Coronavirus conspiracy theories make Fauci the villain, because someone has to be. HATE + IGNORANCE= TRUMP.

 YAHOO NEWS. CAITLIN DICKSON

Since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, has established himself as the authoritative public face of the Trump administration’s coronavirus response. 

For some, however, he has taken on a different role. In recent weeks, Fauci has emerged as the latest target in the vast web of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories that have been circulating on social media since reports of the coronavirus first began to emerge out of Wuhan, China, in January. Like other coronavirus villains, from the Chinese government to Bill Gates, Fauci has been charged with an array of nefarious activity, all of it implausible and some of it mutually contradictory. According to some theories, for example, he’s both played a role in creating the coronavirus and exaggerated the risks of a “fake” pandemic. According to widely viewed and shared YouTube videos, Facebook posts and memes, Fauci’s alleged motives include ties to “big pharma,” a financial stake in a future coronavirus vaccine and involvement in a “deep state” plot to destroy the economy and influence the presidential election in November. 

Experts warn that recent efforts to undermine scientists and public health officials like Fauci have the potential to further compound the dangers of misinformation, which has spread alongside the coronavirus as a dangerous comorbidity to the pandemic itself.

“Trust ... is one of the most important factors to handle such a pandemic,” said Pia Lamberty, a PhD student at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, in Germany, who studies the psychology of conspiracy beliefs. “If people do not believe what [the experts] say, they are less likely to follow their recommendations.”

Lamberty said that the proliferation of conspiracy theories around the coronavirus “is not surprising,” as “conspiracy theories arise especially when people feel that they have no control.” Not only that, but Lamberty said that the kinds of narratives that are currently being spread about the coronavirus (that it is man-made, designed to harm certain groups and benefit those in power) are similar to those that arose in response to previous major disease outbreaks, such as Zika, Ebola and AIDS. In fact, it has been true of epidemics going back at least to the Middle Ages.

“Health officials are often a target of conspiracy theories and disinformation,” she added. 

While the disinformation campaign that has emerged around the coronavirus includes many classic conspiracy theory tropes, the recent focus on Fauci, as well as other health authorities like the World Health Organization, also seems to reflect a particularly Trumpian phenomenon, in which the president and his allies within the administration are seen by supporters as separate from the rest of the federal government, and any official or institution that contradicts President Trump’s message is viewed as an enemy. 

“I think the Trump world is unique in the sense that they are entirely engaged in a narrative battle devoid of fact and reality and nothing else. It’s the only thing they’ve been successful at,” said Danny Rogers, chief technology officer of the Global Disinformation Index, which works to track and disrupt the spread of misinformation online. Rogers, who also teaches a course on disinformation and narrative warfare at the New York University Center for Global Affairs, said that Fauci’s loyalty to science and data is “at odds with loyalty to [the] narrative that the administration and its supporters often want to spin.”

Though Fauci has thus far managed to hold on to his position, his public divergence with Trump on a number of points, including the president’s previous pledge to reopen the economy by Easter and his premature endorsement of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for the coronavirus, has prompted calls from Trump’s supporters to #FireFauci — the hashtag on a Twitter message Trump himself retweeted, while denying any intention of dismissing the scientist, who has been a leader in public health since his much-praised efforts in the early AIDS epidemic. 

Conservative media outlets like Fox News and Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast have also questioned Fauci’s authority, although with less obviously invented pretexts than a secret investment in a nonexistent vaccine.  

Earlier in April, the government was forced to step up security for Fauci amid threats to his personal safety. 

Fauci, of course, is far from the only imaginary villain in the fight against what the president likes to call “the invisible enemy,” and the disinformation comes from a wide range of sources, including administration officials, which Rogers said was “one of the biggest challenges” in combating it. Last week, Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of homeland security, retweeted a post that referred to the recommendations of the World Health Organization as “Chinese propaganda,” the theme of much conservative commentary following Trump’s public dispute with the WHO. 

“These are supposed to be sources of definitive information at a time when we need definitive information,” Rogers said of officials like Cuccinelli. 

The latest issue of the Journal of the American Philosophical Association.

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BLAST FROM THE PAST: "THE IRAN NUCLEAR TREATY- AVOIDING REALITY." PART 1.

(*IN THIS ARTICLE I USE THE WORD "TREATY" TO DESCRIBE

THE RESULTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS.  HOWEVER, TERMS SUCH

AS "DEAL" OR "AGREEMENT" COULD REPLACE "TREATY" WITH

NO LOSS IN MEANING OR UNDERSTANDING.

