In
researching topics related to the books I read, I came across David Pakman’s
analysis. His careful analysis based on facts exposes with clarity the
cognitive dissonance of the discourse of Republican politicians who are loyal
to Trump’s irrationality.
David
Pakman’s visionary power and introspective outlook inspired me to read his
book: The Echo Machine. I decided to borrow it from the library.
How do
we end up with the normalization of situations that are abnormal and dangerous?
Why did seventy-five million people vote for a
man who has praised Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine?
How can anybody vote for a man who promises to
be a dictator on day one?
Praising Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine should
have been more than enough of a red alert for voters with ethical principles,
but for these people kidnapping Ukrainian children and causing a massacre that
continues to this day appears to be part of the deal of putting a fascist
dictator in power. Let’s remind everyone that they voted for a man who has
blamed Zelensky for the war in Ukraine. Why? Because he shares Putin’s imperialist
and fascist ideas.
It is
difficult for me to understand how those who voted for a criminal can be at
peace with their conscience—assuming they have one.
Why did seventy-five million people think it
is okay to vote for fascism and to throw American democracy under the bus? How
did this happen?
For decades, right-wing extremists have been
promoting falsehoods, conspiracy theories and distortions of reality, and the
2024 election was clearly the result of this.
First
of all, it is necessary to remember that the citizens of any healthy democracy
need to understand the difference between opinions and facts. To comprehend the
difference between the two, critical thinking skills and a basic understanding
of scientific concepts are required. If this can’t be done, then we are caught
up in a situation that resembles what happened in the Middle Ages…
During the Middle Ages, religious dogma took
precedence over empirical evidence. As a result of this, facts were censored
and rejected to maintain religious beliefs that were considered acceptable and
even mandatory. People whose opinions were in disagreement with irrational
beliefs could be detained and even executed.
The dismissal of facts at the expense of
conspiracy theories or the repetition of falsehoods is not new. This has
happened in different places at different times in history. Under Hitler’s
regime, for example, this was done consistently to persecute groups of people,
sow hate and divisiveness and to encourage violence while demanding blind
loyalty to a dictator. The study of history offers examples of how fascism
takes over a country.
Those
who are not horrified by the fact that Donald Trump has threatened to suspend
habeas corpus lack basic knowledge of history. Suspending habeas corpus is
something that was done under right-wing dictatorships in Argentina during the
1970s. Getting rid of habeas corpus enabled the disappearance of thousands
of people without due process. People were abducted by security forces. These
people were subjected to torture and other forms of human rights abuses. Is
this what Americans want for the United States of America? If the answer is no,
then it is time to wake up and understand that this is serious.
Dismantling agencies and firing workers that
support the foundation of our democracy are actions that set the stage to
unravel the forces of fascism. This jeopardizes everybody’s safety.
How can
anybody in his or her right mind support the detention of tourists for merely
expressing disagreement with trump’s government in their social media? This is
consistent with the actions of fascism.
People overseas are actively opposing American
fascism by cancelling their planned visits to the United States of America and
they are boycotting American products across the world.
We now watch with horror the persecution of groups
of people and the disregard of the Rule of Law.
Denigrating institutions and getting rid of
policies that protect the health of our communities, the quality of air and
water are actions that are promoted as normal and necessary under the regime of a man who thinks he has the right to behave like a king. He has consistently shown a lack of interest in upholding the Constitution, so why is the mainstream media
surprised?
Innocent people are being abducted and thrown into prisons while MAGA criminals are pardoned. Pardoning criminals is something that Vladimir Putin also does in Russia. You can read Alexei Navalny's book to learn about this.
Yet
truth is a peaceful weapon to stand up against the abuses of power of the
Executive Branch, which counts on the support of those who have been conned for
decades.
One of
the strategies of the Republican Party in power is to repeat falsehoods
consistently to convince people that the government is “strong” and doing
something right to put America first. In the meantime, thousands of people are
left without help after they lose their homes to natural disasters in various
states. They do not receive the help they need,and dismantling FEMA will only make it worse.
Perpetuating myths and gerrymandering have
been some of their strategies to win elections without addressing the real
problems. Spreading lies and slandering their opponents have helped them to gain power by winning the 2024
election.
To counteract this, we need to resort to truth
and facts.
Let’s expose just some of the Republicans’
lies that David Pakman dissects in his book, to raise awareness on these issues.
Tax
breaks for the wealthy and the corporations
One myth that Republicans have consistently promoted
for decades is that giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy will
increase the number of jobs and boost the economy. Research has shown the opposite, and there is no evidence that doing this will trickle down to the working class or that it will boost the economy This is simply a myth promoted to enrich the wealthy and make the
poor poorer.
