A lot has been made of the issue of fake news this election cycle. Social media has helped feed the spread of false stories passed off as legitimate, which have only served to further increase polarized partisan tensions and worsen the political atmosphere. Fake news has even been blamed for a shooting at a pizza restaurant that has been the center of an online conspiracy theory known as “Pizzagate”, which puts John Podesta and the Clinton camp at the center of a pedophile ring centered out of that location.
From worsening atmospheres to guns being drawn, the issue of conspiracy theories and fake news has grown. But is all of the blame on the rightwing of the political spectrum?
The problem with this theory is the role in the left in legitimizing conspiracy theories. We’ve been hearing for months that the Russians are at the center of the victory of Republican President-Elect Donald Trump. The Democratic Party’s rhetoric has essentially portrayed the controversial businessman as a puppet of Vladimir Putin, who personally ensured that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would be defeated.
Is there any proof to this?
There have been reports in the media from unnamed and anonymous intelligence sources suggesting Russia had a role and that Putin likely had a role personally in directing the hacks. Even if this were true, where is the actual evidence? Unnamed and anonymous sources don’t hold a lot of weight because there is no way to verify the source.
Thus, unnamed and anonymous is not always synonymous with legitimate. But has this stopped the left from pushing their respective narratives?
McCarthy Democrats are hypocrites here. While attacking fake news and conspiracy theories, they’re making things worse by feeding just that. Their paranoia over the Russian influence is reaching new levels every day and increasing tensions with the country.
What’s going to happen after the assassination of a Russian ambassador?
One might ask how the growing tension with Russia contributed. In America, escalating rhetoric has been used to blame conservatives and libertarians for various shooting incidents. Has this intense opposition to Russia bordering on paranoia brought us to a new violent point? And if so, what comes next?
There’s certainly a case to be made about influence. Negative rhetoric can have a breaking point and then lines become crossed.
Conspiracy theories growing bigger and stronger is what was blamed for the gunman at a Comet Ping Pong in response to these theories. Intense opposition and strong rhetoric was to blame for violence related to President-Elect Donald Trump, who often was quite passionate and even bordered on supporting violence.
What about with the Russians? Is violence going to continue growing worse because of escalating tensions globally?
The McCarthy Democrats share a significant amount of blame in advancing fake news and conspiracy theories this election cycle. While numerous groups and organizations are responsible, the McCarthy Democrats have been a big part of legitimizing it as they politicize intelligence. What kind of dangerous precedent is being set here in the political arena?
