I received a link from a friend of many years who is a conservative, former Pentecostal, current Republican in a blood-red state. Her message accompanying the link was, “Listen to this before they remove it.” I clicked on the link and there was a YouTube video about Judy Mikovits, a doctor who made claims many years ago about viruses originating from labs and being delivered through vaccines. Though her work was later retracted and discredited (by the journals Science and Nature) because her findings could not be replicated, and she was subsequently arrested for stealing equipment from the lab that had terminated her, she has been embraced by the right as a victim of the “Deep State” who is desperately trying to warn the world that the novel coronavirus originated from a lab in Wuhan.
A quick Snopes search revealed the details, and I replied to her message by sending a link to Snopes’ article, along with the following message: “She was discredited several years ago, and now Trump supporters are using her unfounded theories to bolster their claim that the coronavirus was the product of a lab in Wuhan, China. Don’t fall for it.”
Her reply came almost immediately and it hit me like a bullet in the gut: “I am not sure what truth is any more.”
My fingers started flying in response, but then I stopped. If logic, research, and facts are insufficient to convince her of the truth, what is? Trump’s ultimate con on his own supporters, breaking down their very ability to discern facts and from them determine the truth, is complete.
How can I possibly respond? I could pull rank on her (as an English teacher/college professor, I have trained students for years in rhetoric, persuasion, and attacking logical fallacies, and my friend has only a high school education), but Trumpites do not respect intellectual rigor, and I do not wish to come across as a lecturing snob. I could send her videos of respected authorities debunking this researcher’s work, but see above—I do not wish to stand on what I perceive as my high horse when my friend has every right to believe she is standing on hers. I could ignore it and consider her a lost cause, but I do love her and only want her to have the power of her own mind, which she seems to have lost.
Finally, I started typing again: “Do you have time to talk later? It’s been too long.”
I haven’t heard back from yer yet, but when I do, I want to be ready. Please, DKos community, help me: What can I say to her, how do I get through to her? I know better than to imagine that I will convert her away from her political beliefs or even her support of Trump. I just want to help her reclaim her own ability to perceive truth. With my students, I know I can only offer them tools--even if they go through the motions of opening their minds in their academic work, they will ultimately think whatever they please. But my friend is clearly in despair, and I ache for her.
“I am not sure what truth is any more.”
Your suggestions in the comments are deeply welcome.