Yesterday we decided to go for a Sunday drive, which in South Florida generally means a spin on A1A. A few blocks north of the Elbo Room we passed a man sitting on a bicycle with a crude, handwritten sign that read: DEMOCRATS MOLEST CHILDREN.
We had heard about QAnon, the far-right conspiracy group that believes a band of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is plotting against Trump, but this was the first time we had seen its manifestation. Among its many absurdities is its politicizing of a psychotic disorder. The man might as well have been holding a sign that read: I AM AN IDIOT.
As we headed north along the beach the thought occurred to me that inane beliefs are nothing new; what’s new is an ability to spread them widely (via the Internet) and a willingness to proclaim them publicly. This last is a consequence of an administration that has relied like no previous one (not even Nixon's) on fear-mongering and disinformation. Added to the many things Trump has ruined is a pleasant Sunday drive along the beach.
