If you are a propagandist and want to instill fear and uncertainty into the masses, you must first create an “enemy” and then make them larger and more dangerous than they are.
That’s the case today with most groups and minorities on the Republican’s enemy list.
To gin up the hysteria, Republicans and their media accomplices have unleashed decades-long disinformation campaigns that intentionally overestimate certain minorities that are part of their efforts to make the U.S. a Christian nationalist nation governed according to their new rules. These rules are separate from the U.S. Constitution, but for the MAGA Republicans to destabilize the government, they must create a formidable enemy even when none exists.
Here are some examples of their propaganda campaign versus the facts, based on data from Today.yougov.com.
For Sexual Groups
What percent of the U.S. population is gay?
Americans say 30%
The data says 3%
What percentage of the U.S. population is transgender?
Americans say 21%
The data says 0.6%
For Religious and Racial Groups
What percentage of the U.S. population is Muslim?
Americans say 27%
The data says 1%
What percentage of the U.S. population is Jewish?
Americans say 30%
The data says 2%
What percentage of the U.S. population is Native American?
Americans say 27%
The data says 1%
What percentage of the U.S. population is Asian American?
Americans say 29%
The data says 6%
What percentage of the U.S. population is African American?
Americans say 41%
The data says 12%
What percentage of Americans are Christian?
Americans say 58%
The data says 70%
What percentage of Americans have a high school degree?
Americans say 65%
The data says 89%
The Republican Message: Hate Your Neighbor
Republicans want you to hate your neighbor, so the best way to do this is to say that white Christians are under attack by (you fill in the blank.) The problem is that these minorities are a minuscule percentage of the U.S. population of 332 million.
Suppose you listen to Republicans and the right-wing media. In that case, people are pushed to think that 0.6 percent of the U.S. population that is transgender is waging some political and psychological attack on the 99.4% of Americans who are not transgender. There is even a very high probability that the vast majority of Americans will ever meet a transgender person in their lifetime, let alone be subjugated to a political attack by this 0.6 percent of transgender individuals who has some ulterior motive.
Overestimating the “enemy” is one of the oldest propaganda tricks in the fascist toolkit. It has been used by MAGA Republicans for decades.
So, if you want to be afraid of losing your civil rights or facing a decline in your standard of living, look to the MAGA Republicans in front of your own eyes. If you remove the blinders, you will be surprised at what you see.
