The use of binary thinking does not presuppose that someone is simple and certainly not stupid. Binary thinking is the natural inclination to simplify in order to protect and explain ourselves. Religion is a binary system in that you either accept one specific set beliefs or suffer the consequences of being wrong according to that religion.
Conservative socio-political thinking is also binary. It creates two choices: black or white, for us or against us, good or evil. No room for grey. Too many choices deviates from the principle binary code: there is only right and wrong. It is inconsequential that I may be “for” some things and “against” some other things. And never mind that truth is found in the exploration of that polarity; the latter can be difficult and frightening. It’s easier to “know.”
That predilection to “know” is the essence of conspiracy theory. Theorists are somehow (in their minds) a conduit for the privileged information that garners the truth.
George Soros, the Hungary born billionaire who gives philanthropically to progressive causes, is the modern bogeyman to the far (and sprinting closer to mainstream) right because he satisfies the need for a financier for all of their wild eyed conspiracies. He is their devil incarnate from which to base their improbable binary choice: Listen to us who “know” or suffer damnation.
In terms of politics that damnation is the conspiracy to destroy America.
Within that narrative there has emerged the idea that Obama is running the White House, actors have been hired to discredit Trump and this “Deep State” is being financed by… George Soros.
While that sounds too complicated to provide the comfort of binary thinking, it actually provides more of a black or white choice. In short: All of our problems come from this Deep State conspiracy and if we just recognize that truth (by believing those with the innate power to know) everything will be right again.
That paradigm does not just exist within the ranks of extremists, however, it is mainstream because it is another belief within myriad binary belief systems that say “join us or perish.”
Curiously, in the Trump-era the Deep State moved from a cabal of rich industrialists in bed with politicians pulling the strings of the entire apparatus, to a liberal conspiracy to upend Trump himself. And with Trump saying and doing so many things to warrant investigation into his character and business dealings it was fait accompli for QAnon, Alex Jones and other fringe organizations to justify their evidence. It became a closed loop of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Polls have shown that nearly half of America buys into the idea of at least some gradation of a Deep State’s existence. And maybe there is one. It seems odd to this writer that it would be “snowflake” liberals who created such an intricate, clandestine, mega-powerful, sub-government to rival James Bond’s nemesis “Spectre,” but that doesn’t seem to matter to conspiracists.
What matters is to have the binary alternative to good: EVIL.
There is no simple conclusion to draw here; this wasn’t meant as a binary choice between beliefs and pragmatism. They are two separate things. In fact beliefs may be more natural to assume. They certainly require less effort.
