OCTOBER 16 2020 – An acquaintance of mine thinks I’m a “radical leftist.” I’m not, but because I questioned his support of Trump five years ago, I left the immutable impression that I’m not merely opposed to Trump but a radical leftist. Or more precisely, because I’m opposed to Trump, I’m a radical leftist.
What I see in this acquaintance’s branding iron is the deep effect of GoebbelsNews, his go-to source of information. I’ve watched enough GoebbelsNews myself to recognize the manipulation of minds by repetition of the term “radical leftist.” The device has been adopted by Trump, of course, and incorporated into the only form of “argument” he knows: branding. According to Trump, Biden is a “radical leftist.”
This reminds me of an amusing exchange I had with Jussi Niemeläinen, a Finnish journalist and fellow of the World Press Institute Forum, whom my wife and I hosted during the fall 2015 program. When I asked him what he thought of Bernie Sanders, whom I jokingly referred to as “our Communist,” Jussi laughed and said that in Finland, Bernie Sanders would be considered a centrist, and in neighboring Sweden, Sanders would definitely be center-right. So much for my being a “radical leftist.”
But in my acquaintance’s view . . . strike that; in the GoebbelsNews propaganda world that he slavishly parrots—anyone who isn’t in Trump’s camp is a “radical leftist.” There’s simply no amount of discourse or evidence that would cause my acquaintance to think otherwise. He’s been fully “juiced” by the Kool-Aid. Frankly, I don’t think he has any idea what’s “left” and what’s “right” in any academic or historical context. He knows only how to parrot the propagandists who specialize in peddling red meat.
Part of me wants to be a “radical leftist”—for a day or two, just for kicks. I mean, why not try out the brand? I’m curious enough to fantasize about dropping my natural disposition toward moderation and pursuing wild and crazy ideas, much as the man behind the wheel of a Honda Civic in the sane lane dreams of driving a souped-up Porsche on a highly banked speedway—for a lap or two. Why not go all out and demonstrate for nationalization of all private property? Why not demand “free everything for everyone” (except rich people)? Why not call for full-scale revolution? Why not light the night on fire?
Would my acquaintance notice the difference between my wearing a surgical mask and a Biden button and my wearing a red bandana and holding a Molotov cocktail? I suspect not. People drunk on propaganda know only that Trump’s opponents are to be vilified as “radical leftists.” Under such circumstances, all discourse is impossible. Only when the Kool-Aid and the branding iron are taken away, will people like my Trump-supporting acquaintance see that the world isn’t black or white, this or that, on or off . . . pro-Trump or “radical left.” Only when the Kool-Aid and branding iron are gone can reasonable discourse in this country resume.
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© 2020 by Eric Nilsson
