Hannah Arendt Explains How Propaganda Uses Lies to Erode All Truth & Morality: Insights from The Origins of Totalitarianism

This merits a close read.  Lies in totalitarian regimes like the one that Trump envisions (we're still a democracy so far, thankfully) function to exercise complete control over followers.  Specifically, the lies function 

"...as a means of fully dominating subordinates, who would have to cast aside all their integrity to repeat outrageous falsehoods and would then be bound to the leader by shame and complicity."

This smacks as a form of psychological entrapment.  Author Michiko Katutani cites Levey who expresses the following.

"Arendt and others recognized, writes Levy, that “being made to repeat an obvious lie makes it clear that you’re powerless.” "

It's called "gaslighting" today and insidiously,

"The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world—and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end---is being destroyed." (my italics)

"[B]y which we take our bearings in the real word," sounds terribly yucky to me.  Sometimes, that's all we got, our bearings.  And for that to get unmoored as the outcome of a specific intention to make this happen, to intentionally manipulate people—is downright evil.  The master of deception must get called out at this very moment, because that is what it is.  Deception—that by definition, is never as it seems.  And can even be the brightest star in the sky.

Let's call it what it is, my friends.  This is an evil spirit abounding that threatens to consume the whole.  We're not only better than that, mis querid@s.  

We are not that.  This way of knowing and being in the world is not of this land. 

Palabra!

Thanks to Dr. Teresa Cordova for sharing.

-Angela Valenzuela

#AbyaYala #TenemosMemoria #ResistenciaIndigena #madretierra #TurtleIsland #PachaMama
Hannah Arendt Explains How Propaganda Uses Lies to Erode All Truth & Morality: Insights from The Origins of Totalitarianism  
January 24th, 2017
By Michiko Kakutani

 Image by Bernd Schwabe, via Wikimedia Commons 

At least when I was in grade school, we learned the very basics of how the Third Reich came to power in the early 1930s. Paramilitary gangs terrorizing the opposition, the incompetence and opportunism of German conservatives, the Reichstag Fire. And we learned about the critical importance of propaganda, the deliberate misinforming of the public in order to sway opinions en masse and achieve popular support (or at least the appearance of it). While Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels purged Jewish and leftist artists and writers, he built a massive media infrastructure that played, writes PBS, “probably the most important role in creating an atmosphere in Germany that made it possible for the Nazis to commit terrible atrocities against Jews, homosexuals, and other minorities.” 

 How did the minority party of Hitler and Goebbels take over and break the will of the German people so thoroughly that they would allow and participate in mass murder? Post-war scholars of totalitarianism like Theodor Adorno and Hannah Arendt asked that question over and over, for several decades afterward. Their earliest studies on the subject looked at two sides of the equation. Adorno contributed to a massive volume of social psychology called The Authoritarian Personality, which studied individuals predisposed to the appeals of totalitarianism. He invented what he called the F-Scale (“F” for “fascism”), one of several measures he used to theorize the Authoritarian Personality Type.

Arendt, on the other hand, looked closely at the regimes of Hitler and Stalin and their functionaries, at the ideology of scientific racism, and at the mechanism of propaganda in fostering “a curiously varying mixture of gullibility and cynicism with which each member... is expected to react to the changing lying statements of the leaders.” So she wrote in her 1951 Origins of Totalitarianism, going on to elaborate that this “mixture of gullibility and cynicism... is prevalent in all ranks of totalitarian movements": 

 In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and nothing was true... The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness. 

Why the constant, often blatant lying? For one thing, it functioned as a means of fully dominating subordinates, who would have to cast aside all their integrity to repeat outrageous falsehoods and would then be bound to the leader by shame and complicity. “The great analysts of truth and language in politics”---writes McGill University political philosophy professor Jacob T. Levy---including “George Orwell, Hannah Arendt, Vaclav Havel—can help us recognize this kind of lie for what it is.... Saying something obviously untrue, and making your subordinates repeat it with a straight face in their own voice, is a particularly startling display of power over them. It’s something that was endemic to totalitarianism.” 

 Arendt and others recognized, writes Levy, that “being made to repeat an obvious lie makes it clear that you’re powerless.” She also recognized the function of an avalanche of lies to render a populace powerless to resist, the phenomenon we now refer to as “gaslighting”: 

 The result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lie will now be accepted as truth and truth be defamed as a lie, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world—and the category of truth versus falsehood is among the mental means to this end---is being destroyed. 

