The new conservative meme “Let’s Go, Brandon!” is notable for not only being an ostensibly inoffensive expression of contempt for an unpopular president, but also as the watershed moment when the media abandoned even the pretense of truth and objectivity in their reporting, and voluntarily outed themselves as political cheerleaders.
To those of you who don’t know, the phrase “Let’s Go, Brandon” originated on the TV broadcast of a stock car race when raucous fans began loudly chanting “F—- Joe Biden.” An NBC television reporter covering the race found herself unable to ignore this background chant and went on the air reporting: “As you can hear the chants from the crowd, ‘Let’s Go Brandon,'” referencing the winning driver of the race, who she was interviewing. A meme was born in a lie.
Conservatives have embraced the meme, while liberals huff indignantly about an affront to the dignity of the presidency. T-shirts and hats with the phrase have appeared, and a Southwest Airlines pilot is in the hot seat for including the innocuous-sounding phrase during his inflight announcements.
This instinctive lie violated the first rule of effective deception: “Don’t be too obvious.” Shamelessly offering a lie that was instantly disprovable by the readily observable facts on hand became emblematic of the media’s arrogance and casual disregard for the truth. In adopting the “Let’s Go, Brandon!” meme, people are in effect replying to the media by saying: We realize that you’re not even pretending to be truthful anymore. Most of us would place more confidence in a National Enquirer piece describing the scaly monopod extraterrestrial lovechild spawned by Elvis and Anwar Sadat in a vast Martian palace, than we would have in any sort of media reporting.
While media deception is certainly nothing new, what is new is the media’s increasing lack of shame and embarrassment when caught in a lie. Previously, they would at least acknowledge “errors” and apologize, or print retractions or clarifications. On rare occasion, a reporter would even get defenestrated in a show of contrition.
As recently as 2004, the media felt obligated to display remorse when caught in a lie. Former media star Dan Rather was given the boot by CBS when he was caught offering forged documents to try and embarrass George W. Bush during the 2004 campaign.
The media campaign of deceit ramped up in the last few years, and it has cost them some money as well as credibility. CNN paid a big price by legal settlement for their hoax depicting MAGA schoolboy Nick Sandemann as purportedly taunting an elderly Native American at a demonstration, a lie that was revealed by merely looking at their entire video. Rolling Stone paid an even greater amount in 2017 for its 2014 fabricated tale of a supposed gang rape by fraternity members at the University of Virginia.
More recently, we have seen the industry repeatedly dissemble on COVID-19 and the pandemic to serve their agendas.
It is amusing that there are many people who mock the wacky QAnon followers and the crazy microchip theories of the anti-vaxxers yet who readily believe the partisan fantasies on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc. I’d hate to be the one who has to tell them that those tempting email offers from the Nigerian Minister of Finance are bogus.
The media industry has long bemoaned the decreasing trust and respect that they receive from the public. Much like the frequent campaigns of attorney organizations trying to raise the public image of lawyers, the media relentlessly lectures us on their “valuable contributions” as the courageous guardians of democracy and good government, etc. Listening to either campaign, most of us find it hard to not giggle at the audacity of their laughably transparent deflection.
Here is some advice: If you must lie to us, you should at least be polite enough to make your lies reasonably plausible. We find it insulting when your lies are so glaringly obvious that we can’t avoid recognizing them. It reveals that you think so little of us that you are not willing to go to the trouble of crafting convincing deception. That is just disrespectful.
It shouldn’t take that much effort on your part. People are generally willing to accept most anything that confirms what they already want to believe, but it needs to be at least superficially plausible. We expect so little from you as it is. Just some entertaining pictures and background noise to accompany our dinner, and if you could please refrain from such outlandish lies that we end up squirting our milk or pinot grigio out of our nose, we would appreciate it.
But, since you insist upon repeatedly insulting us with your flimsy, transparent lies, you’ll have to expect a little pushback from us:
“Let’s go, media!” Δ
John Donegan is a retired attorney in Pismo Beach who just makes this stuff up as he goes and is dazzled by the chutzpah of the true masters of the art in the national media. Send a response for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 18-21, 2021.
The example you cite demonstrates the banality of the far right, but is far from the worst result of corporate media’s ratings chase. The one-two punch of Barr’s coverup being referred to as ‘exoneration’ of Trump’s Russian collusion, and the Big Lie could lead to the end of democracy.
John, nobody is “huffing indignantly” about this because it’s an “affront to dignity.” It’s simply a very bad and very lame joke about a pretty plausible misunderstanding. Yet, you chose to spend a week crafting an in depth analysis and bumbling grand theory of this very lame and very bad joke. You can always just write an email to your friends, John.
Mr. Donegan, I beseech you, get outside more often and enjoy the sheer beauty of the Central Coast. Take a hike up Bishop Peak or out to Johnson Ranch. Go into town and meet your neighbors, have a cup of coffee at a local bistro and strike up a conversation with a fellow customer.
Once you begin doing that you’ll realize that both conservatives and liberals will occasionally “huff” or sometimes even “embrace.” In other words, climb down from your lofty fortress and talk to people. They’re not that scary. I promise.
Forget the media, put your phone down for an hour or two. The media has only one goal in mind and you should know that. Don’t let them push your buttons. Instead, think about what amazing thing you might discover tomorrow in the natural world.
But thanks for clueing me into the “Let’s Go Brandon” thing. I had no idea. I have more important things to consider.
@michael Smith: Actually, I prefer the Pismo Reserve, Irish Hills, Madonna Mountain, and Montana de Oro. I am too cheap to spend $5 on a cup of coffee, but I do enjoy the local brewpubs. And unlike you phone-crazed millennials, I rarely use my cell, preferring to use my old-school desk top to bait the herd of dogmatic liberals into an angry lather.
Mr. Donegan’s entire narrative is based on his assumption that Kelli Stavast was actually “telling a lie” in describing what she thought she heard that day. Thing is, there is zero evidence that she was knowingly lying. Ever heard of a “straw man” argument, Mr. Donegan? Because this is a classic case.
BTW, if anyone has the slightest doubt where Mr. Donegans’s sympathies lie, look no further: “It is amusing that there are many people who mock the wacky QAnon followers and the crazy microchip theories of the anti-vaxxers yet who readily believe the partisan fantasies on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, etc..” See, folks? “Partisan fantasies’ are those found at CNN, MSNBC, and CBS. (Mic drop)
OK. Good thing to know where the latest conspiracy theories are propagated!
I did enjoy this part: “Here is some advice: If you must lie to us, you should at least be polite enough to make your lies reasonably plausible. We find it insulting when your lies are so glaringly obvious that we can’t avoid recognizing them. It reveals that you think so little of us that you are not willing to go to the trouble of crafting convincing deception. That is just disrespectful.” That is, by far, the best summary of Donald Trump’s mendacity that I have ever read.
@johndonegan. See, that’s what I mean, some healthy banter, but I’m laughing because I’m really not sure what a millennial is. I was born six months before the the Chicago Tribune blasted the headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.” I think that makes me a baby boomer.
I too like Montana de Oro, used to climb Valencia at least once a week, but when I retired I got a dog and dogs are persona non grata out there. Madonna, Irish and especially the Pismo Preserve are boring hikesno trees to speak of, although as a conservative I can see why you like them. Zero nuance to those treks.
You should come north some day and try the Three Bridges Trail in Atascadero. Plenty of oaks and switchbacks up to a little knoll where you can look back over Atascadero and points further east. Epic scenery.