Miss Information

My sister gets some of her news from memes and snark posts on the web. Ensconced in a Facebook echo chamber, there must be a great deal of material in her feed reinforcing her biases. I imagine OAN and Fox play a big part, as well. Maybe Breitbart. She believes incredible things and will not, ever, admit to embracing demonstrably false ideas.

She is one of many who believe things like children identifying as cats and demanding litter boxes in school.

It is sad commentary that many of my close friends who are conservative are similar. Our friendships have survived through a commitment to never discuss politics.

Among the most indoctrinated into what I can only think of as a meme religion is a friend who has DJT appliques to the rear, side windows of his car and truck. He hates, as do all such friends, Obama and either Clinton. His bumper stickers proclaim as much.

The same people who despised Bill Clinton's sexual misadventures not only refused to look at Trump's -- they were easily convinced that his (ahem) intellect, honesty, and business acumen were what the country needed.

I once had a good friend who slid into Neo-Nazi beliefs (Holocaust denial, Jews secretly ruling the world, etc.). Remarkably intelligent in a host of demonstrable ways, he went down what must have been a slippery slope for him, well-oiled by others wanting his company in their Hell. It appears to be surprisingly easy to hold false and dangerous ideas -- particularly when there is a media drum endlessly beating inflammatory nonsense in a beguiling march as a warning to the consumers of mis- and disinfornation that they have been duped all along by the powers that be.

Here is an explanation of what has happened with them.

Here is an explanation of how their expertise may have contributed to the problem.