[Correction: Color me embarrassed. Applying my own connection to the "what would Jesus do?" bumper sticker to Glenn's book, I erroneously posted his title previously as "What Would a Patriot Do?" The title is now accurately presented in the text. Yet another nod to "said friend" on that one. What would one do without such??]
In addition to having what promises to be a fantastic new book coming out, How Would a Patriot Act? (that happens to be Number 1 on Amazon!), Glenn Greenwald posted a provocative piece today addressing the remarkable penchant of rightwingnuts to play fast and loose with the truth.
Of course, we in the reality-based community ask that question on at least a daily basis, but Glenn presented a couple of unique thoughts that prompted me to email him a question that has been haunting me whenever I think about this disturbing and disturbed tendency of this "conservative Christian" cult to disregard the truth.
I thought I'd share the bulk of that email, and when (or if; Glenn must be way busy these days!) I get a response, I'll share that too, with his permission, of course.
One uncontroversial factoid in my profession (of psychology) is that, typically, behaviors persist only when there is either reward or inadequate consequence.
You sort of alluded to the reward part by noting how these hate-mongers are regularly treated as acceptable and mainstream. Hell, they make bundles and represent the President, for chrissake (double entendre intended).
What seems to feed that reward system is the fact that there are no consequences. Somehow, the fact that none of these guys ever gets slapped down just fuels their self-righteous conviction that it’s all free speech. They’re untouchable.
Curse the day we lost the Fairness Doctrine.
But is there really no way to sue these folks for libel? I mean, when an individual expressly refers to a source for data that are then reported as true but are flat wrong, does that not exhibit knowledge aforehand? Does this not expose their “free speech” as lies? To offer a sort of counter-analogy, had the blogger offered himself, not that source, as author of those data, and then proceeded to copy the source verbatim, that would be a clear case of lying as plagiarism.
Of course, as I understand it, any suit requires at least the demonstration of damages, and I realize that would be difficult to do. But would not the wildfire of untruth blazing across all those rightwing websites show some sort of damage? If not to the specific individual targeted, but to the public (which includes myself) who deserve the truth, if not civility? Is this not damage to reality?
John Dean wrote an interesting post not long after the Swift Boaters’ book came out that showed how Kerry might have a libel case against those authors because embedded in the book was an internal contradiction that exposed their awareness they were lying. Can’t recall that detail, but here is the link to his article, and here is another piece where he includes the media’s complicity.
In addition, there is the bizarre but amusing irony that the term “swiftboat” has entered the lexicon as a verb meaning a concerted effort to destroy someone with lies (though even that very usage has been “swiftboated;” see the disputed section here).
I am not a lawyer, but my professional expertise does permit me to opine on just why these behaviors you lament are so rampant and persistent; my professional ethics compel me to seek or suggest a remedy. My patriotism leaves me outraged.
What if the Democrats made truth A huge, if not THE huge, issue from now through 08 (or forever, for that matter)? And back it up with the threat of lawsuits for anyone who crosses the legal line, whatever that might be.
These people are disturbing not just my peace, but the peace of the world, by fomenting hatred with their lies. Julius Streicher was hanged at Nuremberg for just that crime.
I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, consider these words of Polonius from Hamlet:
This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.
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