Propaganda is More Dangerous than Silence

 

Telling people that if they do not hate an entire group of people that they hate you….is propaganda.

Insisting that people take your word for the reality of centuries worth of complex history without thinking for themselves…is propaganda.

Implying or stating that people have to be broken or burdened in ways identical to your own in order to quality as a decent human….is propaganda.

Creating a false dichotomy out of any two emotions, thoughts, or perspectives…is propaganda.

Insisting that people post about or speak about the issue that you’re passionate about in the way that you deem acceptable…is propaganda.

Telling people that they can’t simultaneously feel compassion for two groups of people and that they can’t feel more than one emotion at once…is propaganda.

Reducing an incredibly layered and complicated conversation down to sound bites and expecting immediate endorsement…is propaganda.

Dehumanizing, creating straw men, making reductionist statements, practicing extremism, and committing the ad hominem fallacy….are all and always propaganda.

No matter how passionate you feel about something, propaganda is always the lowest hanging fruit and it is always a sinister and dangerous way to communicate your perspective.

Propaganda is lazy and zeal is no excuse to resort to it.

Dialogue and thoughtful conversation is always possible, no matter the circumstances, and if you’re choosing not to have it then the blame lies solely with you and not with the enemy that you have decided everyone has to abhor.

Propaganda isn’t activism and it can never be part of any solution.

You can use your platform to share what you’re passionate about; but using it to spread propaganda in the name of the cause you care about is ineffective, unkind, lazy, and dangerous.

If you’re going to share, I exhort you to do so logically, thoughtfully, intelligently, mindfully, and compassionately.

Logical and thoughtful posts will never feel as good or be as gratifying in the moment, but the goal should not be your own gratification to begin with.

If you can’t do it well, then silence is better.