I had the pleasure of making a 14-hour drive this week as my family took our annual trip to the beautiful beaches of Destin. The emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico never disappoint. While we were there, I caught up with someone I’ve known for quite some time. That’s one of the benefits of returning to the same place every year thanks to a timeshare.
But during this trip, something strange happened.
This woman, Ashley, kept referring to the “Gulf of America.” She clearly wanted to see who would react. She was looking for attention, validation, or maybe just hoping to stir something up.
On the drive home, which gave us plenty of time to reflect, my wife and I got to talking about it. I kept coming back to the same question.
With people like Ashley, are they ignorant or are they evil?
Ashley is married, has a career, and is a mother of two. Her family attends church regularly and goes on vacations. On the surface, she seems like a good person. And yet, she supports a political movement and a man who cause real, lasting harm.
Indifference Is No Longer the Problem
I’ve written before about the danger of good people being indifferent. That used to be our biggest problem. But that time has passed.
This past weekend, between four and six million Americans participated in protests against Donald Trump and the increasingly authoritarian way he is governing. That number is extraordinary.
A normal, rational person would look at that level of protest and say, “Wow, that many people are upset. Something must be seriously wrong.”
Instead, conservatives rushed to social media and repeated a familiar set of lies.
One of the most common claims was, “They’re all paid actors.” Others insisted, “They’re violent radicals,” or said, “These protests are un-American.”
Let’s be clear. Protest is one of the most American acts a citizen can take. These people are not tearing down the country. They are fighting to preserve what’s left of the Constitution.
Some conservatives even claimed the protesters were trying to start a civil war. At the same time, the President has called in active-duty Marines to assist with ICE and domestic law enforcement, coming dangerously close to violating the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.
Fox News and the Factory of Lies
This level of ignorance is not an accident. It is being manufactured.
Fox News admitted in court that it is not a news outlet. It is a commentary and entertainment channel. They said this after being sued for repeatedly lying on air about election fraud. Those lies cost them nearly a billion dollars in damages.
And still, millions of Americans continue to watch.
They are fed a daily stream of hate. Democrats are not portrayed as fellow citizens who simply have different ideas. Instead, they are depicted as dangerous enemies.
Some of Fox’s greatest hits include:
* The false claim that Democrats want open borders to win elections
* The myth that Critical Race Theory is being taught in grade schools
* The lie that teachers are “grooming” children
* The smear that Democrats are pedophiles
* The fantasy that the 2020 election was stolen
Fox has convinced many Americans that teaching honest history is somehow a threat. They label anything involving empathy, inclusion, or race as “CRT” and then convince their viewers it’s dangerous.
They have accused Democrats of being socialists who want to destroy capitalism. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has protected corporate real estate, kept corporate tax rates low, and encouraged workers to return to the office. For historical context, Ronald Reagan’s corporate tax rates were higher than Biden’s.
Democrats have failed to raise the minimum wage. They have failed to secure paid parental leave. They have failed to hold abusive corporations accountable. If anything, they have been too friendly to capitalism, not hostile toward it.
Evil Leadership and Engineered Ignorance
I have no doubt that Republican officials know exactly what they are doing.
They have deliberately underfunded public schools, especially in low-income neighborhoods. They are banning books that challenge their worldview. They have turned school boards into political battlegrounds, focusing more on headlines than student success.
They are raising a generation of kids where teachers must live in fear of saying the wrong thing. One complaint could end a career.
Why push for a less educated public? Because uninformed people are easier to control.
Critical thinkers ask questions and resist manipulation. But if you gut the education system, flood the media with propaganda, and stoke fear, then you get a voting base that follows orders without thinking.
Just look at the Capitol rioters. Were they thoughtful citizens making calculated decisions? Or were they a mob driven by lies and fueled by rage?
Weaponizing Christianity
Republicans have also found a way to weaponize Christianity.
They claim their actions are taken in the name of honoring Christ. Yet their policies often contradict the values Christ taught.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says Democrats are godless and that we must make America Christian again.
Many of Trump’s supporters believe he was chosen by God. This belief is not only irrational, it is dangerous. When someone is seen as divinely chosen, then anything they do becomes justified. That is not how democracy works. That is how theocracy works.
Christianity is being used as a political weapon. It serves to:
* Attack the LGBTQ+ community
* Justify cruelty toward immigrants and the poor
* Silence opposition
* Hide personal scandals and hypocrisy
Ken Paxton talks about family values while cheating on his wife. Trump has cheated on every wife he has had. Newt Gingrich admitted to having an affair while leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Mark Sanford abandoned his duties as governor to visit his mistress in Argentina. Rudy Giuliani’s scandals barely fit in a single news cycle.
It always comes back to the same thing: one set of rules for them, and a different set for everyone else.
So… Are They Ignorant or Evil?
Some people are just evil.Hitler. Stalin. Mussolini. Pol Pot. Trump. These are people who seek power and do not care who they harm along the way.
But others are simply ignorant. They believe what they are told because they have never been taught to question it.Their church reinforces it.Their news tells them to fear.Their politicians give them someone to blame.
A Father’s Fear and a Father’s Answer
As a dad, this is where I feel the weight of it all.
How do I prepare my daughters for a world where the truth is optional? How do I teach them that empathy and honesty matter, when society increasingly views those values as signs of weakness?
What do I say when they ask why the world rewards cruelty?
Do I tell them that goodness is naïve?That bullies always win?That power matters more than principle?
No. I will never tell them that.
Here is what I will say:Ignorance can be corrected.Evil can be resisted.And silence is never the right choice.
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