All of our communication needs to be strong, clear, concise, in sixth-grade words, punchy and demanding action. Most of the words against Trump and his enablers have been in long-form articles and talks, reasoned, often academic or legalistic, entirely fruitless, and boring as hell. Every person we address needs to get the message in a couple of lines, written or spoken, whatever their level of education. We are in the shit because ordinary people are sick to death of being looked down on, losing their old jobs, never getting a raise, living in the wrong place, and knowing they are up shit creek without a paddle.
Trump keeps hitting on these points, and his supporters believe him. He understands them and plays on their prejudices with insults and slogans because he is one of them, fat-gutted in a suit, and a TV star to boot.
Absolutely! This is key! The problems with messaging in the Democratic Party has been too much verbiage, legalese, facts, etc. They need you as a strategist. There’s a researcher in political psychology, Drew Westen, who wrote “The Political Brain” and one of the directed he pointed out among the parties is the importance of storytelling in reaching voters.
Thank you for this excellent article, Pala! Thank you also for the practical ideas. My contribution is combatting disinformation by creating posters with quotes, pictures, and links to various YouTube videos and posting them on various social media platforms. Keep up the good work, Pala!
Good on you, Micki! You're Canadian and I'm Australian, but we know that the United States is full of good, decent people, many of whom are being deceived and manipulated by that lying bastard. Trained by the king of liars, Roy Cohn, and backed up by the cowardly army of lying Republicans who kiss his ass, Trump will do a lot of damage if we let him. Keep up the good work!
I have a small suggestion, it seems silly and insignificant until we get hundreds of millions of individual people doing it!
STOP “GOOGLING” and just search!
Eventually we will stop seeing & hearing “google” in our public discourse. And get a new search engine, or another alternative, sakes alive we don’t need that evil on our devices! For ex ecosia.org
But I think it's all about quantity, not quality, because of how fast social media moves.
And in a way, using the same tactics used by the alt-right. Except we only ever have to tell the truth as that would be painful enough for them.
Just asking questions (concern-trolling) or stupid memes can be very effective when it's done on a very large scale. It also needs minimal effort to produce. It just has to be repeated over and over and over again x a million times.
I think this is were AI automation can come in. That has made a lot of progress last year and there are plenty of options to do this locally and on consumer level hardware, so without the need of cloud services.
I think your ideas are good too but I just think we need to do this on a larger scale.
I've got some skills but no network, no funding and not much free time to organize this on my own unfortunately. I'm trying to set something up before the summer....
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I'm not fixated on a specific idea. Any ideas are welcome - as long as we move to put them into action :) Your ideas sound great. I hope you'll find like-minded people and the capacities to try something out. Keep me in the loop <3
Here's the thing: *Disinformation only works on people who aren't super familiar with a subject.*
Doctors and nurses almost universally agree on topics related to healthcare regardless of political affiliation. Investment bankers almost universally agree on how the banking industry needs to be regulated, regardless of political affiliation (see the swath of bankers who tried to warn us of the 2008 financial crisis as an example). Military leaders largely have common opinions on the current state of geopolitics. You can't tell a plumber that shit runs uphill. Because it's their *job* to know that.
What we really need is to create a system where the opinions of tradespeople matter most in their industry. So that if you want to regulate healthcare, healthcare professionals are involved every step of the way. Teachers are involved in education regulation.
One way thay could be accomplished is with a political party that integrates unions into its internal structure. In order for the party to propose legislation, it has to be proposed/approved by the relevant unions.
Regardless of how it's accomplished, we have to stop depending on a small number of people who cannot possibly be informed on every issue, and instead take advantage of the large swath of human expertise we have in the world.
An art project that shocks and provokes in public spaces
The ordinary people we need to reach tend not to follow art, and though I think that every little bit helps, we need to focus on a few big hits. A traveling show might take too long to motivate change, but I could imagine that a multimedia show, like the Van Gogh show of two or three years ago, might have the reach, but it would have to be boldly contentious and outrageous, like a cavalcade of autocratic regimes and their evils, allowing the viewers to draw parallels with the current American autocracy and oligarchy. It would take a year or two to put together and schedule venues across the country, but it might have real impact. Owners of venues, private and public, may resist hosting it.
