Eventually I did become friends with Employee X, and came to know his story, or at least his version. He related that early on he was invited by the POWERS to become part of the old-boys network and all that it entails- a little petty corruption, some nights out having a good time (“just tell your wife you have to go to a meeting”), that sort of thing. He said he politely declined but the POWERS felt a slighted, and he believed from then on his career was limited, that he was in fact targeted. He mentioned one instance where he was called in and accused of something quite serious: on a specific date he acted in a negligent and incompetent manner, which was happily reported by an ambitious fellow worker. He agreed that what he was accused of was indeed serious, the only problem being he was off that day. I never disbelieved his stories, per se, but thought maybe he was a little paranoid, maybe exaggerating a bit.
Later our facility underwent changes in administration so that obsequiousness became more valued than competency, but not being interested in the former, I became a pariah in the eyes of the new director. A long story short, events led me to run for the presidency of the local professional’s union, and I won by a 2 to 1 margin (curiously, I had to join the union, something I had never done, in order to run). At some point I was told on the sly that the director never hated anyone as much as she hated me, almost a complement.
In the meantime, Employee X had moved to another part of our regional facility, and one day, in preparing to relocate to a new building, someone came across a file that was labeled with X’s name and handed it over to him. What the file actually contained was years of snide and mocking memos and e-mails back and forth between management, confirming everything he suspected was true. This was a fascinating and fun union case because the contract clearly did not allow management to keep unofficial and secret files on employees, and in discussion with one of the few honorable administrators he admitted they were completely in the wrong and could offer no defense. The lesson from this story is this: for decades, anytime X offered a belief that his career was being intentionally stunted by management, that they in fact targeted him for retribution and even tried at times to set him up, he was passed off as a nut job, a CONSPIRACY THEORIST, move along, nothing to see here. During my tenure as local union president I discovered cases like his were not uncommon, that the petty local authorities did in fact wield the petty power entrusted to them by NY State to seek retribution against employees who crossed them in some way.
The Name Callers
Has there ever existed in history a time in which those holding the power, at least who that lusted for authority and control for its own sake, didn’t maintain a stockpile of key words and phrases- accusations- meant to intimidate, frighten, and keep the people in line? I’m old enough to have witnessed the tail-end of power of the true Southern racists and segregationists, who could utter a two-word phrase, “nigger-lover,” and ruin the businesses and social standing of any white person who had the gall to voice support for basic civil rights for black people. The best part is, if the intended audience of your accusations is ignorant or apathetic or shares your twisted narrative, you never need to provide a foundation or justification of your vitriol- just put the words out there and things fall into place.
Perhaps beginning with the 2008 presidential election, there has been a significant change in the way politicians approach the voters. Previously, a candidate would try to influence voters by using reason, lies, persuasion, good looks, charm, smooth talk, or the usual promises of government largess to their preferred demographic. Recently, a number have decided upon a different strategy: along with the assistance their symbiotic sycophants in the media, academia, sports, entertainment, and corporate and tech worlds, they’ve begun directly insulting and mocking voters who don’t agree with them-10’s of millions of people- as if they are performers a sleazy nightclub and their entire act is to hurl verbal abuse and belittlement, or perhaps a bizarre “reality show” that, at odds with a responsible democracy, is sadly lapped up by millions of viewers/voters.
Two types of people are required for this approach to succeed. First, there are bullies and those who think the bullies are cool; in both cases morally weak people who yearn to perceive themselves as better than others. Barack Obama provided two wonderful examples of this tactic of ridicule when he described people who “cling to guns or religion,” and, in referring to immigration control on the Southern border, “Maybe they’ll need a moat. Maybe they’ll want alligators in the moat!” In other words, all those narrow minded bigots who are too stupid to grasp the mighty wonders of globalism and “cling” to traditional values.
Second, there need to be people who are intimidated by insults: “OMG, they called me a racist; I need to beg and grovel!” This doesn’t work with people of strong character: accused of something that is false, or simply absurd, it just slides right off. The political and cultural powers of today who obtain their power, money, and ego affirmation by insult and accusation have an abundance of words and phrases to choose from, with their core generic vocabulary including the ever present racist, fascist, “just like Hitler,” “…phobe,” Nazi, misogynist, ad nauseam. Sometimes they target a more specific demographic, for example, those who view themselves as educated, urbane, intellectual, and sophisticated, and are driven to be accepted by the powers of the day. This is where we find the accusations such as “anti-science” and “conspiracy theorist” especially effective.
