292 - Jason Stanley: Tearing Down Trump’s Propaganda
Summary
Philosopher of language David Beaver discusses the shift from soft to hard propaganda in the U.S., arguing that Trump’s rhetoric signals a move toward authoritarianism. He explains how social media and AI bots exacerbate democratic erosion by bypassing rational discourse, a theme explored in his book *The Politics of Language*. The conversation also covers the historical context of propaganda, the impact of online attacks on public intellectuals, and the personal costs of academic exile.
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