Innovative viral content that spreads awareness quickly
There is so much noise, that it's hard to stand out and the effect is momentary. If it could be associated with a Taylor Swift or Beyonce tour that might help.
An app, a browser, or a web plugin that debunks disinformation in real time
Counting and listing lies doesn't seem to reach or resonate with ordinary people. And I think that this movement for honesty and decency needs to be associated with live human beings, not technology. And there will inevitably arguments about veracity, which would just turn into pissing matches.
A groundbreaking event series for truth-centered dialogue
There has to be a draw to get people there, and a real sense that the events would actually make a difference over the long run—very much like the evangelical tent shows of the past in which converts would testify and people would be invited to come forward and commit themselves (and even their famiies) to truth and decency.
An AI tool that earns bipartisan trust and relentlessly dismantles falsehoods
Again, technology and AI in particular is less real to people, at least at this time. We need people-to-people interaction under a powerful banner.
Guerrilla marketing that delivers powerful messages in unexpected ways
Sounds good! I will refresh my understanding of the term, but I think that communication of clear messages must drive local involvement and commitment to achieve clearly defined goals.
A movement of nonpartisan truth ambassadors who seek and share accurate information on contentious issues of the day
Interesting. Nothing in this country seems to be nonpartisan, and even the fairest of commentators are soon accused of partisanship.
A viral hashtag campaign that unites voices advocating for honesty and transparency
Sounds good. Tell us more.
Immersive experiences that allow users to explore key issues and underlying truths in an engaging, hands-on way
I could see that, but we are fighting now for the future of this country, and I tend to distrust any program that is not blatantly and pugnaciously aggressive to defeat the forces of autocracy and oligarchy (to name just two great evils).
I hope you understand that I am not trying to be a naysayer, but just to seek the few best things that will work. Thank you so much!
You are so right, Pala! Regulation won't save us; your three points are well taken. And the law won't save us either. For every good lawyer there's a scumbag, greedy and irresponsible. And the rigor of the legal processes, desirable and necessary in times of honesty and decency, is used by that lying bastard and his cowardly clan of connivers and ass kissers to delay cases until the malefactors get away free. And though the supreme court is clearly corrupt, it handles very few actual cases, and there are many judges, often pushed and placed by the Federalist Society, who are obviously partisan and supportive of the liars and cheats. So The Law will be important again when the corruption is cleared and the Constitution restored, but not now. That lying shit and his team of traitors deliberately flout the Constitution, knowing that no one in power will pursue and punish them, thus strengthening their autocratic agenda and weakening our resistance.
I really admire your creative ideas, Pala, and I will comment on them (always positively and out ot gratitude) and try to add some more.
First of all, let's not be manipulated by sleaze bags like the vile Kelly Conway, queen of doublespeak and "alternative facts", into using fancy but confusing and meaningless words like "disinformation". The sleaze bags tell lies and twist truths, pure and simple. So call that shit and his followers LIARS. They are not decent, honest, or kind. If they were members of our family, we'd be ashamed of them; if they were in our communities we'd shun them. We should never defer to our enemies by adopting their choice of words. That's just stupid.
All of what you say is true and good. I have one question. You are working on the assumption that the web and the internet will still be there for you. What will you do, how will you get the message out if rump takes down the US web and or internet? Also as you use your phone and or computer it can be traced back to you wherever you are. During the second World War the Germans used the triangulation method to detect shut down and kill anyone using a illegal radio. But they persisted. But we do not have those old radios around anymore and few know how to build them. If I were to sabotage a resistance movement the first thing I would do would be to kill the access to the internet and the web. What we need to figure out is how to communicate with each other without cell phones and computers. Otherwise rump and company can see and hear everything we do. And when they feel like it they can come in and arrest us. That is what they did in Nazi Germany. Look too your history. That is the best teacher.
All of our communication needs to be strong, clear, concise, in sixth-grade words, punchy and demanding action. Most of the words against Trump and his enablers have been in long-form articles and talks, reasoned, often academic or legalistic, entirely fruitless, and boring as hell. Every person we address needs to get the message in a couple of lines, written or spoken, whatever their level of education. We are in the shit because ordinary people are sick to death of being looked down on, losing their old jobs, never getting a raise, living in the wrong place, and knowing they are up shit creek without a paddle.
