Denialism, a sordid, cynical and lethal state of mind

"Idiots will take over the world; not because of their ability, but because of their sheer number. There are so many of them." (Nelson Rodrigues)

The denial of reality, a kind of non-acceptance of what is perceived and felt, of what is read or heard. It is a phenomenon that has made the world much worse in various fields, but in politics it becomes explosive and lethal because it encompasses a range of (negative) ideas and behaviors that, when set in motion, transform (for the worse) the entire scenario of human existence and coexistence, giving rise to conspiracy theories that would not hold up for minutes, except in a state of denial.

Contrary to what one might imagine, denial is not synonymous with low (formal) educational attainment, or that it mostly affects people from the poorest segments of the population. The phenomenon disproportionately affects the middle and upper classes, with higher levels of education, including a certain intellectual "elite," who reject the world that doesn't suit them and embrace theories that make no sense whatsoever. It's not limited to "flat earth"; it's something more damaging because, in theory, it gains support and a certain validity because it's voiced by groups with higher education, validating their (psychedelic) delusions.

In this sense, the internet (social media, in particular) has served to consolidate a negative view of the modern world, devoid of utopia, the end of ideologies, and global disputes (visible or not). Indeed, fear is the central driving force behind this behavior, which sees "modernity" as an enemy, as it closes off spaces or fails to guarantee the "status quo" for the privileged, and as a place where meritocracy crumbles in the face of mutations and the speed of these changes, many of which are incomprehensible, or as part of a nefarious plan of domination that will exclude them (this may be true, but not in that specific sense).

This gives rise to guesswork, which is the twin brother of denial.

Now, if we deny everything, then any "opinion" is valid as a value and a criterion of truth, even without any scientific basis, experimentation, or even as a product of human knowledge throughout time and history. This, in part, explains how someone like Olavo de Carvalho, a pretentious astrologer with scatological language, has influenced so many people, particularly the middle and upper classes, many with years of academic experience, studies, and degrees (which seems even more tragic to us). A kind of capture in caricature, as if cynicism and vulgar language against everything and everyone became moral authority.

Umberto Eco's famous quote about the internet and social media still resonates today, 10 years later, precisely because of its premonitory nature regarding what was to come (and did come). Let's remember:

"Social media has given the right to speak to legions of imbeciles who, before, only spoke in bars after a glass of wine and did no harm to the community. We used to shut them up immediately, while today they have the same right to speak as a Nobel laureate. It's the invasion of the imbeciles."

Things have gotten considerably worse in these 10 years because, in addition to the authority in this virtual agora, they've gained snobbish titles like influencers, YouTubers, coaches, legends, and so on. They make fortunes monetizing idiocy in a generalized way, reinforcing the essential aspect of negation, its alienating character, which reinforces contempt for all social and collective activities, for what could represent an equal and fraternal world.

From this generation of denial emerged the new politicians and state leaders. They came denying the system (read: politics, democracy), but working precisely to make the system permanent, more unjust and authoritarian, to justify their own discourse. These politicians used this logic (denial) to ignore the pandemic and were directly responsible for a higher death toll than would have occurred without the denial of science, vaccines, medicine (including doctors who strongly contributed to this denial), public health, and the vital need for social isolation during the worst moments.

A new phase of this tragic situation is the denial that the pandemic ever happened, including the millions of deaths, and the devastated families (many of whom believe it was divine intervention) over the loss of loved ones. There is a real effort to simply erase the (ir)responsibility for the events. In Brazil, officially 715 deaths, as if they never occurred. Some of these public officials became deputies, senators, governors; Bolsonaro almost got re-elected, which seems absolutely inexplicable. How did this forgetting happen so quickly? We venture to say that this is a result of a state of denial, without exception.

Denial has become an ideology, one of the most difficult to combat, mainly because it attempts to use reason as an antidote, something that has been partly lost or swallowed up by the internet, the biggest consumer of neurons and synapses.

It's tragic!