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McCarthyism, or why hyperbole hurts one’s cause
December 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Joe McCarthy was a drunkard, a demagogue, and a man who made the cause of anti-Communism look silly. He also happened to be right – to a degree. There were communist spies working for the US government. There really were people whose first loyalty was to the USSR and not the United States. Unfortunately for McCarthy, the problem was not nearly as deep as he imagined it to be.
As I said, McCarthy made the cause of anti-Communism look silly. Anyone who even attempted to bring up the issue of communist infiltration into American society was immediately branded a McCarthyite, and that effectively ended discussion.
The point of all this: when you start relaying every wild story and rumor that happens to fit your preconceived ideological narrative, don’t be surprised when people start ignoring everything you have to say, even if some or most of what you are trying to say happens to be correct.