Trump keeps hitting on these points, and his supporters believe him. He understands them and plays on their prejudices with insults and slogans because he is one of them, fat-gutted in a suit, and a TV star to boot.
These are important points. Thanks a lot for highlighting, Graeme!
Absolutely! This is key! The problems with messaging in the Democratic Party has been too much verbiage, legalese, facts, etc. They need you as a strategist. There’s a researcher in political psychology, Drew Westen, who wrote “The Political Brain” and one of the directed he pointed out among the parties is the importance of storytelling in reaching voters.
Agree, utilizing their tactics is key. We can even pose as MAGA.
Thank you for this excellent article, Pala! Thank you also for the practical ideas. My contribution is combatting disinformation by creating posters with quotes, pictures, and links to various YouTube videos and posting them on various social media platforms. Keep up the good work, Pala!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Micki! And thanks for being active. Every voice counts in this fight.
Love it, I want to create educational flyers, letters... we can even mail them out. Get the elderly involved. The educated will take interest
Good on you, Micki! You're Canadian and I'm Australian, but we know that the United States is full of good, decent people, many of whom are being deceived and manipulated by that lying bastard. Trained by the king of liars, Roy Cohn, and backed up by the cowardly army of lying Republicans who kiss his ass, Trump will do a lot of damage if we let him. Keep up the good work!
I have a small suggestion, it seems silly and insignificant until we get hundreds of millions of individual people doing it!
STOP “GOOGLING” and just search!
Eventually we will stop seeing & hearing “google” in our public discourse. And get a new search engine, or another alternative, sakes alive we don’t need that evil on our devices! For ex ecosia.org
I also like the idea of deadnaming Twitter!
LFG Canada LFG Democracy lovers
❤️🇨🇦❤️🇺🇸
I've been toying with a similar idea aswell.
But I think it's all about quantity, not quality, because of how fast social media moves.
And in a way, using the same tactics used by the alt-right. Except we only ever have to tell the truth as that would be painful enough for them.
Just asking questions (concern-trolling) or stupid memes can be very effective when it's done on a very large scale. It also needs minimal effort to produce. It just has to be repeated over and over and over again x a million times.
I think this is were AI automation can come in. That has made a lot of progress last year and there are plenty of options to do this locally and on consumer level hardware, so without the need of cloud services.
I think your ideas are good too but I just think we need to do this on a larger scale.
I've got some skills but no network, no funding and not much free time to organize this on my own unfortunately. I'm trying to set something up before the summer....
But I am happy to see others with similar ideas.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I'm not fixated on a specific idea. Any ideas are welcome - as long as we move to put them into action :) Your ideas sound great. I hope you'll find like-minded people and the capacities to try something out. Keep me in the loop <3
Here is an idea and I will post to my substack when able.. others should to
I want to post education in women's bathroom stalls
it could be on how to vote, now that laws have changed
education on things that will resonate with those who are disconnected
Great job, I am taking your advice. I am doing it.
Sadly when the internet was created, it was thought for the good of humanity. Today it’s the evil that will take down humanity.
Here's the thing: *Disinformation only works on people who aren't super familiar with a subject.*
Doctors and nurses almost universally agree on topics related to healthcare regardless of political affiliation. Investment bankers almost universally agree on how the banking industry needs to be regulated, regardless of political affiliation (see the swath of bankers who tried to warn us of the 2008 financial crisis as an example). Military leaders largely have common opinions on the current state of geopolitics. You can't tell a plumber that shit runs uphill. Because it's their *job* to know that.
What we really need is to create a system where the opinions of tradespeople matter most in their industry. So that if you want to regulate healthcare, healthcare professionals are involved every step of the way. Teachers are involved in education regulation.
One way thay could be accomplished is with a political party that integrates unions into its internal structure. In order for the party to propose legislation, it has to be proposed/approved by the relevant unions.
Regardless of how it's accomplished, we have to stop depending on a small number of people who cannot possibly be informed on every issue, and instead take advantage of the large swath of human expertise we have in the world.