 The epistemological ground thus pulled out from under them, most would depend on whatever the leader said, no matter its relation to truth. “The essential conviction shared by all ranks,” Arendt concluded, “from fellow traveler to leader, is that politics is a game of cheating and that the ‘first commandment’ of the movement: ‘The Fuehrer is always right,’ is as necessary for the purposes of world politics, i.e., world-wide cheating, as the rules of military discipline are for the purposes of war.” 

“We too,” writes Jeffrey Isaacs at The Washington Post, “live in dark times"---an allusion to another of Arendt’s sobering analyses—“even if they are different and perhaps less dark.” Arendt wrote Origins of Totalitarianism from research and observations gathered during the 1940s, a very specific historical period. Nonetheless the book, Isaacs remarks, “raises a set of fundamental questions about how tyranny can arise and the dangerous forms of inhumanity to which it can lead.” Arendt's analysis of propaganda and the function of lies seems particularly relevant at this moment. The kinds of blatant lies she wrote of might become so commonplace as to become banal. We might begin to think they are an irrelevant sideshow. This, she suggests, would be a mistake.

The GOP Is the Russian Propaganda Party Now by Matt Lewis

I'm glad that the U.S. House of Representative voted last night to impeach Donald Trump.  Check out this piece written by a life-long Republican who is deeply concerned about the GOP.  I really hope that the Republicans, and all Americans, will come to their senses and see how our democracy and country are at stake.

-Angela

The GOP Is the Russian Propaganda Party Now

ECHOING PUTIN

I’m so old, I remember when the Republican Party proudly stood up against Russian aggression and interference.

Matt Lewis

Senior Columnist

Updated Dec. 04, 2019 5:00AM ET  The Daily Beast
Published Dec. 03, 2019 5:30AM ET 

During her testimony before Congress last month, former top White House Russia adviser Fiona Hill threw a shocking assertion at Republicans: “Some of you on this committee appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct a campaign against our country and that perhaps Ukraine did,” she said. “This is a fictional narrative perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.”

Actually, it wasn’t that shocking. We have become inured to it. What is more, her words fell on deaf ears. 

Since then, one of the GOP’s top Putin water-carriers has been Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, who continues to advance disinformation that matches Russian talking points. 

Most recently, his assertion that the former president of Ukraine “actively worked” for Hillary Clinton prompted Meet the Press host Chuck Todd to respond: “You realize the only other person selling this argument outside the United States is this man, Vladimir Putin!”

What makes Kennedy’s comments especially egregious is that, according to a recent New York Times report, “American intelligence officials informed senators and their aides in recent weeks that Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to essentially frame Ukraine as responsible for Moscow’s own hacking of the 2016 election, according to three American officials.”

In fairness to Kennedy, in using Putin’s talking points he’s also advancing Trump’s. Other Republicans, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Rep. Devin Nunes have done the same. 

Of course, when you factor in other parts of the story, such as Russia’s attempt to use the Republican-adjacent National Rifle Association (NRA) as a “foreign asset,” it becomes harder to dismiss so casually. 

Kennedy's hardly the only one. My friend and former boss, Tucker Carlson, said on his show Monday night that, “We should probably take the side of Russia if we have to choose between Russia and Ukraine. That’s my view.”

He then blasted Todd for his interview with Kennedy, declaring that, “The irony, of course, is that Putin, for all his faults, does not hate America as much as many of these people do.”

Even if you dismiss the possibility that something truly nefarious is at play between Trump and Russia, you’re still left with a pretty startling and undeniable development: The GOP has become the Russia party. 

This is nothing short of a stunning reversal. 

Sometime after the assassination of the other John Kennedy (the Democratic one was actually a Russia hawk), the Republicans and “Scoop” Jackson Democrats stood united against Russia.

It was the Right that was obsessed with stopping Russian infiltration—and calling out people on the Left for being “useful idiots” or “dupes” or (worse) traitors. In some cases, such as Joseph McCarthy, this “red scare” was inappropriately demagogued for political purposes. And in 1950, Richard Nixon accused his Democratic opponent, Helen Gahagan Douglas, of being “pink right down to her underwear.”

