The Right-Wing Meme Generator: Their Most Dangerous and Effective Weapon! [View all]

[Moonwalk]

This is not a new observation, but it is, I think one of the most important observations on the war we fight for hearts and minds: The fact is, we can fight and fight and sometimes win, but we will never succeed against the right-wing's ability to capture hearts and minds until we slow, stop, counter or outright kill their Meme-Generating Machine. Which is why I believe that every one of us should focus on ways of countering it. We should send word to all our friends and allies, to the cleverest people we know and say: "Give us your best ideas! Now while we still have time. Now while they're not looking."

Because, I promise you, there is no winning this war otherwise.

I bring this up because in another thread, someone mentioned the fact that Rush had said we were "paying for Fluke to have sex" and that this was bogus. Which, of course, it is. Tax dollars do not go to give women contraception. And yet, even after Rush has been slapped on the wrist for Fluke, that lie is still being repeated and believed. Just like the lie that Fluke talked about her sex life at that meeting rather than talking about her friend with the ovarian cyst. These lies are everywhere. What the hell? Shouldn't it be clear as clear that this was about health insurance not taxes?

Oh, but this little lie is more devious than you think....It not only creates a lie about contraception, aiming to undermine those who aren't in line with certain "Christian" values (i.e. women who use it are sluts), but it also anticipates any argument for public healthcare. Should Democrats get into congress and pass universal health care paid for the government...well, then it would be true that tax payers are paying for women's contraception and, therefore, for them having sex. Wouldn't it? Yes, my friends, a seed has been planted for later. Even if we can chop off its head now, it will grow back the second Medicare-for-all is mentioned. That's the beauty of memes, they not only can last forever, but re-grow like weeds when needed.

The primary point, however, is this: the lies have taken on a life of their own, and the truth can't keep up. This, alas, is the brilliant ploy of the right. It has been their primary ploy since it's first big success in winning Bush jr. the election. Here's how it works (and again, this is nothing new). Some right-winger creates an easy, simple lie. A Santorm or a Rush or an O'Reilly. The right-wing media machine takes it up and repeats on all their media outlets, tossing out that message like chum to sharks. Unable to resist, other news outlets say it as well. It is thus transformed into a Meme, sticking and obscuring the truth, being believed even when the facts say it's false.

Which is why, by the way, you'll hear the Republicans and pundits saying the darnest things. "Girl Scouts" promote communism!" "Planned Parenthood creates prostitutes!" "Obama is wasn't even born in the U.S.....!" And "Occupy wants to take away your money and give it to the poor!" They say anything and everything because not only are they almost never punished for these outrageous lies (Rush was depending on this when he called Sandra a slut), and not only is a lie that is said (or shouted) with confidence taken as truth, but because they're throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it sticks. They say and say these things knowing that any one could go viral and be believed over the truth.

And what do you know? Rush may be suffering from calling a woman a slut this time, but his lie about contraceptives being paid for by taxpayers is sticking! It's out there and being believed.

Let's not fool ourselves fellow Dems. These people have mastered this trick and it's the most dangerous weapon they have in their arsenal. Not only because it works, but because it always puts the truth-tellers on the defensive. We end up having to keep saying, "That's not true!" while the lie, so easy to grab hold of, infects more and more people and becomes harder to eradicate. Ask people why we went to war against Saddam and Iraq and most will still say it was because they were behind the attack on 9-11.

We can fight and fight, win some battles, but until we find a way to nip this right-wing meme-generator in the bud or get our own truth-generator that works better and faster, we will lose the war. So I urge you all to put on your thinking caps. It's not just people we need to defeat, it's dangerous and evil memes. Let's make this one of our top priorities; we can't, obviously, put an end to lies, but I think we can find ways to slow, stop or counter the insidious, right-wing meme machine. Let this be the year we do that.