'Kanye West’s voice is just one in a rising chorus of antisemitism
[...] Every year, antisemitic hate incidences have increased, and every year the perpetrators are getting younger, with social media their entry-point – . The more conspiracies given air online, the more people start to believe Jews run the world. [...]
[...] strategies for combatting antisemitism are not working: picketing social media companies to remove slurs [...] has not removed antisemitism from its feeds – and at least part of that is because this bit of the problem seems misunderstood. Antisemitism is not simply prejudice against Jewish people, it’s a medieval ideology about who runs the world, which explains why such disparate groups of people can regularly find common ground hating Jews and, also, why it has persisted. [...] Kanye’s recent tweets illustrate how that conspiracy theory is self-affirming – the antisemite will claim that Jews control and silence those who speak out against them. “Then, if they are penalised for their bigotry, they point to that as proof. Heads, they win; Tails, Jew lose.” The consequences Kanye has faced – including being kicked off Instagram and Twitter – are seen as evidence that the Jews control “Big Tech”, and on and on.'
Kanye West’s voice is just one in a rising chorus of antisemitism
'Democrats were far more likely than Republicans to agree [...] that “Israel/Jews secretly control most of the decision-making processes across key US institutions, including government and media” (15 percent) [...]
Many specific conspiracy theories may be seen as standing in for what the believer imagines to be a deeper, mythic truth about the world that accords with his or her psychological state and personal experience. The O.J. Simpson murder trial [...] supplies an example. [...]
[...] Many specific conspiracy theories channel elements of wider systems of belief and dogma that constitute [...] core bonding elements of political, spiritual, social, and tribal identities. [...]
[...] the crazier the conspiracy theory, the more conspicuous the conspiracy theorist’s display of ideological loyalty.[...]
[...] In the Paleolithic environment in which our ancestors’ brains were formed, “conspiratorial cognition” was a natural adaptation. It was often safer to trust your dark suspicions regarding some neighbouring tribe, rather than dismiss the risk and let down your guard. In such an environment, paranoia could be a life saver, while a more serene and trusting approach could shorten your life. [Or it could provide justification for attacking the neighboring tribe to seize their resources or enslave them....]
In our study, we found that Republicans were about 150 percent more likely to agree with the Deep State conspiracy theory than Democrats, while blacks and Hispanics were 50 percent more likely to agree than whites. Given that [...] blacks and Hispanics have had far more negative interactions with the government than whites, it is understandable that these constituencies would be more likely to believe that powerful elites are conspiring to gain an immoral or illegal advantage over others. [...]
At the root of this problem isn’t just distrust in government, but also distrust in journalism, science, and the legal system. And in many cases, this sense of distrust isn’t entirely without basis. And so, ultimately, the antidote to conspiracism will have to involve reinforcing norms of truth-telling, honesty, reason, and rationality in all of these sectors.'
Wired for Conspiracism
Wonder if Kanye is still going to buy Parler... to strive to turn it into the premiere antisemitic social network?...
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Azath Vitr (D, on 28 October 2022 - 06:40 PM, said:
