The truth is, it’s getting harder to describe the extent to which a meaningful percentage of Americans have dissociated from reality. As Hurricane Milton churned across the Gulf of Mexico last night, I saw an onslaught of outright conspiracy theorizing and utter nonsense racking up millions of views across the internet. The posts would be laughable if they weren’t taken by many people as gospel. Among them: Infowars’ Alex Jones, who claimed that Hurricanes Milton and Helene were “weather weapons” unleashed on the East Coast by the U.S. government, and “truth seeker” accounts on X that posted photos of condensation trails in the sky to baselessly allege that the government was “spraying Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton” in order to ensure maximum rainfall, “just like they did over Asheville!”
As Milton made landfall, causing a series of tornados, a verified account on X reposted a TikTok video of a massive funnel cloud with the caption “WHAT IS HAPPENING TO FLORIDA?!” The clip, which was eventually removed but had been viewed 662,000 times as of yesterday evening, turned out to be from a video of a CGI tornado that was originally published months ago. Scrolling through these platforms, watching them fill with false information, harebrained theories, and doctored images—all while panicked residents boarded up their houses, struggled to evacuate, and prayed that their worldly possessions wouldn’t be obliterated overnight—offered a portrait of American discourse almost too bleak to reckon with head-on.
Even in a decade marred by online grifters, shameless politicians, and an alternative right-wing-media complex pushing anti-science fringe theories, the events of the past few weeks stand out for their depravity and nihilism. As two catastrophic storms upended American cities, a patchwork network of influencers and fake-news peddlers have done their best to sow distrust, stoke resentment, and interfere with relief efforts. But this is more than just a misinformation crisis. To watch as real information is overwhelmed by crank theories and public servants battle death threats is to confront two alarming facts: first, that a durable ecosystem exists to ensconce citizens in an alternate reality, and second, that the people consuming and amplifying those lies are not helpless dupes but willing participants…
… “The primary use of ‘misinformation’ is not to change the beliefs of other people at all. Instead, the vast majority of misinformation is offered as a service for people to maintain their beliefs in face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary”…
… As one dispirited meteorologist wrote on X this week, “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes.” She followed with: “I can’t believe I just had to type that”…
People are so distrustful of our government and institutions of power that they are looking for information elsewhere for better or for worse. The ordinary citizen is not to blame. They are being forced fed tailored information through legacy media, social media, and everything else and can’t figure out what is true. This is the same for people from all sides of the political spectrum. Your frustrations should be focused on the powers who sow this misinformation into our reality for nefarious reasons.
Yeah. It’s not hard to see why people don’t trust the media anymore. Amongst other things, the big ones I can think about in my life: They uncritically parroted lies the government used to justify the Iraq War and they regularly gave equal air time/consideration to climate deniers as though they were equivalent to climate scientists.
Pick one. They can’t both be true at the same time unless you have an actual learning disability or otherwise impaired cognitive function.
If you are legitimately incapable of discerning the fact that Trump and his enablers are full of shit then you need full time care and I don’t mean that in a hyperbolic way. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) most of his supporters are perfectly capable of seeing it but are choosing not to, which means they are absolutely deserving of blame.
You are assuming other people share your level of intelligence. Don’t.
Literally think of someone of “average” intelligence and now remember that literally more than 50% of the population is below that on the curve. And even more than half are uninterested in issues outside their life and aren’t questioning things in a way for them to care to know if things are factual when told they are by someone they trust.
You are assuming malice where unfortunately, and especially with humans, stupidity is much more likely.
I’m painfully aware of how dumb these people are. Most of them are still smart enough to see Trump for what he is and they’re choosing not to. There’s plenty of discussion to be had about why that is but that’s not the point I’m getting at. The point is that they aren’t incapable of seeing it they just don’t want to.
And here you are saying most again cause you want that to be true. No facts on that. Just pure gut thinking.
You want them to be smart enough to see the grift cause it’s easier to think of then as evil than dumb and malinformed.
You make beliefs based on your own desire. It doesn’t make it true. We have no idea of the split but you are disregarding that stupidity is just as likely because it makes you feel better.
Fine just don’t pretend that’s the truth.
I’m talking about the people I know personally. Also, this shit doesn’t make me feel better. That’s a dumb thing to say.
You want to pretend we’re scientists? OK cool, what are you basing your opinion on other than gut feelings? I don’t see any links to studies or anything else scientific in your comments, just a vague reference to Hanlon’s razor. Am I supposed to be so impressed that you’ve heard of that concept that I immediately change my view? You’re trying to make it seem like you have the data behind you but you’re speculating just as much as I am.
Engage with the topic or don’t, I don’t care, just quit being so pretentious about it.
Then say people you know are bastards and you hate them cause you think they are evil. Wide sweeping statements are a crutch to not think about others critically and is just for you. It’s easier to reduce people even if you don’t feel good about it.
Boohoo for you for being called out that you are not on topic but just airing your issues with people you know and treating it like truths.
I am engaging your bad argument you just don’t want to hear it.
You might be the most undeservedly smug person I’ve ever interacted with and that’s quite the achievement. Congrats and fuck off.