The
economy versus the environment myth
Another popular myth widely spread in America
is that subsidizing and expanding the fossil fuel industry will strengthen the
economy and provide more jobs. This is not true. Many countries with healthy
economies and communities are doing just the opposite. They create policies
that promote the development of clean energy sources, and, in doing so, they
boost the economy, create jobs and support the health of their communities as
well as the quality of air and water.
The book provides examples with detailed
explanations of countries that do this. For example, Sweden, Denmark, Norway
and Finland are some of the countries that come to my mind. These social
democracies have strong economies, promote entrepreneurship, and support
their population with access to healthcare and policies that protect the
environment.
Lies
perpetuated during the COVID pandemic
False
statements promoted by right-wing extremists killed people during the COVID
pandemic. For example, MAGA Republicans promoted the false idea that only
people with underlying medical conditions could die from COVID. For this
reason, they discouraged people from wearing masks and getting vaccinated. People
lost their lives a as a result of this. Right-wing extremists even called the COVID virus a "hoax."
Another trend among right-wing extremists is to
label people as “communists” or "radical leftists" when they disagree with them, or for simply trying to
share facts, which right-wing extremists dodge and ignore at all costs. Countries like China,
Russia and Venezuela are under authoritarian regimesin which corruption is part
of the everyday landscape. These are not countries that one would consider as
examples to folllow. Yet the United States of America appears to be going in that
direction.
Last year, after the devastation that
hurricanes Helene and Milton left in Florida Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Democrats of manipulating the weather to cause the hurricanes.
How can anybody in his or her right mind
support people who spew outrageous conspiracy theories?
Due to global rising temperatures the number
of severe weather events has been consistently increasing over the last decades. I
am sharing this graph from Yale Climate Connections to show it.
Yet seventy-five
million people in America voted for a man who has stated that climate change is
a “hoax” and who blatantly ignores the advice of climate scientists.
If you don’t have the time to read the whole
book, make sure you read chapters 1, 2 and 5.
Chapter five is crucial to
understand how some countries are able to prosper within the capitalist system
by investing in social programs and caring for the environment. I will share some
facts from chapter 5 to elaborate on what I mentioned earlier in the post:
“Contrary to
some right-wing misconceptions, these Scandinavian nations are not
anti-business. In fact, they have thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems that have
created global giants such as IKEA, Volvo, Nokia and Spotify. Their approach is
not to stifle business but to ensure that business growth does not come at the
expense of workers’ rights or the environment.”
Another important aspect of these countries
that we must highlight is that these countries are among the least corrupt
in the world:
“Transparency International’s Corruption
Perceptions Index often ranks these countries among the least corrupt in the
world. A culture of trust, strong institutions, and stringent regulations
help ensure that public and private sectors operate with integrity. While no
country is entirely free of crime, Scandinavian countries tend to have low
crime rates, particularly violent crime. This can be attributed to their focus
on rehabilitation rather than punishment, comprehensive social safety nets, and
educational opportunities that reduce economic disparities.”
These social democracies invest to make
education accessible and high-quality. They also take into consideration
workers’ rights:
“A key feature of the Nordic model is the
emphasis on workers’ rights and welfare. This isn’t just altruistic; there is a
strong economic rationale behind it. Happier, healthier workers are more
productive. In turn, higher productivity enhances economic performance. A
balance between work and leisure, ensured by shorter work weeks and ample
vacation time, leads to rejuvenated workers who contribute more efficiently
when they are at work.”
This information is consistently ignored by
the mainstream media narrative in America. When people are poorly informed and
lack the critical thinking skills to evaluate the present we are caught up in a
swamp of extremist ideas; blind loyalty to a dictator is part of that swamp.
This is how cults work. Tyranny is not normal and we have to refuse to accept
that this is a normal situation. It is not a normal situation.
David
Pakman’s book delves into the misconceptions and lies that have been promoted
for too long. He exposes the double standards, irrationality and science denial
that prevail under the disastrous current regime, but he also provides
suggestions to move forward and to work in constructive ways to face this situation.
Can our voices and peaceful actions help to
make a difference? Yes, because the truth matters.
Read his book and pass it on. Give it to
somebody as a gift. Share the ideas with somebody. Inspire your book club to
discuss the content of The Echo Machine. I can’t wait to learn more
about the conversations, discussions and constructive actions that this book
will inspire.
David
Pakman believes in an incremental approach as a strategy. Every long journey
starts with one simple step:
“The arc of
history bends toward perseverance, and toward making small yet consistent
gains. The resilience and adaptability of an incremental approach stand as a
testament to its enduring power in the dynamic landscape of American politics.”
Losing hope
is not an option.
Let’s work
to help the truth succeed.
Supplementary
links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3EvpKevImk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVxuFLBOpvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcwasdoDMtg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NIwH4nKaDg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8zO_131PG4
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