How many of us here predicted this - the rapid march of normalization

[NRaleighLiberal]

We knew, from the Dubya years, how poorly the MSM media held the line on truth - how often they fell into the "both sides do it" false equivalency line. We knew who owned the media, the race for ratings and eyeballs.

We also know human nature - how repeated lies can quickly become truth for so many. We know how propaganda works. We know the role of right wing religion and preaching from the pulpit. We know how politicians play on people's fears and drive countries toward nationalism and protectionism. We knew the reach and power of right wing hate radio and TV.

And here we are - immediately on election night we knew something was wrong, something was off. The polls were wildly off - yet the media went with all of the memes we see now - the forgotten flyover country, the disenfranchised finally rising up. Forget the Hillary popular vote landslide and the tweaks to key states that put trump into office.

And flash forward 18 months of utter disbelief, insults, narcissism - yet continued disability for much of the media to deal with it, to handle it. We read it here daily (those of us who don't watch TV - this is one of the few places to get a distillation of all that is going on).

We have trump meeting a brutal dictator and elevating him to world star status, to equal footing - and the MSM, from looking at websites, is tripping over itself in the continuing normalization game. The supreme court is hijacked hard right but we never hear about the republican lockstep blockage of Obama's candidate.

We didn't think we could possibly be here, but here we are. A small outraged, depressed core of plugged in, knowledgeable concerned - terrified? Irate? people in a sea of increasingly brainwashed people. Trying to get info on an internet whose playing field is now no longer level.

Who exactly is driving the bus right now? surely not trump. how much longer will we even be able to post a message like the one I just did with it being immediately censored?

Shit has gotten real, and gotten scary.

[ananda]

1. Yes, the mainstream media is a major factor in our demise.

45 is a master at manipulation and distraction.

That's all North Korea is ... and the media is just playing along.

[Iliyah]

2. Most Americans know this is not normal.

The media is owned and controlled by RWers. The left is fighting for democracy. Democracy will prevail.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. I don't have your confidence that most think it is not normal - over time, many are

being brainwashed into thinking it is normal, in my view - and that is the scary part. As we've seen throughout history, populations can be moved toward horrific views using brainwashing and propaganda...

[Ohiogal]

3. It's like black is white and up is down.

And the 45 dupes lap it up gleefully.