But it’s worth pointing out: RUSSIANS REALLY WERE TRYING TO INFILTRATE AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS. 

America has been blessed to have two political parties. The Democrats were largely right about civil rights, and the Republicans were largely right about the Cold War. These were two of the big questions of the last half of the 20th century. What is amazing is how quickly the Republicans have completely flipped on such a defining issue. 

It’s hard to pinpoint just when this happened, but it’s fair to say it started sometime after they started referring to Republican states as “red” states (coincidence? I think not!). Still, just seven years ago, the Republican nominee for president, Mitt Romney, declared that Russia was our number one geopolitical foe. Sadly, he was mocked for this. “The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because, the Cold War's been over for 20 years,” then-President Obama jibed. 

For whatever reason, the very next year was the first time I encountered conservatives who were praising Putin. Even then, it struck me as bizarre. It probably has something to do with when I came of age, but count me among the Americans who never trusted Russia. What’s amazing to me is that there aren’t more of us. My favorite modern president is Ronald Reagan, who called the Soviet Union an “Evil Empire” and told Mr. Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall!” And if you want to talk about a propaganda effort, imagine the cumulative influence that Rocky IV and Rambo, had on us, and that’s just to mention the Sylvester Stallone movies. Let’s be honest, Hollywood cares only about ticket sales. But if the American government had wanted to indoctrinate us into being lifelong conservative, anti-Russians, they couldn’t have come up with a better way to spend their billions.

These days, the old slogan has flipped to better red (ok, Russian) than politically dead. 

Facing the prospects of nuclear annihilation, yesterday’s Leftists preferred a communist future. Facing the prospects of electoral defeat, today’s Republicans prefer to advance Russia’s propaganda. Whether it’s physical cowardice or political cowardice, it sure isn’t about putting America first.

Of course, Obama had a point when he said that the Cold War has been over a long time. Here, though, I think there are two huge caveats: First, there’s the fact that the current leader of Russia is an ex-KGB agent who called the collapse of the Soviet Union a “genuine tragedy.” The second is that communism was only one of the reasons to fear Russia. Sure, I was against Godless atheism and a top-down planned economy—things that are ostensibly now gone—but I was also against authoritarianism, murder, dictatorship, and imperialism—attributes that are demonstrably still present. 

These last few years have shown me countless ways that the world I grew up in has turned upside down, and the political party that I embraced because of Ronald Reagan, and then spent most of my life allied with, has not only abandoned its stance on issues that drew me to the GOP—but has actually done a 180 on them. 

A lot of things have surprised me, but none more than than this: The GOP is the Russia propaganda party.

10 Tech Issues that will Impact Social Justice in 2017

This piece by Wilneida Negrón from the Ford Foundation merits a close read.  Some of us often think of the democratizing potential of social media and the Internet, however, as you can see below, free and open expression are grievously at risk here and beyond.

The access to our lives that our own government has should be a matter of grave concern not just to ourselves, but also in terms of social justice causes locally and worldwide.  

It is disturbing to consider how our own government spies on its own citizens, let alone folks in other countries.  On this note, I just saw the movie, Snowden, and strongly recommend it.  It focused, in particular, on the NSA’s PRISM program that Snowden exposed and that Negrón mentions below.

The access that our government already has to our private lives is unsettling.  But let's not be afraid.  Let's organize and let's act.  To that end, Negrón provides very useful suggestions in this piece below.  

Thank you, President Darren Walker, Wilneida Negrón, and the Ford Foundation, for all you do to expand civil and human rights.  Best of wishes in the new year and Happy MLK Day!

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

College of Education, Education Policy and Planning

University of Texas at Austin

@darrenwalker
@WilneidaNegron
@Ford Foundation

10 tech issues that will impact social justice in 2017

Wilneida Negrón, Technology Fellow, Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice Team

12 January 2017

In our increasingly complex and interconnected world, innovations in technology and data are inching us closer to a reality driven by automation, prediction, personalization, surveillance, and the merging of our physical and digital lives. This is taking place at the same time that the world is experiencing transformative cultural, demographic, economic, and political shifts. In the face of so much uncertainty and change, the independent watchdog group Freedom House reports that globally, Internet freedom has declined for the sixth consecutive year, “with more governments than ever before targeting social media and communication apps as a means of halting the rapid dissemination of information, particularly during anti-government protests.” At the same time, Civicus has highlighted the many threats facing democracies, representative institutions, and civil society as a whole.
As we begin a new year and a new political administration takes office in the US, let’s take some time to consider some pressing issues that exist at the nexus of technology and social justice—and think about how we as social justice advocates can address them most effectively. Even amid so many unknowns, we can be certain that these issues are among those that will shape 2017 and the years and decades beyond it. And they will be central to the work of building a free, open, and transparent future.

