We are witnessing in real time what participatory propaganda is, and how it works. The internet is awash with memes, news stories, and videos which are all framed in a way that solidifies the perception that Donald Trump is the hero we have all been waiting for. He is fighting a valiant battle to restore American dignity, honesty in our government, and sanity in our culture. Every day he is signing new executive orders, purportedly undoing years of leftwing policy that has turned America into something more reminiscent of a collectivist state than a constitutional republic while making America great again. Perhaps there is no better example than Trump and Bondi’s alleged fight to restore the Second Amendment. This started with an executive order directing Pam Bondi to identify all Biden-era infringements and make recommendations on how to rectify them. This executive order has raised more questions than anything. Particularly concerning what an attorney general who has helped implement red flag laws in her own state might consider to be legitimate laws. Since this order has been issued not much has been accomplished. The gun rights community, however, has turned every minor development into the one defining issue that will put the gun grabbing left in its place while restoring the Second Amendment. Two examples are the appointment of Robert Leider, a Second Amendment legal expert, as the ATF’s legal counsel and the perception that the DOJ has changed its position on suppressors. Both issues have resulted in the propagation of stories that have done little more than create a misleading narrative. All propaganda is based on some version of truth, however, that truth can be skewed to push audiences in desired directions.  

 It is important to understand what participatory propaganda is. Politically active people are engaged in the ongoing conflict between the right and left. By sharing the memes and news stories that reflect their views, they are spreading that information without realizing its possible misleading nature. Propaganda works best when the message does exactly that—reflects to the audience what they already believe. For example, the article, Psychological Targeting as an Effective Approach to Digital Mass Persuasion states that mass persuasion is more effective when tailored toward an individual or a group’s psychological traits, beliefs, and behaviors. This means that the media you are paying attention to is framing the information in a way that aligns with your cognitive biases. In other words, because most Trump supporters already believe— without question—that he is fighting the valiant fight, it is very easy to frame any news within that perspective. When Pam Bondi appointed Robert Leider as the ATF’s legal counsel, for example, the fact that he is a second amendment legal expert was given as proof that he is pro-gun and will be working to put the ATF in its place. People within the gun rights community, particularly on you tube, use clever headlines and catchphrases like “HERE WE GO!” to give the impression that the big things we have been waiting for are about to happen. When in reality, nothing is really happening at all.  

 “Participatory propaganda is an attempt to influence a person’s, or group’s, perceptions of the environment, as well as a way to change the behavior of the targeted group so that they contribute their actions to either the changing of the environment or the changing of perceptions.” (Asmolov, 2019)  

 Is Robert Leider a pro-gun warrior gearing up to do battle with the ATF? That remains to be seen. He wrote a policy analysis on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that left this writer feeling a little less than enthused. This paper essentially points out policy problems with the BSCA as it is compared to The Gun Control Act of 1968. For those waiting for this administration to undo all gun control, keep in mind that Leider refers to the GCA as “a coherent system for regulating firearms at a national level, albeit one that is a policy compromise.” Nowhere in this paper is any gun control referred to as unconstitutional. Leider, in many ways, seems to suggest that the BSCA is flawed because it doesn’t go far enough, or lacks the coherency that is found in the GCA. For instance, he states that the law was touted as the most comprehensive gun package signed into law in decades but goes onto say that it was anything but.  

 “Although sometimes hailed as the “first major gun control legislation in more than three decades,” the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was anything but. When it came to substantive national gun control policy, the Act mostly tweaked already existing requirements.” (Leider, 2023)  

 On the issue of red flag laws, despite calling them commendable efforts, he acknowledges they will do little to stop violent crime. Not for the reasons you may think. He said that it is the “tepid support of state red flag laws” that make them ineffective in stopping crime, suggesting that he believes they didn’t go far enough. He states that despite red flag laws having “theoretical advantages” the biggest problem with the BSCA is its failure to overcome their obvious implementation problems. Some of the implementation problems are the due process issues and the impossible task of a judge being able to accurately predict violent behavior. It is clear, however, that Leider supports them on some level as he says that “Congress’s inability to agree on a national red-flag law will largely leave their adoption, implementation, and effectiveness to the states.” This implies that he believes a federal red flag law would be more effective. It is safe to argue that the youtubers and writers working to solidify the perception that this guy is a pro-2A advocate have not read this paper.   

 Another example is Pam Bondi’s alleged statement that the DOJ has reversed its position on suppressors. This isn’t what happened, but because the gun rights content creators pushed this idea so hard, it has become the common perception among those that are not inclined to dig a bit deeper. What really happened was acting attorney general, Michael Simpson, filed a brief in U.S. V. Peterson, supporting the Biden Administration’s position that suppressors are not protected arms under the Second Amendment. George Peterson, the defendant, is currently serving time for the possession of an unregistered silencer and sued to have his case overturned. In response to this, Pam Bondi requested an additional thirty days before a decision is rendered so that the DOJ can review its position on suppressors. While that, in the end, may turn out to be a positive development—the truth is that there was so much backlash to Simpson’s statement that Bondi was forced to reconsider for fear of losing the faith of the voters. Afterall, they promised to undo all gun control, which is a very unrealistic promise.  

 The point I am making is that the internet is awash with propaganda. All propaganda is geared towards gaining acceptance on things that the audience may have, at one time, opposed or not believed. Decades of study have shown that propaganda and persuasion work best when it reflects the preexisting attitudes of the targeted audience. In other words, they are telling you what you want to hear. When audiences share the stories and memes which depict their beliefs, they are participating in propaganda efforts. How many people, just as an example, believe what they are hearing about Lieder without even realizing he wrote the paper cited? Not one of the YouTube content creators praising him mentioned this paper at all.  

 “To avoid repeating mistakes of the past, an alert citizenry today should take the trouble to learn how easy it can be for a powerful minority to manipulate information to win the support–or the indifference–of the majority towards its actions. People need to be sensitized to these methods if they are to guard adequately against such manipulation.” (Propaganda and the ethics of Persuasion)  

In other words, you should be studying the content at Defenseofournation.com

Article posted with permission from David Risselada

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