Things That Aren't True

One of the most serious problems with the current political climate is that large numbers of people believe things that aren't true. And, the absurdity of some of those beliefs is extreme.

Consider this example:

The outcome of the 2022 race for Governor in Colorado did not hinge on Republican Heidi Ganahl’s bizarre obsession with the ridiculous idea that public schools in Colorado were infested with children dressed up as animals (which she referred to as “furries“). . . . The final six weeks of that campaign were dominated mostly by Ganahl’s bizarre insistence on bringing up the widely-debunked conspiracy theory that public schools were catering to children who wore elaborate cat costumes in class. This is the same nonsense conspiracy theory that other Republican politicians have used to claim that schools were providing “litter boxes” for students; a Nebraska State Senator publicly apologized for the suggestion in March 2022. . . . 

Long after the 2022 gubernatorial race had ended, Ganahl was still talking about furries as she pushed to start up a “Moms for Liberty” chapter in Colorado — an idea that brought “Furry-Lago” full circle. Ganahl launched herself down this insane rabbit hole in 2022 at least in part at the suggestion of a Jefferson County woman named Lindsey Datko, who runs a Facebook page for like-minded idiots called “Jeffco Kids First.” Datko’s involvement was detailed in a story by Rylee Dunn of Colorado Community Media (publisher of the Arvada Press) that explained how “Jeffco Kids First” tried very hard to prove the existence of the invisible furry menace:

Over the summer, the members of a Facebook group called Jeffco Kids First began shifting their concern away from pandemic policies in schools to identities it deemed disruptive to learning. A leading voice in the group told parents to empower their children to find “furries,” kids who dress up in animal accessories, and to record them.

“If any of your kids would be willing to record anonymous audio of their experiences with furries hissing, barking, clawing, chasing, and how it affects their school day, please send to me or let me know ASAP!” Jeffco Kids First creator Lindsay Datko, a parent in Jefferson County Public Schools, posted.

Details like these have not been widely publicized because the Facebook group is private, meaning only members can see what is posted. After being denied entry to the group, Colorado Community Media gained access through a member who wanted the group’s content to be public.

School officials say the group’s activities can be disruptive and harmful to kids. But it has some strong backers, including Heidi Ganahl, the Republican Party’s nominee in this fall’s Colorado gubernatorial race. She’s also a member of the group.

There are other common falsities out there, some of which influence politics or are otherwise harmful:

* The false belief that election fraud is widespread and frequently impacts election results in the U.S. for the benefit of liberals. It is in fact, vanishingly rare, usually unintentional, is at least as common in benefiting conservatives as liberals, and almost never influences election outcomes before being caught. When election administration issues influence close elections voter suppression by conservatives, and unintentional bureaucratic and technological errors, are the main causes of outcome changing impacts.

* The false belief that almost everyone in the U.S. has a valid photo ID (about 11% of adults do not).

* The false belief that Donald Trump won the 2020 Presidential election.

* The false belief that the United States was established as a Christian nation.

* The false belief that many or most leading Democratic politicians are involved in child sex trafficking. 

* The false belief that ritual Satanic abuse is, or was ever, common.

* The false belief that transgender identity doesn't exist.

* The false belief that male to female transgender individuals present a high or elevated risk of sexual abuse of women or girls, for example, when using a women's restroom.

* The false belief that homosexuality is merely an immoral choice.

* The false belief that immigrants (or undocumented immigrants) commit more non-immigration crimes than native born persons.

* The false belief that illegal immigration across the Mexican border is a source of people who commit acts of terrorism in the United States. 

* The false belief that immigrants are a net economic burden on taxpayers.

* The false belief that vaccines are more harmful than beneficial.

* The false belief that Young Earth Creationism is accurate.

* The false belief that everything in the Bible is literally true. 

* The false belief that evolution isn't real, or that it isn't a conclusively scientifically established scientific reality.

* The false belief that the Earth is flat.

* The false belief that literal demons are real. Of course, the "demons" in the metaphorical sense of past traumas, addictions, and anti-social impulses do exist.

* The false belief that demon possession is an important cause of physical or mental illnesses.

* The false belief that IQ and almost all other human behavioral traits have no significant genetic component and are predominantly and even overwhelmingly a product of nurture. In fact, IQ is heavily genetic and more than a third to more than a half of a great many human behavioral traits are attributable to one's genetic inheritance, while the parental nurture impact on a great many human behavioral traits is widely overestimated.

* The false belief that substance abuse lacks of strong genetic component. In fact, it is one of the most strongly genetic human behavioral traits. 

* The false belief that atheists believe in and follow a literal Satan.

* The false belief in the reality of transubstantiation.

* The false belief that meteorologists control the weather.

* The false belief that U.S. Presidents have a significant ability to influence the inflation rate.

* The false belief that U.S. Presidents have a significant ability to influence gasoline prices.

* The false belief that owning a gun reduces your risk of being a victim of a violent crime.

* The false belief that successful, legal, self-defense from crime with a gun (including by brandishing it) is common.

* The false belief that crime rates are high and rising in the year 2024.

* The false belief that personal injury and malpractice lawsuits are usually frivolous.

* The false belief that climate change isn't real.

* The false belief that climate change isn't caused by human caused pollution.

* The false belief that nuclear power is more of a threat to public health and safety than fossil fuels. There are reasons to be concerned about nuclear power (e.g., the risk that nuclear fuel will be diverted to nuclear weapons), but that is not one of them.

* The false belief that someone who has not committed any crimes more than seven years after finishing a sentence for a previous crime is at highly elevated risk of committing a crime in the future compared to a comparable person with no prior criminal record.  

* The false belief that rape can't cause a pregnancy. 

* The false belief that abortion is more dangerous for abortion patients than giving birth.

* The false belief that miscarriage is rare (something on the order of 1/4 to 1/3 of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and this is an underestimate of the total miscarriage rate because it excludes miscarriages before someone knows that they are pregnant).

* The inaccurate belief that income taxes cause people to earn less (a concept associated with the Laffer Curve) at income tax rates much lower than the rates at which this is actually true. The peak of the Laffer Curve is actually at tax rates of about 70%.

* The false belief that high tax rates are strongly correlated with low economic growth.

* The false belief that prayer itself (as distinguished from community support and knowledge of community support) influences anything.

* The false belief that astrology is valid.

* The false belief that literal ghosts are real. Of course, "ghosts" in the metaphorical sense of recollections of people who have died are real.

* The false belief that the United States has very nearly the best health care outcomes.

* The false belief that driving is safer than commercial air travel.