The Oxygen of Publicity

There is an appetite for news.We want to know what is happening, why & where. Who is doing what to who. We need to be informed. But we need truthful & accurate information. What we don't need is conspiracy theory, misdirection, greenwashing, whitewashing & gaslighting. We need to be able to trust our sources of information. 

I don't advocate censorship in any way. Freedom of speech is important in a democracy. However unpalatable I find someone's views, I do believe they have a right to speak. I just don't want to listen to them without being able to counter the rubbish they spout. I want to be able to provide accurate information rather than knee jerk, emotional, reaction. So I use trusted sources.

More & more I am irritated by people telling me I can't say something. I'm happy to argue my point with anyone. I'm happy to disagree, hopefully amicably. But I will not be told what I can & can't say. Sometimes that is difficult with friends, acquaintances & family. It's a fine line to tread to put your point forward without causing offence or creating a situation with those close to you.

The one area I do now think that we need to be more careful about is publicity. I hadn't thought about it before, but there are people whose views & behaviour are so toxic that I think they shouldn't be named publicly. The reason is that naming them makes them a focus for the elements of society who think & behave like they do. I am beginning to think that this then creates cults & groups of like minded people, who then become more & more influential & powerful. 

The obvious example is Trump & the MAGA movement. There has been reliable research into who MAGA people are, which indicates that at least 60% are white, and a majority are male. Roughly half are retired or over 65. A significant portion lacks a college degree—particularly working-class conservatives. There are concentrations in the deep south, suburban & rural areas & major cities. Hardliners are deeply religious nationalists & populists who view politics as an existential battle between good & evil. There are also relatively well off, politically active, anti woke, conservatives who are against change.

 

For all of these people, Trump manipulates the publicity machine, particularly social media. Everything is a photo opportunity for Trump. Similarly for Putin & Netenyahu, who also manipulate the media & news. Despots use the oxygen of publicity to stay in power & subjugate their people through indoctrination. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_use_by_Donald_Trump  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_Social 

Narcissism flourishes on the oxygen of publicity. So I wonder if we shouldn't seriously consider not actually naming people who are known to lack a moral compass or who don't adhere to norms of behaviour or law. We can identify them by their role rather than their name. Let's consider not putting  photographs of them on news. 

This applies to criminals too. Lets focus on the victims of crime, not the criminals. Naming & shaming doesn't seem to have worked. Some very objectionable people thrive on it. So lets try another way. Cut off the oxygen of publicity & see what happens. Media attention just seems to sustain controversial figures & extremist groups.