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"Believe" is a slippery word in the U.S. because of the flavor of Evangelical Christianity that dominates so much of the culture that even those outside that faith unconsciously adopt some of its language and assumptions. 1/15
"Believe" is a slippery word in the U.S. because of the flavor of Evangelical Christianity that dominates so much of the culture that even those outside that faith unconsciously adopt some of its language and assumptions. 1/15
One standard definition of the verb "believe" is "to accept something as factual," as in "Having performed this experiment dozens of times under various conditions, I now believe X." This is an epistemological definition. The belief is a logical conclusion based on evidence.
2/15
2/15
But think of "Believe in Jesus, and you'll be saved!" (an exhortation delivered with social pressure and the threat of eternal damnation), or even "You must believe in yourself if you want to succeed!" This "believe" means "have faith." It's a choice with social rewards.
3/15
3/15
Sensible people ask, "How can QAnon people possibly believe that prominent public figures secretly eat babies?" Marjorie Taylor Greene said today that she was "allowed to believe things that weren't true." These "beliefs" are conscious choices.
4/15
4/15
They are choosing to have faith, to accept the social rewards of dressing up in a costume of silly stories that make them feel part of a special club, one that reinforces their worst character traits and vilest prejudices. 5/15
The way the scales magically fall from their eyes when there are consequences for their words and actions show you that these "beliefs" are less than an inch deep. This is not a Joan of Arc faith in an eternal truth. This is an ugly, racist game.
6/15
6/15
But because religious tolerance is one of America's favorite stories to tell about itself, we treat "belief" as untouchable, ingrained, inevitable, sacred. How dare you question someone's "beliefs"? Theirs are just as good as yours!
7/15
7/15
It's American etiquette to treat "I believe" as a pass, a get-out-of-jail-free card, and it's destroying us.
8/15
8/15
I am a notoriously, embarrassingly literal-minded person at times. I often make the mistake of taking people at their word. But "I believe" has to be on everyone's watchlist of words we don't take literally when people are spouting dangerous nonsense.
9/15
9/15
MTG and her ilk know perfectly well that American culture accords a built-in, knee-jerk respect to any concept dressed up in the language of faith. And as @AdrienneLaF wrote in The Atlantic, QAnon may well be the beginning of a new American religion. They know. 10/15
Listen carefully for which kind of "belief" people are talking about: "I believed Donald Trump wanted me to storm the Capitol." Okay, maybe. That's certainly one valid interpretation of his words. 11/15
"I believe Trump is the President, but he's wearing Joe Biden's surgically transplanted face." No. Nobody who isn't experiencing psychosis in this moment could believe that. You're identifying with a group whose badge is a publicly professed faith in bullshit. No credit. 12/15
I teach news & information literacy, but this has almost nothing to do with info lit because it's not about the acceptance or rejection of certain facts. It's a rejection of the idea of factuality itself as the basis for civic life.
13/15
13/15
I don't know how to fix it, but I know that debating it or engaging with it, granting it any of the respect we traditionally accord "belief" only gives it oxygen.
We have to suffocate it in silence and set guards around it to stop the real-world violence that leaks out.
14/15
We have to suffocate it in silence and set guards around it to stop the real-world violence that leaks out.
14/15
Drown it in its own effluence. Deplatform it. Study it at a distance. Never ignore its real-world manifestations. Starve the beast.
FIN
15/15
FIN
15/15
