Are We Heading to War? Did Trump Talk Himself Into a War?

The Role of Propaganda in Civilian Buy-In for War is Usually Ignored.

There are moments when a path towards war is more obvious. Today it was one of those moments. This photo appeared in the New York Post. And as you all know. The Post is a Murdoch paper. It is one read by MAGA and the conservative right.

And yes, I did watch the video on Telegram, and it was targeted. Yes, the photo is very legitimate, just as the photos of beheaded Ukrainians that have made it to Telegram from time to time, in places like near Kharkiv.

So why did this photo in particular tell me we are closer to open war? Well, let’s start with the history of propaganda and how you create buy-in among civilians.

This image is from 1915. The USS Lusitania was sunk on May 7, 1915. So, notice the date. And I will spare you the debate as to whether she was transporting ammo. That was a much later debate, mostly among historians. And the reason the Germans claimed she was a legitimate target.

I want you to put yourself in the shoes of a regular person reading this in the newspaper: