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Some of the underlying dynamics that McGurk refs in this thread re: Trump have a name in comparative politics, specifically the study of authoritarian politics: acting “as if.” @UChicagoPoliSci's Lisa Wedeen coined the term in her 1999 book “Ambiguities of Domination.” 1/n https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/1253534407094239232
Book (from @UChicagoPress) is a/b how Hafiz al-Assad’s regime in Syria didn’t build and maintain power based on people’s sincere ideological belief & loyalty, but rather on people behaving “as if” various authoritarian mythologies were true. 2/n https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo22776830.html
Fun fact, one of these myths was that Hafiz al-Assad was the top pharmacist in the country (sound familiar, re: Trump's line “Maybe I have a natural ability”?). Did anyone “believe” this? No. But by acting “as if” they did (e.g., by putting up al-Assad’s photo in shops)… 3/n
…the authoritarian figure was able to monopolize symbolic and discursive space. Among other things, this strategy mentally exhausted the population. This is a form of domination/control in of itself. And Trump is spectacularly effective at it. 4/n
It's worth noting that medically-themed pronouncements have a special place in authoritarian systems. For example, in 2014 the Egyptian military claimed it had developed a machine that could cure HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. That was of course BS. 5/n https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bassem-youssef-aids-hepatitis_n_4889382
But the point was that making the claim forced people to talk about it and laud the military’s scientific prowess; the military of course then targeted any media who mocked the machine (and the Egyptian military, by extension). 6/n
These are not just “stupid words” or “things Trump says to rile the libs up.” It doesn't matter that he is objectively wrong. These mythologies prompt obedience w/o belief (see Birx in video…by not saying anything as a medical professional she is obeying without believing). 7/n
It’s a survival strategy. And it’s a feature of many authoritarian systems. 8/n
Trump suggesting UV light and injecting disinfectants as potential cures that should be “looked into” distracts from the emergency & focuses attn on Trump. It is a/b control and domination. It reminds experts where they factor. As McGurk notes, only Trump makes policy. 9/n
Rather than ignoring Trump & instead centering expert discussions re: vaccines and treatment, now media will be “debunking” Lysol as an injectable all day (which science has already done, most of us know that, and the rest are likely beyond help). 10/n https://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/03/when-women-used-lysol-birth-control/?fbclid=IwAR04D1HbpX73uDx335J-Lar85LtaLiSv2zZ62Wwp9z03SMaRtH4vX0UKZKc
This is exactly why media should refuse to cover the White House #coronavirus briefings. They’re not about information, they’re about spreading authoritarian mythologies that crowd out facts and scientific evidence during a time of pandemic. Also why Birx should resign. 11/11
