:

1. Both sides are not the same.

To downplay the eliminationism of the right under the auspices of maintaining "objectivity" is not objective at all — it has been and continues to be a profoundly dishonest misrepresentation of reality.

2. The nasty guy is serious about his vile nativist agenda. Stop pretending he isn’t.

3. This is not a normal presidency. Stop pretending “it’s not legal” matters to the nasty guy and his backers in Congress.

The whole reason that Mitch McConnell held open 100+ federal court seats plus a SCOTUS seat for the next GOP president is so the laws won't have to matter for Republicans anymore.