The early Medieval period in Europe is often referred to as the Dark Ages, the knowledge of the ancient classical world forgotten, learning pretty much confined to isolated monastic groups.
In some respects, our current era seems like another type of Dark Age.
Conspiracism becoming almost a default thinking mode among Right leaning Americans. Conspiracism as the triumph of irrational forces beating back human rationality. When the answers are not clear, start to think in terms of evil people(esp, liberals and anyone left of center) and secret agendas. Whatever you do, don’t recognize your own descent into nut job theorizing. When facts are at a minimum, your imagination is a worthwhile substitute. Hint: NO, it isn’t!!
But active imaginations in service to lies and irrational beliefs is in ascendency among Right leaning Americans.
So, from the perspective of what is accepted as knowledge, well, one can certainly argue we are in a 21st century Dark Age.
A Big Lie that likely forever damaged our free and fair elections, by sowing extreme doubt where, truly, we can least afford doubt to take over, and color all our conclusions regarding election results.
A concerted effort, The American based Heartland Institute comes to mind, to promote denial of climate change. To eliminate mitigation efforts in response to climate change.
Promote bogus science and claims, most prominent in the anti-vax movement, and poised to make the leading anti-vax proponent in America, RFK Jr, in charge of HHS in our nation.
The entire state of NJ enveloped in panic because “look! Drones! Drones everywhere! Are they space aliens?”(Yes, that is one theory)
Irrationality very much on the rise. Ignorance, anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-any authority in any discipline whatsoever.
I believe we can say, that those Americans believing that Trump is ushering in a “golden age of America”, are the very same people and groups(like the Heartland Institute) who are in fact ushering in a new type of Dark Ages.
Where Post Truth reigns. Where lies are equal in value to facts. Where Truth is whatever you say it is. There is so much ignorance and nonsense ascendent in our country, that we really are living in a “Dark Age of America”.
That’s not good. And creating two different political realities, through the willful creation of an alternative, not based in fact, reality, where Trump won in 2020, is elevating a fantasy as our new “history”.
Sorry, Trumpers, but eventually the Truth will win out, even if only after every single one of us are in our graves by then. I want to believe the moral arc of the human universe moves in the correct direction, and that fake histories do not triumph. And I don’t think promoting what amounts to a new Dark Ages is very bright…..
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