America's Authoritarians
How conspiracy theories have polarised political debate in America
Many Republicans in the United States absolutely believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, that LGBT is synonymous with child abuse, and that America is run by a secret deep-state cabal. Why are so many in the USA so fixated with conspiracy theories?
The spread of wild conspiracy theories and misinformation has undermined democratic institutions and social stability in the US. ‘Ballots showing up on the streets is an indicator that there’s something going on, in dumpsters and things’, says one Trump supporter at an event. When asked how she came by this information, the woman is stumped: ‘I mean, there was a lot of just random posts on Facebook and YouTube’. ‘In almost every case you can look at, authoritarian governments flourish on irrationality, they flourish on disinformation’, says Benjamin Hett, author and historian.
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