CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND OUTRAGEOUS PUBLICITY

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FAILED RE-ELECTION STRATEGY

Never underestimate the power of big lies, many people would believe in it and will follow it.

Nowadays, many of us have become increasingly detached from reality and have started to believe in alternative and/or virtual realities, reality shows, fake news, outright lies and/or conspiracy theories, without even showing any moral outrage.

Why and how did we become this way? What happened to our time honored, moral and ethical codes, and democratic principles? What are social scientists, social psychologists, researchers and religious leaders thinking and saying about all these things? I would leave answers to these important questions to the experts, but I would like to share my humble opinions and thoughts on the subject with my readers.

First, let’s start with the definition of conspiracy theory. Conspiracy theory could be defined as a false and sinister belief that some secret and powerful organizations are, behind closed doors, creating all the problems we are facing today. For example, a secret ”deep state” running the show to hinder our government. Or that the Chinese government engineered the coronavirus as a biological weapon to weaken the USA. Or that the CDC has exaggerated the threat of the pandemic to undermine President Trump’s administration. Even President Trump stated before the upcoming election, “I could only lose, if the election is rigged and stolen.”

Conspiracy theories are not only American problems. A recent survey among 26,000 people, in 25 different countries, were asked whether they believe, “a single group of people in the world who secretly control every event and rule the world?”

35 percent Americans, 45 percent Italians, 55 percent Spaniards and 78 percent Nigerians replied that “it is true.”

Conspiracy theories and political lies have had severe consequences in human history. Some of them, over time, could become cults with millions of dedicated followers, or organized to become dangerous ideology and powerful governments, even going to wars for wrong reasons and changing the course of history. For example, Nazism was a global cabal conspiracy theory that “Jewish financiers secretly dominating the world and plotting to destroy Aryan race. Only Hitler can stop them.” There are many more sad and similar examples in the history.

Even today, we are the target of multiple political lies and conspiracy theories, from coronavirus pandemic denials, to stolen American Presidential Election and QAnon.

QAnon is a dangerous organization formed from an internet based shadowy conspiracy theory that has become a global phenomenon, establishing itself in 71 countries with its extreme right-wing, racist, nationalist, anti-immigrant views. QAnon claimed that “the world is run by the global cabal satanic worshippers who are pedophile and child sex traffickers, and are plotting against President, his supporters as well as against all other populist world leaders.”

QAnon has gone from a fringe conspiracy theory to a full-blown cult, with the help of unregulated and uncontrolled internet and social media. 

It should be interesting to know what kind of people create cults and what kind of people become cult followers? What are their psychological profile and personal characteristics? 

Cult leaders often present themselves as mystical, charismatic, ultra-spiritual, powerful, channeler, know it all superheroes. They have a paranoid mind-set, and they are very thin skinned, they can’t stand the truth and criticism. They love power.

Even though psychiatrists still do not have a hold in types of people who are prone to become cult followers, it is believed that big lies and conspiracy theories are extremely effective emotional tools for them, to connect to higher ideas, for they feel they are belong to low status groups. This connection provides them with a sense of satisfaction and superiority.  Cult follower’s mind-set, could never be changed with arguments, occurring real events or with the presentation of facts.

I remember arguing with two Trump supporter friends. When I pointed that Trump swindled many students for the now defunct Trump University enrolment and later on paid 25 million to settle the lawsuit, he avoided paying taxes for many years, he had affairs with two porn stars, when his third wife was pregnant. They said to me, “so what, we wish we could do it too. They were beautiful women. We don’t like paying taxes either.”

So, my well-educated friends’ believed in Trumpism. How else can one explains why 74 million American people voted for Mr. Trump in the current American presidential election?

I believe the Trumpism is a form of cultism. Trumpism relies on misinformation, semi-truth, outright lies, raw power, conspiracy theories, divisiveness and controversy.

The internet, social media and right-wing press are ideal medium to spread Trumpism. Trump is tweeter-in-chief.  The more controversial and outlandish he is, the better it is for him. His statements go viral and spread like wildfire via internet across the globe. It becomes front page news in any news organization, on TV, social media and radio talk shows. It creates a lot of publicity for him. Great publicity creates greater power. Power is what Mr. Trump craves for and values the most. He uses this power to intimidate his rivals, to bully his associates and his critics.

I believe he is not only upset because he lost the election, he is more upset because he lost presidential power pulpit. 

All in all, four years of Trump’s tumultuous presidency, while shaking our confidence in American democracy and coddling the dictators of the world, shows that American institutions, and responsible, honorable and courageous people in charge, are strong enough to protect the rule of law, our freedoms and our democracy against anybody and show us again that nobody is above the law.