America has a first amendment problem. [View all]

[hay rick]

Last edited Fri Aug 1, 2025, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)

First amendment absolutists have agreed that you can't shout "fire!" when there is no fire in a crowded movie theater, but fall back on the theory that deliberate lies will be exposed when they encounter truth in a debate. In the current internet/social media/podcast/cable news age, a huge number of people never leave their comfortable media spaces and are not exposed to meaningful debate. Last summer I posted about malign TikTok content designed to misinform low-engagement voters: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219019254

Since Trump's election the same tactics are being used to sell his agenda. Lying has been professionalized and is being used to mold public opinion, and ultimately, the acceptance of authoritarianism. One example here: https://www.tiktok.com/@alltheworldlythings/video/7526748418228653343

The video starts with a shot of a man sitting on a couch complaining that "Trump has cut my food stamps from 2800 dollars down to 300 and fifty dollars." The man says he just got a letter informing him of the cut. He says he has 5 kids and complains that he doesn't want to work 50 or 60 hours to support his kids. He wants to stay home and be a father to them. He also says he voted for Trump and will leave the country if he gets elected again.

This is clearly fictional and designed to provoke anger and reinforce support for Trump and SNAP cuts. In fact, the maximum benefit for the family size the man describes is half or less of the amount he claims, depending on the state. The use of fake numbers is particularly chilling as it gives people outrageous numbers to throw around in discussions in which others don't have immediate access to valid numbers.

This kind of thing is being done on scale and is undermining the public's ability to tell truth from fiction.