Two Different Worlds

The very bad stuff this election augurs

The flight from Facebook to Parler was so swift after the election that many of my local Facebook friends made jokes about it. There was this meme, posted above, mocking the Facebook feature that allows people to alert their friends that they were not harmed in a natural disaster near them: “Marked Safe From creating a PARLER account Today.” Others of my friends joked that their timelines immediately became more pleasant, filled with pets and recipes and kid photos and not a constant stream of hate and vitriolic politics.

Those who were joining advertised it as a more conservative Facebook, but some who checked it out and passed picked up quickly on the darker trends there; the misinformation, white nationalist politics, and calls to partisan violence. Thirty minutes north of me, in the even smaller town of Marshall, Arkansas, the city’s police chief had used the platform to call for the death of “Marxist Democrats.” He believed Trump had won the election and vowed not to forget what the Democrats had “tried to do,” and also shared a photoshopped picture of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others in prison jumpsuits: “I pray all those in that picture hang on the gallows and are drawn and quartered!!!” he wrote. “Anything less is not acceptable.” He was caught and resigned, and the town’s mayor condemned his actions. Left unanswered was how he would be able to tell someone was a Democrat. I have some ideas.

Many Trump voters are also leaving Fox News for Newsmax, because on Saturday Fox News joined with other networks in telling the truth about President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Newsmax, even more right-wing and untethered from reality, did not make that call. The county judge here, who is the chief executive for the county government, shared a screenshot of the station’s decision:

Numbers show that Newsmax has new fans everywhere. CNN’s Brian Stelter reports that the viewership for some of its shows has increased eight-fold since before the election. He shares the following quote:

Al Schmidt, the Republican city commissioner of Philadelphia, touched on the demand side when he told CNN's John Berman: "One thing I can't comprehend is how hungry people are to consume lies and to consume information that is not true."

There is something cosmically just about Fox News, which fed the egos of its viewers by creating a world of alternative facts, and Facebook, which made money by allowing those same lies to flourish online, being abandoned by the people who don’t like their sudden pivot to truth-telling and conspiracy policing. But it also shows the ways in which the true-believers—many of whom are evangelical Christians who are already used to following charismatic leaders blindly and with passion—are adept at bending what they see in the world into their pre-existing worldview. They are shopping for what they want to believe.

As Trump’s obvious and bumbling coup attempts continue, in which he is encouraging some states Biden won to appoint Republican electors to the Electoral College, flouting the will of the people, it’s become clear to me just how many people believe his outright lies on social media about fraudulent voting. People repeat those claims to me without facts and without links. In courtrooms, the “evidence” Trump’s campaign provides is flimsy, and that’s being generous. One poll watcher said he was suspicious because members of the military were voting for Biden. "I had always been told that military personnel tended to be more conservative, so this stuck out to me as the day went on," the poll watcher said. But for Trump voters, no evidence is required. Trump and his team only need to say that any vote cast against him is fake. The fact that the votes for Biden came in huge numbers from majority Black, “Democrat-ran” cities is enough to cast doubt.

I think that Biden will ultimately benefit from cooperation in the transition, and will be sworn in in January. But millions of Americans will believe this election was stolen with the a dangerous passion. His administration now is also testing democracy’s barriers, like the raptors at the electric fence in Jurassic Park, to find weak spots. For now, our decentralized, federalist system is strong because of its odd and Byzantine structure. I suspect, though, that some will find places to attack next time. Rather than trying to woo voters with better ideas and a more inclusive message, the Republican Party has doubled down on maintaining power by consolidating it. And too many people are happy to go along.

A Plea:

The Van Buren County Literacy Council, which I’m on the board of and which runs programs in reading, math, and other subjects for adult learners, is hosting an online Gospel Fest on its Facebook page. The Gospel Fest is one of the organization’s annual fundraisers, and, obviously, we had to cancel this year. We’re still hoping to get a matching grant by raising money online. If you care about adult education, you can visit the Facebook page, like us, watch some videos, or give through the website here.

Cute Animal Pic of the Week:

This adorable baby is looking for a new home, hopefully locally. In the meantime, Gremlin is hanging out with me in my office, trying to chew all of my cords and scratch my hands and generally being a cat. Wish him luck!