Jesse Watters is a Fox News commentator, with some of the most vile takes I have ever heard from that network (and that’s really saying something). Usually, anything coming from his mouth is not worth taking seriously, even for a second.
However, this clip may be one of those rare exceptions.
Because not only is he telling the truth about the current state of the information war, but there’s a powerful lesson for the left within this “flex” of his…
The right wing propaganda machine DOES NOT CARE about whether their information is accurate, if it’s coherent, if it’s consistent, they do not care about any of that.
The only thing they care about is power. That’s it.
To that end, they will disseminate lies, rumors & misleading information (in a coordinated fashion) everywhere they possibly can. The goal is create a narrative, no matter what the cost is.
Meanwhile, those of us who do not belong to the MAGA echo chamber, have found ourselves screaming THAT’S NOT TRUE over and over again for 10 years, only to find Trump and his minions growing stronger.
So What’s The Answer Here?
First, let’s acknowledge a few things that absolutely must change if we’re ever going to truly combat the right-wing propaganda machine
Meet people where they are
Seems like maybe an obvious statement, but allow me to elaborate. The right wing finds themselves everywhere, but they’ve made significant investments into the new media space.
In our ever growing digital society, you have to be willing to adapt to the changing landscape. Less and less people are watching cable news & it no longer makes sense to concentrate your media messaging to that space.
Just out of curiosity, do you have cable news? How many people do you know who still have cable?
As more and more people spend their time on their phones, the left has to concentrate more energy into these spaces. Social media, podcasts, YouTube, Reddit — just find ways to blanket the airwaves & stop believing that interviews on CNN or MSNBC are going to be sufficient.
I know a lot of people scoffed at the idea that the left needs “their own Joe Rogan”, but they do NEED something along those lines.
Do we need a 50 year old MMA enthusiast who spreads disinformation - no.
Do we need folks who are willing to talk about working class issues, in a way that appeals to a broad audience, on a consistent basis within the podcast sphere — yes. 1,000 times, YES!
Podcasts are incredibly popular in America & a lot of people consume their news that way. As of today, the top two podcasts in the politics genre on Spotify are Candace Owens & Tucker Carlson.
That’s a problem…
We absolutely have to invest into these spaces & not allow the right to dominate the new media landscape.
Combatting their disinformation requires flooding the zone with real information
There absolutely must be more coordination
Again, I hate pointing out where that guy is right, but he’s laying out why their disinformation campaign has been successful. A part of that success is the team effort they have on multiple levels.
Planting b.s. online, having Elon Musk retweet it, Rogan podcast about it & Fox News do a segment on it, allows millions of people to hear the lie before anyone can even do a fact check. By that time it is already too late.
Even if they go back and correct themselves, hardly any of their supporters will hear the correction (and the ones who do, probably won’t care).
The left needs more coordination flooding the zone with the truth.
Here is how you can help with that!
Share information relentlessly! I know that some of you already do this on platforms like Instagram (where a lot of you already follow our account), but we need this at a larger scale. Especially now!
Follow your favorite political accounts. The one below is my favorite account to follow on Instagram
Share their posts everywhere, including social media, email, text, anywhere you can think
Support these creators however you can
The left doesn’t have the money behind their creators like the right-wing does. So it’s super important to support their work as much as you can.
If you want to support our work, you can do so by clicking the button below
There are also great left creators on YouTube. Here are 5 that I recommend
Secular Talk
The Rational National
HasanAbi
The Bitchuation Room
Breaking Points* (this show has two commentators. One on the left and one on the right)
We need to be amplifying the voices on the left who are doing good work & helping more people see their work.
It would be nice if there was more coordination between folks on the left. I personally would love to create a network of left creators for this exact reason. However, there isn’t one at the moment, and we cannot wait until one exists to start fighting back.
Since the left isn’t a machine that is hyper organized, the only way to create a semblance of a coordinated attack that is comparable to right, is to absolutely flood the zone with as much counter programming as possible.
Combatting their disinformation requires flooding the zone with real information
All around - we need way more intensity
Let’s be honest about the state of our politics, the right wing is currently winning.
They are winning on Election Day, they are taking over the Courts, they have courted billionaire backing, they have relaxed media scrutiny against them, they are becoming more popular with the electorate & they are still winning the information war.
Feel exhausted after reading that last paragraph? I know I do…
None of this changes by applying the same playbook that’s been used the last 10 years
The response from the left has been too refrained, it’s too mild, it’s kinda casual.
It’s honestly embarrassing at times.
Combating a force that doesn’t play by any rules, has all the money in the world, & already has a head start is going to require a lot more tenacity.
Are we all exhausted? Yes. I don’t want to downplay the work that has been put in by many over the years, or the fights that have been waged in the name of justice.
However, if we’re being honest with ourselves. We all know how much more fight we saw as a collective movement in 2020. Compare that to what you see today. It’s a staggering difference.
Are there differences between now and then?
Absolutely.
At the same time, I believe that is the level of effort we need to see more of today.
More outrage, more organizing, more protesting, more talking about politics, more fight! It’s obvious that we cannot rely on politicians to come save us in this moment (or frankly any moment), so it’s on us to provide the fight necessary to combat this moment in history.
Most importantly - we have to continue to bring the fight online. Combatting right wing disinformation requires a tenacious & consistent resistance.
Combatting their disinformation requires flooding the zone with real information
With all that being said, thank you for being here and staying engaged in the news cycle. Continuing to read about the news, especially when it’s constantly this bleak, is it’s own form of resistance.
I do believe we can not only combat, but overcome their disinformation, if we stay together and push back.
In the meantime, please do take moments to allow yourself to step away from the news & find peace outside of politics.
You cannot stay in the fight for the long term, if you’re exhausted after the first mile.
So, with that being said, here is something to take your mind off of the chaos of the news cycle. I hope it brings a smile for you 🙂
Folks reading this through their email will have to click onto the video for it to play.
Until next time,
Desmond
Thank you for being a member of the Independent Thought Substack.
As of today, we have 10,395 readers of this publication!
Welcome to all of our new readers & thank you for being a part of our growing newsletter!
If you appreciated this post, please share it on social media or with a friend.
If you liked this post, please click the heart ❤️ button & 🔄 button. This helps Independent Thought get recommended more within Substack.
This newsletter is 100% reader-funded. Please become a paid subscriber to support our work.
