Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Soros, the Federal Reserve, and You

I can thank Donald Trump for one thing and one thing only: he got me to read things I never would have read before. As my anxiety about his rhetoric kept increasing, Jason Stanley's book On How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them convinced me my fear of a fascist government takeover was not so far-fetched under the right conditions, so I had better pay even more close attention to politics and remain actively involved in what has come to be collectively called “the Resistance.” I was struck by a feeling after reading Stanley's book that I better learn everything I can about the topic of how hateful conspiracies are spread, since they are one of the main tools used to frighten people, brainwash them, and lead them into passive surrender.

This is what I have learned. Conspiracy theories function to denigrate and delegitimize their victims by connecting them to all the bad things that are happening in a society. Conspiracy theories do not function like ordinary information; they are often so outlandish that they can hardly be expected to be literally believed. Their function is to raise general suspicion about the credibility and the decency of the object of the rumor, to make these people untrustworthy and dangerous to be around. Conspiracy theories are also a critical mechanism used to delegitimize the mainstream media.

Under this administration, conspiracy theories no longer reside just on the fringe. For example, last summer, one could hear right-wing nationalists, including the president and leaders of Congress like Senator Chuck Grassley, saying George Soros was paying the migrant caravan to come to the US border, that George Soros was paying the #MeToo movement protesters to splay out in the halls of Congress, and that George Soros was attempting to subvert democratic institutions in Hungar