Jewish actor Sacha Baron Cohen says lies, hate threaten democracy
Cohen uses a number of antisemitic conspiracy theories as examples to emphasize his fear that the spread of misinformation is a threat to democracy.
By EVE YOUNGSacha Baron Cohen.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Jewish actor Sacha Baron Cohen wrote an op-ed expressing fear that democracy is at risk of being destroyed by "a flood of hate, lies and conspiracy theories." The op-ed was published in Time magazine on Thursday and in it Cohen used a number of antisemitic conspiracy theories to emphasize his fear that the spread of misinformation is a threat to democracy.Cohen explained the reason he felt the need to speak out, saying that he is "truly terrified – for the survival of democracy itself."He pointed to US President Donald Trump and Facebook as causes of the proliferation of conspiracy theories and lies, which he says are used to "gain power and subjugate others.""Trump averages 23 lies a day," says Cohen and is a "superspreader of coronavirus conspiracy theories."Cohen also explained his concern that the platform Facebook is "a megaphone the history's worst autocrats could only dream of" and wrote that Facebook "give[s] a platform to white supremacists and Holocaust deniers."Cohen fears for democracy in the face of the spread of conspiracy theories in part because of when they are circulating."Studies show that people are especially susceptible to conspiracies in periods of great uncertainty when they feel a loss of control over their lives and want answers to make sense of the world," said Cohen.He called the blood libel myth that Jews killed Christian children in order to use their blood for rituals "the world's oldest conspiracy theory." Baron Cohen also mentions the QAnon conspiracy theory and says it is "an unmistakable echo of antisemitic blood libel."In his conclusion, Cohen requested that people vote saying "the fate of US democracy now rests with voters and whether they stand up in record numbers and choose truth over lies."
