Conspiracy theories that originated in the anti-government extremist right continue to cross over into the political mainstream as elected officials — including a Republican presidential candidate — question the Jade Helm 15 military exercise planned for this summer. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defended his decision to order the State Guard to monitor the three-month training exercise planned for seven states, saying he was simply addressing the concerns of citizens who fear their constitutional and property rights may be infringed…. “We are playing a pivotal role of government, and that is to provide information to people who have questions,” Abbott said. “It’s clear that people (who attended an information meeting last week) in Bastrop (County) had questions.”
I’m beginning to suspect that Idiocracy was less movie than a documentary, a cautionary tale about what can happen when stupid becomes the coin of the realm and aggressive, willful ignorance the norm. When the Governor of one of the largest, most populous states in the country can without a trace of irony pander to those steeped in ignorance and conspiracy theories, we’re racing headlong toward a world in which the lowest common intellectual denominator becomes the baseline.
Turns out we may have already arrived at our destination.
“Pandering to idiots” in no longer merely a cheap insult; it’s the sad reality of the state of much of our public discourse. Abbott is not merely “addressing the concerns of citizens who fear their constitutional and property rights may be infringed,” nor is he “playing a pivotal role of government” by “provid[ing] information to people who have questions. The people in Bastrop Country aren’t concerned citizens asking legitimate questions of a shady government agency. They’re low-information conspiracy theorists who form their opinions (such as they are) from Fox News Channel, WorldNet Daily, and Info Wars. The people who call themselves “patriots” are little more than angry Whites looking for scapegoats…and Muslims, minorities, and homosexuals make pretty good targets.
When you can seriously believe that the government is digging tunnels between shuttered Walmart stores in south Texas in order to move troops and political prisoners around, you’re in the grips of an enduring and very special kind of stupid.
The leader of one of those groups, the pro-gun Oath Keepers, told listeners on a “Patriot movement” radio program that the federal government was using Jade Helm 15 to identify possible resistance leaders for a future military takeover.
“Who raises questions?” said Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers. “Who has any serious, meaningful questions about what we’re doing with this exercise? They put their name down. I think they’re figuring out who is loyal and who is not loyal and who is likely to go along, with the town councils and county commissioners as well.”
Who raises questions? Who automatically assumes that the government is lying about a military training exercise? Who believes that Barack Obama will use Jade Helm 15 as a false flag in an effort to take our guns, institute Sharia law, and force good, God-fearing Americans to get gay married? How about the people who believe Alex Jones to be a prophet and the Brotherhood of the Tiny Penis © Oath Keepers to be heroes? It’s no longer necessary to back your fears and suspicions with evidence; it’s only necessary that YOU believe, because that belief makes whatever you believe to be true the new reality.
It would be easy to say “these people are idiots.” While that’s true, it’s also overly simplistic. There’s actually a large segment of the media that profits off fear mongering and creating paranoia. Employing Josef Goebbels’ “Big Lie” to full effect (if you repeat some often enough and with enough conviction, it eventually becomes the truth), they’ve created a generation angry Whites convinced someone else- government, minorities, homosexuals, immigrant, ad infinitum, ad nauseum- is responsible for their sorry lot in life. These angry souls believe themselves to be the “keepers of the flame,” protectors of the Constitution and all that’s good and holy. In reality they’re impotent bullies and thugs with an intellectual candlepower deficit and too much time on their hands.
The worst part of this scenario is that politicians on the Far Right are “pandering to idiots” because they know that if they can keep them scared and stupid, they win. Angry people seldom ask detailed questions because they’re too consumed with rage and hatred to allow reason to carry the day.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has asked for and received assurance from the Pentagon that no military action was planned against Americans, but he said he could understand those persistent fears.
“When the federal government has not demonstrated itself to be trustworthy in this administration, the natural consequence is that many citizens don’t trust what it is saying,” the GOP presidential candidate said.
Cruz is not a stupid man. Quite the contrary, Cruz is an extremely intelligent politician with a gift for self-promotion and fear mongering- think the modern-day resurrection of Joseph McCarthy. He knows full well the Pentagon has no military action planned against Americans, but he’s also not silly enough to let an opportunity to promote himself slide by.
For him to assert that the federal government has proven itself to be untrustworthy is beyond absurd, but there’s a beauty and simplicity to his accusation that’s simply brilliant. It’s the sort of bon mot he can casually toss out secure in the knowledge that no one will ask him to back up his assertion. The mere act of saying it puts the government on the defensive, because too many are predisposed to assuming it to be an evil, malevolent force dedicated solely to the subjugation and destruction of good, God-fearing, heterosexual, Christian White folks. Lost in the Sturm und Drang is that the government is us, and we’re ultimately responsible for whatever it is or isn’t. Of course, that would mean having to accept responsibility for the very thing we hate…and Americans HATE being held responsible. For anything.
And so our idiocracy continues to devolve into a maelstrom of ignorance and rage…because the people who profit know they’ll lose if the American Sheeple begin thinking for themselves.
