How will we defeat the trolls of fake news? Learn from ABC, Roseanne and Michelle Obama's miscalculations

Understand why the truth doesn't matter anymore

We are so desensitized to fake news that lies carry little or no consequences. Here’s how bad it’s gotten. Lies and cover-ups in politics that would have been front-page scandalous news twenty years ago go by with barely a whisper today. 

• Without truth, there is no trust
• Without trust, there is no good democracy 
• Without good democracy, there is no transparent accountability to truth.

Without accountability to truth, trolls create mass addictions to fake news. These addictions numb the truth about how dark money and the ascent of plutocracy have corrupted our democracy to its core. How can we:

• Make trolls accountable to truth? 
• Unite together to seek truth?
• Restore our democracy?

Are we reaching a tipping point where hope trumps despair?

What are the common denominators for the ABC-Rosanne Barr divorce, and the #WomensMarch, #MeToo, #MarchforScience and #MarchForTruth movements?

Link truth to transparent accountability

Without truth and transparent accountability, there is no justice. How can leaders, the people and the media use this ethical alliance for justice to end the rule of the trolls?

Michelle Obama's inspirational quote, "when they go low, we go high" had instant partisan appeal to our better angels, but it was naive about the dark side and the length of its shadow. The quote lacks humility. No one is without a shadow. The dark side divides us.

The dark side of plutocracy and the deep state colluded to cast long shadows that enabled the trolls to win the war of gutter politics. The deep root cause for the dark side of our cultural wars is educational inequities.

To illuminate the dark side, we must give all people the opportunities to be free-thinkers and to cultivate open mindsets. This calls for using the light of truth and transparent accountability to cast the smallest shadows.

Vote for truth and transparent accountability

Use this two-step call-to-action on this link to amplify this message.

• Help build the movement, Make America Truthful Again (#MATA). 
• Vote to fix our corrupt crony democracy. Give democracy back to the people.

To create a tipping point, we must use #MATA as the meta-cause strategy to unite movements across related causes, under one large umbrella. This calls for rigorous debates about seeking truth in the era of neo-terrorism.

Debate two questions about neo-terrorism and neo-terrorists

Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence against citizens for political gain.When the word terrorism is prefaced by neo, it denotes a war of words without physical violence, but for the same purpose: use power to control people.

The distinction between terrorism and neo-terrorism has similarities to the differences between husbands who abuse their wives physically versus psychologically. We have no problems calling out these two forms of domestic abuse. But we lack adequate political words to describe the psychological abuse of political power in the post-truth era.

The new words ‘neo-terrorism’ and ‘neo-terrorist’ give us anti-truth labels to describe anti-democratic behaviors. Debate these questions.

Is fake news neo-terrorism? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Neo-terrorism is a propaganda war of words without any regard to the truth. It is like a football game without any rules and referees. Foul plays are the norm. Only winning matters, whatever the cost. 

Neo-terrorism is a political cult and movement governed by self-righteous fundamentalists.

Neo-terrorism wins when opinions, emotions and beliefs triumph over facts, evidence and rationality. In short, fake news trumps the truth.

Are fake patriots neo-terrorists? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

Neo-terrorists put their political ideology, identity and blind loyalty ahead of people's needs, equity and the health of planet earth. 

Neo-terrorists are self-righteous, authoritarian fundamentalists who can never admit to being wrong: I'm absolutely right and you're dead wrong. They use fake news to protect themselves and to bully, violate and smear their political opponents. 

Neo-terrorists divide, conquer and control the silent majority. They use megalomania, narcissism and sociopathy to triumph over altruism, equity and transparent accountability. 

Neo-terrorists subvert democracy, attack the free press and demonize the humanity and motives of the opposition. 

Equity is about designing systems that give all people fair opportunities to reach their highest potential for health, well-being and human flourishing.

Equity is the best defense against terrorism and neo-terrorism.

What are your initial reactions to these new words? 

If you feel that these new words too inflammatory, you will avoid using them. Words that were once considered extremely inflammatory in the past are now accepted as normal, and vice versa. Reactions to new words may pass through three phases.

• First, they are ridiculed.
• Second, they are violently opposed.
• Third, they are accepted as being self-evident.

The deep root causes for political corruption are malignant megalomania, narcissism and sociopathy. Political con artists defeat the truth by using fake news.

Left unchecked, neo-terrorists will subvert our democracy. Neo-terrorism is the enemy within. It is a far greater threat to our democracy than terrorism. 

Unless WE do something to restore our democracy.

Here are some small steps to build network power for the #MATA movement. 

•  Click on this link to share the #MATA message to all your connections on August 1st
• Share this link with everyone you know and invite them to sign up before August 1st.
• Use neo-terrorism and neo-terrorist to call out fake news, fake patriots and fake patriotism 

Take action to help: 

• Encourage people to use the words, neo-terrorism and neo-terrorist
• Raise norms for truth-telling and transparent accountability in politics
• Increase voter turn-out for the mid-term elections

How can we burst the right-wing and the left-wing bubbles to make politicians represent us? Unite together to use truth and transparent accountability and dis-empower neo-terrorists. 

Host #MATA learning events

Ignite people’s interest in discussing these questions.

• Is fake news neo-terrorism?
• Are fake patriots neo-terrorists?

Invite digital strategists, social media specialists, journalists and communication directors across organizations and related causes to report on people’s experiences of participating in #MATA learning events. 

Create story movements to develop network power for the #MATA movement.

Create #MATA media events

Invite journalists to cover stories asking politicians and leaders questions, such as:

• How will you #MakeAmericaTruthfulAgain?
• What are your strategies for defeating neo-terrorism?
• Who do you regard as neo-terrorists, and explain why?

#MATA is a higher cause than #MAGA 

As true patriots, we need these anti-democratic labels to call out fake patriots. It is our civic duty to defeat the political corruption that undermines our democracy. The demise of our democracy become attractive to politicians with these character flaws: malignant megalomania, narcissism and sociopathy.

Our democracy no longer represents us. To unrig the system, we must have the moral courage in using altruism, equity and transparent accountability to re-design democracy for the people. Our democracy can only be as good as the collective integrity of our elected politicians.

A #MATA movement will empower the people to #DefeatNeoTerrorists and save our democracy. Click here to help build social media chain reactions.

Unite organizations to co-lead the #MATA movement

Our rigid state of dysfunctional political polarizations stymies the progress of grassroots, local and individual initiatives to make democracy and politicians more accountable to the truth and to the people. First, we must unravel our dysfunctional polarizations before we can effectively scale up the innovative uses of non-polarizing, transpartisan and bipartisan approaches. 

To make this happen, we must unite kindred organizations to spearhead the #MATA strategy. Fake news divides us. Truth has the promise of uniting us. This calls for developing scalable learning programs about how to:

• Educate people about trolls and fake news addictions
• Engage people in dialogues about neo-terrorism
• Implode neo-terrorism before the 2018 midterm elections

Please connect about resources for hosting #MATA dialogue events.