Everything You Know Is Wrong

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” —Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels

“If voting changed anything they’d make it illegal.” —Emma Goldman

The old lies are still alive and well.

If you work hard enough you will succeed. Tell that to a hotel maid, unless you measure success as a less than minimum wage job cleaning up after rich assholes.

The United States is a democracy. In the last 20 years 2 of 3 presidents lost the popular vote.

We can’t afford national health care. But we can can afford to give away tens of trillions of dollars in corporate bailouts and defense spending.

We can’t afford to combat climate change. See above.

And on and on, and that doesn’t even include Jesus.

Nattering nabobs of the news.

“The idea behind most political coverage is to get you to turn on the TV and within minutes have you tsk-tsking and saying, “What idiots!” And, from there, it’s a short hop to, “Fuck those commie-loving tree-huggers!” or “Fuck the Hitler-loving freaks!”

We can’t get you there unless you follow all the rules. Accept a binary world and pick a side. Embrace the reality of being surrounded by evil stupidity. Feel indignant, righteous, and smart. Hate losers, love winners. Don’t challenge yourself. And during the commercials, do some shopping.

Congratulations, you’re the perfect news consumer.” —Matt Taibbi

One of the best delusions these days, “progressive” as fashion statement.

Being a “progressive” now is driving a Prius or assiduously recycling. Being a liberal isn’t cool any more, but somehow being a Democrat still is. As the daily pandemics, plagues and crises unfold, “progressives”  intently watch the news and worry and wring their hands and wonder what the Democrats are going to do about it. After the hand wringing subsides, they can send another contribution to PBS and go back to sorting the handmade, micro-brewed beer bottles from the organic cane sugar soda cans.