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submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

Just because Republicans choose unreality doesn’t mean the media should ignore the facts of January 6.

On January 6, 2021, I watched CNN as thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol. As someone well-versed in watching tragedy on television, I was struck by just how indisputable the facts were at the time: violent, red-hat-clad MAGA rioters, followed by Republicans in Congress, tried to stop democracy in its tracks. Trump had told his followers that the protest in Washington, DC, “will be wild,” and in the assault that followed his speech, some rioters smeared feces on the walls of the Capitol. Hundreds of them have since been convicted on charges ranging from assault on federal officers to seditious conspiracy. These are stubborn facts, the kind that do not care about your feelings. These facts include the inalienable truth that Trump is the first president in American history to reject the peaceful transfer of power.

It never occurred to me that these facts could somehow be perverted by partisanship. But three years later, we are seeing just that, as Republicans cling to the lie that the 2020 election was “stolen” by Joe Biden and are poised to make Trump their 2024 nominee. And perhaps even more dangerous than the GOP ditching reality is the news media’s inability to cover Trumpism as the threat to democracy that it very much is.

...

But the problem is, when all you have is conventional political framing, everything looks like politics as usual. One candidate makes a claim; the other disputes it. Two sides are divided, etc. This framing only works if both parties operate within the frameworks of a shared reality. But Trumpism doesn’t allow for the reality the rest of us inhabit. Trump’s supporters believe their leader’s reality and not, say, the reality the rest of us see with our eyes. As Trump once told a crowd: “Don’t believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

Journalists may be well-intentioned in trying to be “objective,” or they’re simply afraid of being labeled partisan. Either way, coverage of January 6 that gives equal weight to both sides—one based in reality, one not—is helping pave the road for authoritarianism.

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[-] VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf 62 points 11 months ago

Ok, let me preface this by OF COURSE Biden is by far the lesser evil compared to Trump, OF COURSE single issue voting is some Republican style bullshit and OF COURSE Trump would be even more supportive of a fascist government committing genocide, being a fascist war crime fanboy himself.

That being said, people who are outraged by Biden's continued support of and thus enabling of genocide DO have a point. He's supposed to represent the interests of every American who's not a fascist, not those of a fascist apartheid regime currently committing the worst genocide since the Balkan wars in the 90s.

Just because the other guy is a much greater evil doesn't mean that you can't hold your own guy accountable for supporting evil. With Trump the only alternative, voting for him is a given, but giving him a free pass shouldn't be.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 39 points 11 months ago

Uh, what we are talking about is people who are already saying they won't vote for Biden. I run into this a lot. It's terrifying to know a significant part of the electorate are so myopic they would install Trump forever to "make a point".

It truly doesn't matter if they have a point, if the only end result is not voting or throwing their vote away on a third party. If Trump wins, they will be a big part of how.

[-] TheAlbacor@lemmy.world 17 points 11 months ago

"voting is the only way to create change" is the mentality that got us here.

You know why George Floyd's murderer was the only one who got the sentence he deserved? Because the people demanded it by threatening capital.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago
[-] TheAlbacor@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

That people need to start by stopping this "only voting matters" narrative that so many push. I know people try to counter that by saying that people are overworked and don't have time for protests or any other direct action, but the Labor Movement was done by people working 70ish hour weeks.

More people need to be willing to protest. Until they are, things aren't going to meaningfully get better.

Right now, the message I get from a lot of these conversations here is that the President is allowed to have a little genocide as a treat because otherwise there could be more genocide. It's completely insane.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

Right now, the message I get from a lot of these conversations here is that the President is allowed to have a little genocide as a treat because otherwise there could be more genocide. It's completely insane.

No you don't

[-] TheAlbacor@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Anyone insisting that the only way to move forward is to vote for someone who is promoting genocide is effectively saying that, yes.

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[-] SaltySalamander@kbin.social 6 points 11 months ago

These guys all want violent revolution, right up until it's their time to pick up a rifle.

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[-] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

As long as we are drawing the line in the sand as "reality" the truth is much more stark. We already live in a nation controlled by oligarchs and the vote has already been robbed of what little power it ever had. In a sense accelerationism isn't so much accelerating the decline of US democracy but accelerating its suspended funeral.

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[-] Witchfire@lemmy.world 33 points 11 months ago

Criticizing Biden's handling of the war is not just allowed, but encouraged. His handling of it is dog shit.

What's naive and stupid to do is refuse to vote for him because of it, when the threat is a person who bragged about becoming a dictator and retaliating against anyone he dislikes.

