“Facts don’t care about your feelings.”
This statement originated from mainstream conservative thought-leader Ben Shapiro. Many conservatives resonate with the general sentiment: the world should operate in a fact-based manner.
We should create policy using data, logic and truth – rejecting all else. We’ve crafted coffee mug logos, graphic tees and entire political strategies assuming this is a winning method.
The problem?
Power is not gained by being truthful, but by being persuasive.
Why “Telling the Truth” as a Primary Political Strategy Isn’t Working
Conservatives assume they are winning by telling the truth. This is why campus influencers like Charlie Kirk and Steven Crowder spend thousands of dollars travelling, setting up tables and having debates with Leftists. “By beating this person with facts and logic, I am convincing them to vote for my interests.”
This might be effective on a small scale.
But for every debate had by Charlie Kirk on “why Black Lives Matter is a marxist organization”, there are 10 Hollywood celebrities crafting emotional, convincing and effective live streams on Instagram. They spread false but convincing propaganda that changes the social fabric.
Think back to the summer of 2020: Black Lives Matter was able to convince every corporation, sports team, celebrity, influencer and even church to push a false narrative on “police brutality,” “white privilege” and “social justice.”
Did the fact this narrative was false prevent it from being effective? No. To the contrary, BLM built the most powerful and influential political movement of 2020.
There is no relationship between the truthfulness of an idea, and the persuasiveness of an idea.
One of the main focuses of both the Biden-Harris administration and the Left is “wokeness”. Critical race theory and intersectional feminism went from a goofy ideology only studied by the “weird” liberal arts degrees on college campuses – to having an institutional foothold in HR departments, corporate management, church leadership and even the military.
As this ideology marches on, the natural instinct of the Right is to face the challenge head-on. Conservatives will try to debate the merits of BLM ideology. Bringing “facts & logic” to the table, trying to argue why feminism is destroying Western culture. Looking for ways to get Instagram-ready clips of conservative influencers “owning the libs” in a debate.
But feelings do not care about your facts.
Left-wing HR departments will fire you for expressing a slight conservative opinion online – even if you are factually correct.
Chase Bank will close your checking account because you had the audacity to donate to President Trump’s re-election campaign. Even though it’s technically your money.
Child Protective Services will take your child away because you wouldn’t green-light a permanent sex change for your 5-year old. Even though the 5-year old is your child.
The Left has used persuasion, not truth, to fundamentally change society. We are living in a post-truth world of their creation.
You must learn to operate in a post-truth world. Narrative, persuasion and raw power should be the only weapons in our arsenal. Not because it is good, but because it is necessary.
How to Thrive in a Post-Truth World
This is a really difficult pill to swallow. As I sit here and write this, my inner-conservative voice fights against the idea that truth does not matter in any practical political sense. It’s a tragedy we cannot live in a world where the most truthful voices are always the most persuasive.
Truth will always have a place on the Right – just not in the pursuit of political power. Our ultimate goal should not be to win a debate in the marketplace of ideas – but to pursue lasting, strong, generational political power.
Good ideas can only exist in the framework of power. Without power, ideas are useless.
Preventing the slaughter of babies is a righteous political goal. To achieve this goal, we must wield the power of the State. We should be willing to use persuasion and influencein pursuit of power to achieve the underlying goal.
This is a huge ideology shift for many conservatives and Republicans. We have grown accustomed to taking the role of a gracious loser. We are OK with losing as long as we “don’t behave like the left” and “stick to our principles”.
Principles have no meaning if they cannot prevent the killing of innocent babies.
Sometimes, the ends justify the means.
We need to learn how to create effective propaganda. Reverse engineer the influential and emotional techniques used by the corporate media to sway public opinion. Learn how to craft a narrative.
Create Instagram pages dedicated to subverting and imploding the cohesion of the Left.
Focus your energy on learning persuasion, rather than learning how to debate.
Instead of pointing out leftist hypocrisy on your podcast every day (*ahem* Ben Shaprio *ahem*), build cultural institutions that propagate our ideas in the minds of the public. Think universities, movies, social media accounts, news stations, elementary schools, etc. Anywhere there is an opportunity to push a narrative.
Be a persuasive winner, rather than a whining “truthful” loser.
The Right must learn how to operate within a post-truth world, to preserve the underlying values of truth: family, community and order.
