General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Social Security: Stealing the World's Largest Bank Account [View all]ljm2002
(10,751 posts)...that "We KNOW what they are up to."
Oh, WE do -- you and I and Manny many people who pay close attention to these things. But the public at large, Democrats at large? No, they do not necessarily understand what's really going on here. They believe there is a deficit problem and everything they hear reinforces that SS is a big factor in that deficit. They have also been conditioned to believe "Well, it probably won't be there for me when I retire" or "Well it's likely to be a lot less than it used to be".
That is the power of propaganda. It is also a testament to one thing the right wing has always done better than the left, and that is to create a compelling narrative, that fits together so seamlessly that it slips right into people's consciousness without them knowing it, until it seems to just be obviously true.
"You can't live beyond your means" and equating the federal budget to a family budget. Of course they never mention that you most certainly can borrow money and not be living beyond your means; if that were not the case, then the 30-year mortgage would not have been the norm for homeowners.
"Public schools are failing" and turning around and squeezing them some more, only to hand the money over to private charters that do even worse. And use minimally-trained TFA teachers who are using it as a career stepping stone, but the careers they target are not teaching: most of them teach for 2 years tops. And of course the testing, testing, testing, making the bar higher each year so they can continue to say the public schools are failing.
"Unions are corrupt institutions" / "Unions have outlived their usefulness", convincing a whole generation that unions are at best superfluous and at worst are a major factor in the job drain to other countries, because they demand a living wage for their members, and that is so UNFAIR to the people who aren't in union jobs. And they're SQUEEZING the poor, poor corporate employers...
"It's all the immigrants' fault, they're taking all the jobs" / "Immigrants are shiftless and lazy and draining our resources", oh yes this is a favorite and it is hammered all the time, to the point where people lose any semblance of reason on the topic. It also serves to keep the "illegals" down so they can be exploited, and is another wedge to keep us apart.
"If only this country was more religious / moral, things would be better". This is an all-purpose canard that keeps people feeling like it is individual moral failings that keep people from achieving more and being able to keep their heads above water.
"There were WMDs in Iraq / Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks on 9/11". I'm sure I don't have to say anything more about that lie.
Well I could go on and on but you get the idea. The narratives that are stuck in people's heads are wrong and misguided, but they are well and truly embedded in their psyches. The big question for us is how to change the narrative to one that is truthful. Our history, the history of labor (for example) has been STOLEN from us and the preferred corporate version has been slipped in in its place. How do we ferret it out and embed the TRUTH?