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[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 27 points 11 months ago

All well and good, but these idiot kids are actually refusing to vote for him over this single issue. I agree that It’s fine to be bothered how he’s handling things- even if they’re a bit misunderstood on how things actually work- I mean, sure…it’s bothering.

But this is the biggest “I’m cutting off my nose to spite my face” America will EVER see.

[-] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 20 points 11 months ago

Single issue lmao. "Yeah Hitler did genocide but that's just a single issue"

OK dude.

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[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

If we want to win, we need to appeal to people who disagree with your support for genocide, no matter how much you hate them.

[-] PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Nobody hates you, we're just sick of idealists in a time when we need pragmatists.

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Those pesky idealists... being opposed to checks notes literal fucking genocide.

I'm voting for Biden and you don't care. You just want unquestioning support for the genocide you support.

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[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago
[-] SaltySalamander@kbin.social 8 points 11 months ago

Do you think any person elected to the presidency wouldn't continue supporting Israel? To cut off funding and weapons to Israel would be absolute political suicide in this country. Don't care if it's Biden, Trump, Desantis, doesn't matter. Israel will continue to get $Billions and weapons. It's just the way it is.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Do you think any person elected to the presidency wouldn’t continue supporting Israel?

cornel west and jill stein would.

[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

But neither of them will win. So they’re both irrelevant.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

where did you get your crystal ball?

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[-] Soulg@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago
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[-] Soulg@lemmy.world 17 points 11 months ago

So your solution is to make it easier for Trump to win? You know that would make things even worse?

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

The only thing that is making it easier for Trump to win is Biden's unwavering support for the genocide centrists have evidently always wanted.

[-] badaboomxx@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Do you realize that the war won't stop with the orangeoutan right?

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[-] TheAlbacor@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

Right, how could someone not want to vote for someone because they support genocide? How ludicrous.

I'll still vote for Biden because I'll already be in the booth, but sitting back and acting like this is our only option is nonsense.

Voting alone does not create change. Labor Movement, Women's Suffrage, Civil Rights, all were accomplished by active resistance and here you are spouting nonsense about how we should all just participate in the system that's circling the drain instead of disrupting it.

The longer you all take to come around the worse it will get, no matter which major party is in the Oval Office.

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[-] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

The people who can find a way to excuse, minimize or ignore Biden's military and political support for genocide could probably find a way to excuse, minimize or ignore just about anything. There is no bottom, only partisanship and convenience.

[-] asret@lemmy.zip 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Sure, but if you're planning on sticking around in America, or care about its influence worldwide, shouldn't you at least try to steer it towards the least worst option?

[-] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

The only people who have influence around here are the wealthy and corporations. I don't think two choices between two old genocidal men is the best example of saving democracy, as you can tell people still suffered and died under the "harm reduction" guy.

[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

So just do nothing then. That’ll show em both!

[-] Suavevillain@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

Well get to pushing Biden left. I'm sure it will work out this time.

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[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

the least worst option is cornel west.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

no one calls me a kid any more, and this single issue is the straw that broke the camel's back.

[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

Okay kid. I’m sure your vote for Trump is appreciated.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

i'm probably gonna be voting for cornel west, actually.

[-] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

Like I said, I’m sure your vote for Trump is greatly appreciated.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

I'm voting against Trump, actually

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[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Ok, let me preface this by OF COURSE Biden is by far the lesser evil compared to Trump, OF COURSE single issue voting is some Republican style bullshit and OF COURSE Trump would be even more supportive of a fascist government committing genocide, being a fascist war crime fanboy himself.

If you hadn't prefixed your comment with this, centrists who can't defend their enthusiastic support for genocide for its own sake would be calling you a trumpist.

[-] VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf 12 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I know from vast experience 😮‍💨

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago

You'll notice that you have to disclaim for a whole paragraph about how Biden is better than Trump, which of course he is, but no centrist has to similarly disclaim that they even dislike genocide at all.

Because none of them do.

[-] Soulg@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Nothing about understanding the danger Trump poses makes you a "centrist" or "enthusiastic support" for genocide. Please grow up.

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

Nothing about questioning Biden's support for genocide means I want Trump to win. But you'll ignore that I'm voting for Biden as long as you never have to examine your love for genocide for its own sake.

[-] blazeknave@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

Well put. But right now, folks who agree are missing the nuance and going to stay home. So not the time for intellectualizing to the choir. Let's just stop saying the quiet part aloud already. We all fucking know what the DNC is. Enough is enough. Can we have a fucking conversation about Trump and autocracy and Nazis without a fucking comment about Biden? You're just regurgitating the both sides bullshit with an asterisk that you'll vote, but the people reading are just doubling down not voting. Stop giving this oxygen. It's enough.

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this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
823 points (100.0% liked)

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