There's More Than One Contagion: The Infectious Spread of the Lying Virus

Imagine a tourist standing at a corner in Moscow 30 years ago studying an official city map It shows the avenue he39s following but not the cross street or even the park he39s just passed A visitor understandably would have been confused A citizen of the former Soviet Union Not at all For 50 years the KGB made sure cartographers falsified most all public maps misplacing streets rerouting rivers and losing landmarks to fool the communist empire39s enemies Fessing up in 1988 to Izvestiya the daily newspaper Viktor Yashchenko head of the Soviet Cartography Administration said quotWe received numerous complaintsquot Doubtless no understatement thereFor most of the 20th century Russians gave their leaders little to no credibility and for good reason Their lies affected every aspect of daily life Humor made that clear Take the Soviet economy39s notorious shortages quotI hear on the radio we39re producing enormous quantities of meat milk and butterquot a Russian said quotbut my refrigerator is always empty What should I doquot His friend nodded quotPlug your refrigerator directly into the radioquotWith President Trump39s lies about the coronavirus COVID19 spreading as fast as its infections Americans these days just might get the pointFor Americans in 2020 COVID19 isn39t the only domestic contagion The consequences of a president who produces lies on an industrial scale is also coming home to roost To their credit many in the news media have tried hard to explain what39s different about the only president in history whose prevarications have compelled journalists to create an electronic tote board to keep track But for all their efforts the news media have failed to report fully on the damage done by Trump39s mendacity That cost is becoming clear as the effects of Trump39s lies exacerbate a global pandemic that is now becoming local coast to coastLet39s stipulate that assessing the impact of political lies is tricky For one thing most Americans discount what they hear in politics where spinning stories and eyerolling exaggerations are par for the course Epistemologists the scholars who study what makes things true or valid also could question the nature of political facts For instance Trump can create a parallel reality amp8212 say his mythical Deep State amp8212 that however goofy justifies what he says and does for his true believers And many psychiatrists assert Trump is certifiably offcenter with the symptoms of a pathological liar who whatever his intentions compulsively spews falsehoods rather than factsNonetheless the sheer volume of Trump39s lies has created a motherload of mendacity ripe for research Take the coronavirus Considering the history of disease outbreaks misleading statements are nothing new Lies mythmaking and scapegoating have gone handinhand with health calamities for centuries From the 1350s when the Black Death amp8212 the bubonic plague that killed a third of Europe39s population amp8212 led to the murder of beggars clerics and Jews to the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918 when that era39s Americafirsters targeted new immigrants as its source prejudice and politics have led socalled leaders to lay blame when disease has struckTrump39s emissions have followed a similar pattern albeit with 21stcentury consequences His disinformation and its impact on his own administration is a case in point When a president says everything is under control and virus test kits are plentiful and COVID19 is no worse than the flu it39s not just crazy Eddy mumbling at the end of the local bar The news of course has contradicted Trump39s pronouncements with the facts But his misinformation has set back public health professionals struggling to communicate about the disease damaging not only the government39s effort to fight the virus but also the public39s attempt to understand its risksAs if sowing disinformation from the Oval Office isn39t enough Trump also is greenlighting an effort to politically weaponize his lies about COVID19 as a theme in his presidential campaign as well as abroad To be sure from falsely blaming the Obama administration for stalled test kit development to calling the coronavirus a quotDemocratic hoaxquot Trump clearly is doing his personal part But the prevarication is also spreading to his appointed officials who are supposed to be focused on the crisis The cost is obvious Instead of doing their jobs they39re showing up as his political flacks including beyond the water39s edgeAppearing March 6 on Fox and Friends amp8212 Trump39s favorite morning show whose hosts are best known for their nonstop bootlicking amp8212 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the cause of the current pandemic as the Wuhan virus not COVID19 Despite his responsibilities as diplomatinchief to foster international cooperation in fighting the disease Pompeo defended his loaded choice of the name suggesting the virus was an affliction spawned by globalization and the machinations of the Chinese regime The Trump stump speech applause line might play in Peoria expect less clapping when US officials seeking vital Chinese health data come calling in BeijingThat Trump is impeding a global response to the pandemic isn39t in question Whatever the value of halting visitors from Europe his Oval Office speech earlier this week banning travel from 26 countries and criticizing their officials for inaction stunned European Union leaders who condemned both the steps and lack of even a courtesy call beforehand much less consultation Just like his rallies Trump39s xenophobia was hard to miss In case anyone did Fox News commentators as usual took their ripandread scripts straight from White House printers parroting Trump39s criticism as they praised his perfect pandemicfighting primetime addressEven if Trump changes his tune the confusion he already has sowed at home won39t be undone Thanks to his groundless assertions and reassurances Trump39s supporters are blaming the media for exaggerating the pandemic39s threat rather than listening to the experts and examining the facts Multiple polls this month reveal sharp partisan differences with nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans expressing concern over the virus Logic suggests their personal actions will similarly vary leading the skeptics to take fewer precautions to prevent infection and in the process threatening not only their health but also others who are trying to stay safeTrump39s failure to confront the public health challenge of the coronavirus honestly and openly will also exact a broader price A president39s credibility is a crucial part of his leadership role in protecting as well as advancing US interests and Trump has done neither himself nor the country any favors In a major survey of 37000 people in 33 countries completed last October by the Pew Research Center twothirds of those polled said they had no confidence in Trump to do the right thing In fact Trump was viewed most negatively among five major world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Xi JinpingThat was before COVID19 took over the world39s front page Unfortunately for the United States given Trump39s abysmal performance as well as prevarication from the beginning of the global health crisis it39s a safe bet he will have no trouble keeping his lock on last place in 2020 as wellDon39t stop now Stay in the know with Kent Harrington39s expert commentary on today39s political landscape and on needed accountabilityClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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There's More Than One Contagion: The Infectious Spread of the Lying Virus

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Kent M. Harrington

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