As the Debate over the Nuclear Treaty with Iran is still being Discussed in Congress, and the Media, we find that one thing Remains True:

SOME POLITICIANS STILL AVOID ANY REAL DEBATE THAT MIGHT RESOLVE THE CONTROVERSY.

WHY?  IT WOULD INVOLVE INSIGHT AND THE ABILITY TO THINK BEYOND SIMPLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT WOULD ADDRESS THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION, RELYING ON MEANINGLESS RHETORIC THAT PLEASES YOUR SUPPORTERS, WHO MAY NOT UNDERSTAND, OR CARE,  ABOUT SOLUTIONS THAT WOULD BENEFIT ALL CONCERNED PARTIES.

So, let us Step Back, Ignore everything that has been said, and look Beyond Bombastic One-Liners to see where the TRUTH MAY LIE.

First Question- WHAT IS A TREATY?

A TREATY IS BASICALLY A CONTRACT BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PARTIES; USUALLY GOVERNMENTS OR NATIONS WHO ARE RECOGNIZED AS THE LEGITIMATE SOURCES OF AUTHORITY FOR A GIVEN GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, OR POPULATION, THAT HAVE THE POWER TO CREATE AND ENFORCE ANY POLICIES, FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC.

A TREATY IS JUST LIKE A SIGNED BUSINESS DEAL. THE GOALS AND PARTIES TO IT MAY BE DIFFERENT, BUT THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE SAME.

What can we Safely Infer if Two or More Parties are Entering into Diplomatic Talks,

with the Outcome Eventually being a SIGNED TREATY FOR ALL PARTIES?

#1-  EACH PARTICIPANT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS HAS SOMETHING THE OTHER WANTS.-  No One Enters into These Negotiations Insisting that the Opposing Side Give Up Something, but will get nothing in return. Turning it around, No Side enters such Talks with the Idea of Giving Into Certain Demands, and Anticipating No Concessions From the Opposition. 

That would be Unrealistic and Foolish.

#2-  WHILE THERE MAY BE MANY POINTS OF CONFLICT OR DISAGREEMENT, ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE ONE OR TWO MAIN GOALS THEY WANT THE TREATY TO ACHIEVE. These are Usually So Prominent that They are Generally Apparent at the Outset of the Talks, and are in some cases THE ONLY REASON(S) THAT BROUGHT THE OPPOSING SIDES TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE.
SEE PART 2. 

MAKE THE WORLD SAFER. STOP TRUMP AND HIS MINIONS. (UPDATED.)

How should Democrats, Progressives, and Liberals Combat the Donald Trump/Republican Fascist Agenda of creating a Police State ruled by a few, Destroying and Eliminating such CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AS;

FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.

FREEDOM OF RELIGION.

...and turning the average American into a SERF, WHOSE LIFE AND WELL-BEING IS LEFT TO THE WHIMS OF THE NEW "ARISTOCRACY." 

#1-  Acknowledge that the Selfish, Self-Centered, and Dishonest also Vote, so Quit trying to Win over everyone through Fear of Confrontation.

#2-  Stop Allowing Trump and the Republicans to Hijack the Moral High Ground, when its Media Campaign is Transparent, and Easily Refuted. 

  

#3- Stand Up to the Outright Lies and Misrepresentations that are part of the Daily Drivel that spews forth from Donald Trumps mouth, which is usually little more than Irrational and Hate Filled propaganda.

#4- Never allow Statistics and Numbers to go unchallenged. The Bogus returns from the  2016 Election were a perfect example of what happens when you blindly accept results without proper examination.

#5- When Statistics are Trotted Out about possible Fraudulent Activities in Social Programs, Demand the Sources for such Claims, and what Procedures were used to draw specific conclusions.

Along these lines, make sure the following Key Points of the Republican Agenda are Studied and Examined thoroughly.

-  Corporate Bailouts that allow POOR MANAGEMENT

SKILLS TO BE REWARDED WITH A SAFETY NET

PAID FOR BY THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER.

-  Tax Breaks that allow Wealthy Individuals who

make Bad Investment Decisions to recover

their losses, paid for by MIDDLE CLASS

AMERICANS.

-  Funds Acquired Through Government Contracts,

that are Shifted to Foreign Markets with no Positive

Effects on the U.S. Economy.

-  Refusing to Raise Wages to a Minimal Level, which

Encourages Self- Sufficiency, and Decreases the 

Need for Government Aid.

...OTHER POLICIES THAT PUSH AN AGENDA THAT

BENEFITS A NARROW SET OF AMERICAN CITIZENS,

THAT ARE PUT IN PLACE TO INCREASE WEALTH AND

PRIVILEGE, AND NOT TO ADDRESS BASIC NEEDS.