Of course, if I suggested that, I was blasted for "both-sidesing."

Then I discovered an area of scholarship: Communications and the overlap between communications and political science.

I read these books and all the light bulbs went on.

I wrote a series last November called the Misinformation-Outrage-Cycle.

I thought I was finished, but like a book that I finish several times, I wasn't finished.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

This time, I think I am finished.

2/

When I get it all connected, the blog post I just wrote will be Part 6.

The post I did earlier this week on the 14th Amendment Section 3 debacle will be Part 7.

I wrote a conclusion: What to Expect from the Rage Machine Going Forward.

I may do a short introduction including the information in this thread.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

If you read this blog post, and the two that follow (I have links at the bottom going to the next post) you will understand why I have been getting testy.

3/

There is nothing wrong with outrage based on facts.

Outrage about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade will probably keep Biden in the White House.

But manufactured outrage to fuel a for-profit industry is not good for anyone.

It is not good for democracy.

It is not good for the victims.

It is not good for the people trying to put out forest fires of misinformation with a squirt gun of facts.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

4/

The solution to a Firehose of Falsehood is not to try to debunk each bit of misinformation.

The fact checkers can never keep up.

The solution is to put raincoats on the populaton.

The same applies to the kind of misinformation that runs rampant in what I've been calling the CNN-MSNBC-left-leaning social media ecosystem.

It is super easy for pundits with cable platofrms or big social media accounts to toss out a rage-inducing simplification.

5/