Lex Luthor's Kryptonite

In this week's Camino a Ítaca a look into whether they have found a way to pierce the shield of lies and fabrications. Have they found the kryptonite to fight the far right cordyseps? Click over to read the original version published in Spanish in the HOY or read the English translation below. (PDF en castellano abajo)

Once it seemed an impossibility. Since the phenomenon first raised its evil orange head, it looked like there was no stopping it. There was seemingly no way to halt its progress and it quickly metastasized. It showed no known weaknesses. It was a political ebola virus that rendered its victims like zombies. It was a far right-wing cordyceps that seemed to take over people’s minds and make them immune and even reactionary towards truth, reason, facts and plain old decency.

No one really believed it had a chance at first. Even those from the party he recently chose to invade didn’t believe it at first. Robert Kagan, an influential member of the Republican party at the very beginning once wrote, “This is how fascism comes to America, not with jackboots and salutes, but with a television huckster, a phony billionaire, a textbook egomaniac 'tapping into’ popular resentments and insecurities, and with an entire national political party – out of ambition or blind party loyalty, or simply out of fear – falling into line behind him.” The orange cordyceps had found a host and there was no stopping its growth.

Trump himself once boasted, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" And he seemed to not have been exaggerating. He’s been liable of sexual assault, yet the Christian right in the country see him as a saviour of the faith. He has now been convicted on 34 felony counts for paying hush money to a porn star for a fling they had and instigated a violent attack on the Capitol building resulting in the deaths of police officers, yet the party that once claimed it was the party of Law and Order still blindly support him. And on top of that, there are many, but many more possible convictions in the wings. The cordyceps was invincible.

That is until a tired, yet overly proud old man decided, or more likely, was convinced to step aside and Trump’s kryptonite was discovered. Up until then, the left and the reasonable right had always attempted to combat his barrage of mistruths, distortions and all and out lies with cold hard facts. But as his mentor Goebbels once stated, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

Those immune to the orange virus had been fighting it with antiquated methods. They were following outmoded rules of engagement that civil society once held true. This far right monster needed a new line of attack.

The recent Democratic congress demonstrated that the counter narrative doesn’t necessarily consist of trying to disprove their constant lies, but more taking their own words and exposing them to harsh light of day and truth. These people are ‘weird’. It is not normal to want to ban books. It is not normal to desire a theocracy, it is not normal to wish for the end of democracy. It’s plain weird.

And the new tact seems to be working. They have found their Achille’s heel. Now if only those still uninfected here in Spain take note and learn how to turn the tide.