Summary: In the second part of our exploration into the “Firehose of Falsehoods,” we delve deeper into the psychological mechanisms that allow misinformation to flourish, particularly among MAGA supporters. While many of us on the liberal side often dismiss these beliefs as the result of ignorance or a lack of critical thinking, there are underlying human tendencies that make people susceptible to accepting information that starkly contradicts reality. We’ll examine the sleeper effect and the visual cues of authenticity that bolster these false beliefs, as well as how the Republican narrative of universal dishonesty among politicians undermines trust in legitimate discourse. Ultimately, we confront the alarming implications of this widespread acceptance of inconsistency and its threat to our democratic society.
Key Words: Misinformation Firehose of Falsehoods Cognitive Bias Sleeper Effect Authenticity MAGA Political Discourse Trust Media Environment Democracy
Comment: Let us know what you think about the effects of having leadership that is making blatantly false claims, claims that have no relationship with reality, and are rarely consistent with past claims they’ve made.
Previously, we had covered the first two crucial features of the Firehose of Falsehood as identified in a Rand Corporation report published in 2016. They were (1) high volume and multi-channel delivery, (2) rapid, continuous, and repetitive messaging. Now, the ways Trump, the Republican Party, and their merry band of useful idiots use (3) a lack of commitment to objective reality, and (4) a lack of commitment to consistency will be addressed.
The Firehose of Falsehood is one of Putin’s many contributions to our global culture. By overwhelming individuals and social institutions with too much information to process and liberally mixing in lies, absurdities, and his own messaging, he was able to degrade Russia’s society to the point where he rules with little to no opposition. He’s now exporting his great discovery to the world.
Understanding the ways in which they’ve destroyed truth and trust by cynically manipulating all too human tendencies for their own political gain is crucial if we’re going to heal the wounds they’ve inflicted upon us and reconstruct a functional society.
A Lack of Commitment to Objective Reality
Many of us who are of the liberal persuasion scratch our asses and wonder about the MAGA-types who seem to believe any old piece of doggrel that trots out of Trump’s wide, flabby, hairless, white ass. We think them stupid rednecks who lack critical thinking skills. Maybe there is some justification to this, but maybe there is something very human about believing information that is completely out of touch with reality.
There are several good reasons for the willingness to believe the obviously false: (1) the sleeper effect and (2) visual cues of authenticity.
The Sleeper Effect
Politicians standing for election have a well-known habit of saying things like, “My opponent is a dog murderer!” and in the cases of Mitt Romney and Kristi Noem, you wouldn’t be far off the mark, so maybe the example isn’t as far fetched as I originally thought. And, then when a hullabaloo is raised, the original statement is walked back to being, “My opponent once had a pet dog that died.”
Why is this an effective technique? Because people will develop a strong memory of the outlandish and shocking statement that so-and-so is a dog murderer! And, eventually forget that the statement was a lie, the sleeper effect.
The Trappings of Authenticity
Even though MAGA rejects experts and relies on their own research, they still believe the trappings of authenticity and expertise. If it is presented on a “news” show with an anchor person, journalists, and experts, then it is far more likely to be believed and given
Both of these tendencies are aggravated when people aren’t motivated to think about the statement very much or very critically and to believe it regardless of truth, meaning, people like MAGA who have been thoroughly sportified in their politics and the only thing that matters is pwning the libs or being as racist and misogynist as they wanna be.
Given that MAGA has been steeped in increasing amounts of anger and stress since Newt Gingrich, it is easy to see how being angry will make it more likely for someone to accept patently false or contradictory information. This is the basis of mass psychosis. Our fractured and growing media environment just put it on steroids.
A Lack of Commitment to Consistency
By tarring all politicians as self-serving liars who will say anything to get elected, the Republican Party legitimizes its own corruption while delegitimizing more honest critics. While it’s not true that all politicians are dishonest—many genuinely aim to further their causes and help society—this narrative undermines the integrity of legitimate discourse.
This strategy also supports the use of multiple channels of information. False claims are far more likely to be believed if they come from numerous sources, even when those sources contradict each other or themselves. Truth is stranger than fiction, isn’t it?
People are often willing to accept inconsistencies if they perceive a good reason for the contradictions. For example, someone might claim they’ve changed their opinion after “doing their own research,” or they might justify their stance by asserting they’re “pwning the libs” or “oppressing Communities of Color.” For MAGA supporters, the ends always justify the means. As long as the goal aligns with their beliefs, the accuracy of the information doesn’t matter. We’ve heard this mantra repeated time and again, and it has eroded the level of trust and truth in our society.
The end result of the Firehose of Falsehood is that there is no trust in society. You cannot trust a source of information whether it is a real-life friend, social media follower, website, news broadcast, politician, or whatever.
If the only thing that matters is that your side wins and everything you do in order to win is then justified, then we cannot have a functional society. As long as MAGA is willing to sacrifice everything, including our democracy and our rights, to “pwning the libs” and being as racist and misogynist as they wanna be, then they will continue electing Trump and the Republicans, and we will not have a functional society much less a working democracy.
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The Psy of Life 
When it becomes impossible to sort truth and falsehood, people have only their prejudices to fall back on for what to believe.
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And those prejudices are often wrapped in religion and ideological rhetoric, i.e. land of the free, home of the brave kind of stuff.
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Yes, and nostalgia for imaginary better times.
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The problem is that we have had some halcyon days of yore to harken back to, the Clinton, Obama, and Biden administrations.
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And those times frightened those who hanker back to very different times.
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