Big Lie/Quotes

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war,” Goering shrugged. “Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.”
“There is one difference,” I pointed out. “In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.”
“Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

—Gustave Gilbert, recounting a conversation with Herman Goering on 18 April 1946

What I find even more disturbing is that the telling of untruths after a while becomes normalized so that people don't push back and say, "Wait a minute, that's not true." And it's very, very clear that it's not true. When people can say things that are clearly untrue and deny reality, that is one of the steps towards the diminution of our democracy.

—Dr. Anthony Fauci (at the time still the Chief Medical Advisor to the President), on As It Happens, August 23, 2022

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