It’s a quote by Joseph Goebbels. And it isn’t complete. It goes like this, in full: “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it,” then Goebbels continues: “And you will even come to believe it yourself!” I’d say, more than anything, it’s the second part that’s crucial, moreso than the first.
Anyone can bullshit their way into power, bullshit their way into cultural and political relevance, even into great financial and social success. But the very finest and most cynical of bullshitters believe their own bullshit as it rolls out of their mouths. Perhaps not right away. But over time, they do. They make up a statement, often on the spot. They know, in this moment, that the statement is a lie. But they say it again. And again. With a little more conviction each time. People start to repeat the lie. It becomes a slogan. Followers repeat it, and soon even non-followers begin to doubt their own ears, their own eyes…
Worse yet, the lie becomes so powerful, so damn-near universal, that those who call out the lie or “fact-check” it are made fun of for being “stupid” or “gullible” because how can they not believe in a truth now considered universal? Joseph Goebbels was the King of propaganda — his tactics are used to this very day, on all sides of the political and social spectrum and with great and terrifying success.
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