Addressing each of your admirable ideas, Pala:
An art project that shocks and provokes in public spaces
The ordinary people we need to reach tend not to follow art, and though I think that every little bit helps, we need to focus on a few big hits. A traveling show might take too long to motivate change, but I could imagine that a multimedia show, like the Van Gogh show of two or three years ago, might have the reach, but it would have to be boldly contentious and outrageous, like a cavalcade of autocratic regimes and their evils, allowing the viewers to draw parallels with the current American autocracy and oligarchy. It would take a year or two to put together and schedule venues across the country, but it might have real impact. Owners of venues, private and public, may resist hosting it.
Innovative viral content that spreads awareness quickly
There is so much noise, that it's hard to stand out and the effect is momentary. If it could be associated with a Taylor Swift or Beyonce tour that might help.
An app, a browser, or a web plugin that debunks disinformation in real time
Counting and listing lies doesn't seem to reach or resonate with ordinary people. And I think that this movement for honesty and decency needs to be associated with live human beings, not technology. And there will inevitably arguments about veracity, which would just turn into pissing matches.
A groundbreaking event series for truth-centered dialogue
There has to be a draw to get people there, and a real sense that the events would actually make a difference over the long run—very much like the evangelical tent shows of the past in which converts would testify and people would be invited to come forward and commit themselves (and even their famiies) to truth and decency.
An AI tool that earns bipartisan trust and relentlessly dismantles falsehoods
Again, technology and AI in particular is less real to people, at least at this time. We need people-to-people interaction under a powerful banner.
Guerrilla marketing that delivers powerful messages in unexpected ways
Sounds good! I will refresh my understanding of the term, but I think that communication of clear messages must drive local involvement and commitment to achieve clearly defined goals.
A movement of nonpartisan truth ambassadors who seek and share accurate information on contentious issues of the day
Interesting. Nothing in this country seems to be nonpartisan, and even the fairest of commentators are soon accused of partisanship.
A viral hashtag campaign that unites voices advocating for honesty and transparency
Sounds good. Tell us more.
Immersive experiences that allow users to explore key issues and underlying truths in an engaging, hands-on way
I could see that, but we are fighting now for the future of this country, and I tend to distrust any program that is not blatantly and pugnaciously aggressive to defeat the forces of autocracy and oligarchy (to name just two great evils).
I hope you understand that I am not trying to be a naysayer, but just to seek the few best things that will work. Thank you so much!
Graeme
You are so right, Pala! Regulation won't save us; your three points are well taken. And the law won't save us either. For every good lawyer there's a scumbag, greedy and irresponsible. And the rigor of the legal processes, desirable and necessary in times of honesty and decency, is used by that lying bastard and his cowardly clan of connivers and ass kissers to delay cases until the malefactors get away free. And though the supreme court is clearly corrupt, it handles very few actual cases, and there are many judges, often pushed and placed by the Federalist Society, who are obviously partisan and supportive of the liars and cheats. So The Law will be important again when the corruption is cleared and the Constitution restored, but not now. That lying shit and his team of traitors deliberately flout the Constitution, knowing that no one in power will pursue and punish them, thus strengthening their autocratic agenda and weakening our resistance.
I really admire your creative ideas, Pala, and I will comment on them (always positively and out ot gratitude) and try to add some more.
First of all, let's not be manipulated by sleaze bags like the vile Kelly Conway, queen of doublespeak and "alternative facts", into using fancy but confusing and meaningless words like "disinformation". The sleaze bags tell lies and twist truths, pure and simple. So call that shit and his followers LIARS. They are not decent, honest, or kind. If they were members of our family, we'd be ashamed of them; if they were in our communities we'd shun them. We should never defer to our enemies by adopting their choice of words. That's just stupid.
All of what you say is true and good. I have one question. You are working on the assumption that the web and the internet will still be there for you. What will you do, how will you get the message out if rump takes down the US web and or internet? Also as you use your phone and or computer it can be traced back to you wherever you are. During the second World War the Germans used the triangulation method to detect shut down and kill anyone using a illegal radio. But they persisted. But we do not have those old radios around anymore and few know how to build them. If I were to sabotage a resistance movement the first thing I would do would be to kill the access to the internet and the web. What we need to figure out is how to communicate with each other without cell phones and computers. Otherwise rump and company can see and hear everything we do. And when they feel like it they can come in and arrest us. That is what they did in Nazi Germany. Look too your history. That is the best teacher.