1. Online hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination are increasing

In 2016, we saw an increase in the number of reported online hate crimes and harassment targeting Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people, as well as groups working to protect reproductive rights and strengthen racial justice. At the same time, Internet and other communication technologies are being used to promote the online radicalization and organization of hate groups. 

2. Fake news, campaigns of misinformation, bias, and propaganda proliferate

During the 2016 election, the use of intelligent Twitter bots, targeted advertising, and search engine manipulation affected what Internet users saw on specific platforms and search engines. “Filter bubbles” and algorithms have been blamed for failing to separate real news from fiction, and researchers have noted an escalation in bias, propaganda, and misinformation online. Together, these factors contribute to increased polarization, and hamper the free flow of accurate information that is essential for civil discourse, policymaking, and ultimately democracy.

3. Trolling threatens democracy and free expression

During the 2016 US presidential election, online trolls were credited with influencing political discourse. This kind of trolling is also a global epidemic. Freedom House reports that across the world, state-sponsored trolling operations (aka “troll farms”) attack government critics and independent media often by posting thousands of comments at a time, polluting online dialogue through hate speech and disinformation. Hampering free speech, trolling is often aimed at journalists and activists, along with political protest and other forms of expression.

4. Reduced regulation creates risks for consumers

2017 may see the deregulation of the largest cable and phone companies, and the weakening of hard-won consumer protection laws. These reduced federal regulations could undermine a free, open, and secure Internet

and undercut a variety of hard-won initiatives, protections, and services that benefit low income individuals and households. These include net neutrality wins, federal guidance and regulation of the Internet of Things, Lifeline and broadband subsidies for low-income households, and efforts to regulate prison phone costs.

5. Governmental databases put pressure on minority groups

As technology and data processing power gets more sophisticated, government databases such as the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, deferred action, or gang databases could be used to discriminate against or target vulnerable groups. At the same time, the expansion of biometric technologies in the immigration system and other areas may raise concerns about government monitoring and data sharing.

6. Increased surveillance puts vulnerable groups under a microscope

The expansion of legislation such as the Patriot Act, along with the use high-tech surveillance tools including drones, facial recognition software, automated license plate readers, stingray tracking devices, and the NSA’s PRISM program can lead to increased surveillance of citizens. This raises particular concerns for vulnerable groups including Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities.

7. Less attention to issues of algorithmic bias and online discrimination creates opportunities for abuse

The White House’s Big Data Initiative has studied big data’s potential to discriminate, especially when it comes to housing, employment, credit, and consumer issues.  Legislation including the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2015 and an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act were intended to govern the collection, use, and distribution of consumer data, and extend the standard of protection for online and digital content. But under a new administration, the fate of these rules and regulatory attention is unclear.

8. Advocacy groups need digital security protections

In 2017, advocacy groups and social movements may be subject to a greater degree of surveillance and/or harassment. As a result, they will need a strong digital security infrastructure to help protect them against potential threats, as well to support them in developing strategies for responding to attacks as they arise.

9. Technology and data initiatives provide important support for social justice work

Increasingly, technology will play a central role in strengthening a progressive agenda. To achieve this, organizations might focus more on developing strategies for organizing and base-building across different sectors, building strong progressive narratives, and supporting open data initiatives at the state and local level to increase transparency and accountability.

10. Developments in open government and transparency impact advocacy work

Since the 2000s, open government initiatives have sought to identify ways to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to enhance governance. In support of these efforts, the Obama administration developed Data.gov, a central online location for all US government data. This year, we will see whether the new administration will continue to maintain this useful resource, as well as whether the US will remain in the multilateral Open Government Partnership, and how the government will handle the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including reforms that Congress passed in 2016.

Topics

• Internet and Technology,
• Racial Justice,
• Democratic and Accountable Government,
• Criminal Justice Reform,
• Human Rights

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