Facebook is a menace. COVID-19 is a menace. Conservatism is a cesspool. Together, those three ingredients have created a toxic stew of malevolent death and devastation. We can talk about all those things in the abstract, look at the numbers and statistics, and catch the occasional whiff of seditionist right-wing rhetoric. But I hadn’t really fully understood just how horrifying that combination of right-wing extremism, Facebook, and a killer virus was until I became a regular at the Herman Cain Awards subreddit. This series will document some of those stories, so we are aware of what the other side is doing to our country.
Today’s cautionary tale is Bill.
Let’s start with a rote “liberals are all sheep,” but more offensive, because that’s edgy and cool.
Bill loved Fauci strap-on head dildos so much, he made it his cover photo.
“Is this the hill you want to die on” is known, in narrative circles, as “foreshadowing.” But usually one tries to be a little more subtle about it.
What’s actually quite fascinating is how nuggets of truth feed the broader conspiracy. Yes, Big Pharma is complicit in the opioid crisis. Big Pharma is also complicit in the development of life-saving drugs. Do we trust Big Pharma? Heck no. That’s why robust government regulation is so critical. There is even a nugget in there about income inequality. Some of these people are so close to being on the right side of these critically important issues.
But as we’ve discussed in previous editions of this series, the ultimate conspiracy argument isn’t about logic or supported evidence. It’s about feelings. He’s lost friends to the opioid crisis. He doesn’t trust corporations or politicians.
Meanwhile, Fauci’s net worth hasn’t increased since before the pandemic, other than what he makes with his regular salary. That’s why Bill doesn’t actually link to anything or offer actual numbers. But that “fact” feels good. It bolsters his existing narrative. And in the end, he ends up doing exactly what he accuses his correct-thinking friend of doing. In other words, it’s a master class on projection.
Donald Trump made a mess of the pandemic, and his supporters are keeping the virus alive. So NUKE CHINA because Merica!
All because people have to wear a strip of cloth over their face.
The thing about Bill is that he had some smart people in his circle.
But like yesterday’s effort to conflate the vaccine with a cupcake, these WHATABOUT memes are simply weird. What about riots and looting? Well, those things are illegal. There are already efforts and laws to prevent that. Super Bowl parties, on the other hand, are not illegal. In fact, they are quite popular.
And if anyone was protesting without a mask, well then, that was stupid and unfortunate too. It's not either-or.
Jesus, an entire hashtag devoted to misinformation. It's all out there in the open, and Facebook does nothing except help spread it.
Much more subtle foreshadowing this time.
They sure do love their imaginary conversations.
In real life: “We don’t serve assholes—get out.”
Here’s the actual thing: No one will go to restaurants so long as they fear contracting a deadly virus that has killed over 650,000 in this country alone. So yeah, please require vaccines to dine.
Oh good, let’s add a dollop of racism.
So much defiance! No fear! We the People!
One month later...
He knew better than everyone else.
Is it about fear? Hell yes, it is. There’s a deadly global pandemic killing millions. You should be afraid. But these people are afraid of the wrong thing—of mask mandates, of critical race theory, of “riots,” of a vaccine now taken by 4 billion people and counting, of head dildos, of being “cucks,” of admitting that maybe liberals are right about COVID, and their entire worldview is a fictional sham.
Problem is, none of those things are real or a threat to life and liberty. The virus? Hell yeah, it is.
Today’s cautionary tale is Bill.
Let’s start with a rote “liberals are all sheep,” but more offensive, because that’s edgy and cool.
Bill loved Fauci strap-on head dildos so much, he made it his cover photo.
“Is this the hill you want to die on” is known, in narrative circles, as “foreshadowing.” But usually one tries to be a little more subtle about it.
What’s actually quite fascinating is how nuggets of truth feed the broader conspiracy. Yes, Big Pharma is complicit in the opioid crisis. Big Pharma is also complicit in the development of life-saving drugs. Do we trust Big Pharma? Heck no. That’s why robust government regulation is so critical. There is even a nugget in there about income inequality. Some of these people are so close to being on the right side of these critically important issues.
But as we’ve discussed in previous editions of this series, the ultimate conspiracy argument isn’t about logic or supported evidence. It’s about feelings. He’s lost friends to the opioid crisis. He doesn’t trust corporations or politicians.
Meanwhile, Fauci’s net worth hasn’t increased since before the pandemic, other than what he makes with his regular salary. That’s why Bill doesn’t actually link to anything or offer actual numbers. But that “fact” feels good. It bolsters his existing narrative. And in the end, he ends up doing exactly what he accuses his correct-thinking friend of doing. In other words, it’s a master class on projection.
Donald Trump made a mess of the pandemic, and his supporters are keeping the virus alive. So NUKE CHINA because Merica!
All because people have to wear a strip of cloth over their face.
The thing about Bill is that he had some smart people in his circle.
But like yesterday’s effort to conflate the vaccine with a cupcake, these WHATABOUT memes are simply weird. What about riots and looting? Well, those things are illegal. There are already efforts and laws to prevent that. Super Bowl parties, on the other hand, are not illegal. In fact, they are quite popular.
And if anyone was protesting without a mask, well then, that was stupid and unfortunate too. It's not either-or.
Jesus, an entire hashtag devoted to misinformation. It's all out there in the open, and Facebook does nothing except help spread it.
Much more subtle foreshadowing this time.
They sure do love their imaginary conversations.
In real life: “We don’t serve assholes—get out.”
Here’s the actual thing: No one will go to restaurants so long as they fear contracting a deadly virus that has killed over 650,000 in this country alone. So yeah, please require vaccines to dine.
Oh good, let’s add a dollop of racism.
So much defiance! No fear! We the People!
One month later...
He knew better than everyone else.
Is it about fear? Hell yes, it is. There’s a deadly global pandemic killing millions. You should be afraid. But these people are afraid of the wrong thing—of mask mandates, of critical race theory, of “riots,” of a vaccine now taken by 4 billion people and counting, of head dildos, of being “cucks,” of admitting that maybe liberals are right about COVID, and their entire worldview is a fictional sham.
Problem is, none of those things are real or a threat to life and liberty. The virus? Hell yeah, it is.