Intellectuals and Tin Foil Hats
In past times the “conspiracy theorist” varied from the silly (“radio waves are destroying my brain but wearing a tin foil hat will protect me”) to the pernicious (“the JEWS control the global economic system!”). Fortunately there were usually reasonable people without selfish interests who could provide sane arguments that these beliefs were false. What has transpired in recent decades, and accelerated tremendously with the Trump candidacy and presidency, is that partisan and biased people, clearly with self-interests involved, realized they could use the charges of “anti-science” and “conspiracy theorist” to marginalize their opposition or even shut it down entirely, especially with the assistance of traditional and social media. And the concept expanded to include not just those who hold contrary beliefs or opinions, but those who merely question the establishment doctrine.
If you’re a person whose ego identity is mostly based on the idea that you are a sophisticated intellectual, there’s a pretty good chance your self-esteem is in fact enhanced by the belief there are large numbers of people who are not suave and educated cosmopolitans such as yourself. The corona virus provided a wonderful opportunity to prove your bona fides as being someone apart from the ignorami. Hence, at the Barack Obama 60th birthday bash on Martha’s Vineyard you, perhaps a healthy young person and having availed yourself to the corona virus vaccine at the earliest opportunity, could almost see yourself on the guest list, described by the NY Times as “a sophisticated, vaccinated crowd.” The fact that the invitees- the elite of the elite- didn’t wear masks (as opposed to the wait staff and other flunkies) as they demand of the commoners, well the haute monde are simply better than you, so shut your damn mouth you ignorant conspiracy theorist!
A Country Filled With Science Deniers and Conspiracy Theorists
In July 2021 the leader of the free world (kind of), the grandest of them all who is directed by science and science alone, declared “You're not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.” As circumstances would have it, subsequently his thrice vaccinated press secretary, who we can assume is meticulously faithful to all protocols, found herself testing positive to the corona virus not once but on two separate occasions. Well so what, she’s better than you, so shut your mouth you ignorant anti-science moron, you denier of all truth! You are NOT allowed to question the efficacy of the vaccine, the mandates for people with essentially no risk of severe illness, nor even wonder about the role of naturally acquired immunity or the possibility there may be a risk/benefit ratio associated with the vaccines.
As we know without a doubt, because some of the highest placed people in the intelligence community, academia, the media, and politics told us, the storied Hunter Biden laptop was purely “Russian disinformation.” To believe otherwise clearly made you a conspiracy theorist, which is kind of an irony because you are in reality rejecting a conspiracy theory. Yet of course, we now know it was indeed the ne'er-do-well First Son’s computer, but so what, it might just as well have been “disinformation.” Similarly, if you doubted the veracity of a celebrity, and his oft repeated credentials as a “Gay, Black Man,” that he was viciously attacked by Trump supporting white supremacists in the middle of a bitterly cold winter night in one of the most liberal areas of one of the most leftist cities in the US, you are a racist, homophobe, and white supremacist. As we now know, it was all a fabrication, but so what, it might just as well happened, you ignorant bigot and, BTW, sophisticated intellectuals don’t question the utterances of Black, Gay! Celebrities, it simply isn’t done.
Can we believe that well before Trump expressed his presidential ambitions he hired prostitutes to urinate on a bed that had once been slept in by Barack Obama? Of course, and the reasons are obvious: first, the person who was hired by the Democrat party to compile the “dossier” in question was British, and everyone knows that the British accent is sooo very sophisticated, and furthermore, the very word “dossier” is the type of word used by smart people who attended university. Can we believe that the corona virus originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology? NO! To even consider that possibility makes one a demented conspiracy theorist, if for no other reason the communist Chinese government denies it. Plus the great Western minds and grant recipients that worked in association with the Wuhan Institute of Virology said it was impossible- the “wet market” theory was the only game in town, so shut the hell up you closed-minded science-denying racist (remember, the communist Chinese are “brown people,” hence to question their narrative automatically smacks of racism).
Not Much New
I’m sure from the beginning of human language, words have been used as weapons by the powerful to intimidate and control the masses in all aspects of life; not much new with this idea. What does seem to be different in the recent political and cultural climate in the US is the strategy of blatantly and mindlessly insulting people as a means of obtaining and maintaining power. At the moment it appears at least moderately successful, and if this continues I predict it will prove to be one of the final blows to the 250 year-old experiment of American freedom and democracy.