Chapter 2: A Decade Under the Influence

I’m not what you would call a conspiracy theorist. I do dabble from time to time, mostly to entertain myself, but never seriously enough that I would go beyond a simple web search. Lately though, at least in the past few years, I’ve noticed what I deem an inorganic pattern of rejection towards conventional norms. Maybe it’s my naivety, maybe it’s not, but attitudes on social media reflect an extremism that is counter to what I believe are everyday Americans. Surely, I tell myself, these people can’t be that consumed with idolatry. That we find ourselves more aligned with our better angels rather than turning away from our neighbors.

Look at him, riding down his gilded elevator in his gaudy Manhattan tower. He speaks with vitriol and indignation, echoing statements from those earning their living from divisiveness. He’s a product of the 80’s, a man without form or tact. He has no musical tastes, sense of humor, or understanding. With every speech, I think surely he can’t win the primary. With every dagger he’s inserted into his opponents, I think surely they won’t support him in the general. And yet there he stood, in front of the ruling elite and America, and was sworn in. Class had graced him earlier that morning, and immediately he would work to return the favor as only a man of his moral ineptitude could. What if Seth Meyers hadn’t told those jokes? What if Comey hadn’t released those pointless emails? What if America remembered what dignity and maturity looked like? Sadly, what continued was a degradation of every institution we had been accustomed to. For four years, we endured scandal after scandal, attack after attack. Marginalized groups were pushed even further, told to recess in a country that suddenly developed a jingoistic attitude toward those they deemed as “others”. Fine folks on “both sides” was the lie we were fed. They made up conspiracies based on baseless nonsense they drummed up in their corners of the internet. When we didn’t take them seriously, something shifted that gave legitimacy to lunacy.

Lately, it’s seemed that social media has altered their algorithms. At this point in our lives, we’ve already been accustomed to technology listening in, mining our conversations and searches to curate results that best fit what we’re looking for. The second time he took office though, there was a shift in the zeitgeist. It’s as if the worst conspiracies born in the pits of the internet gained notoriety. Suddenly, my once personalized Facebook feed is flooded with disgusting examples of misogyny, bigotry, and ignorance. Is there a confluence in foreign actors, greedy shareholders, and an aversion to acquiescence influencing the content we’re receiving? Is there an evil cabal meticulously planning how they’ll influence public opinion to maintain their power, profit, and position? Or are we shifting our temperament in response to insurmountable global challenges that are too broad to articulate? Only time will tell if Newton’s cradle will defy its own physics.