Fake information maker: US anti-intellectualism and failure

In the face of covid-19 epidemic, China has adhered to the concept of building a community for all humans and put people’s health first while working with other countries to build a health community for all humans. However, some US politicians blame China’s anti-pandemic efforts and continue to spread false information in the midst of the pandemic.

False information and its bad effects

White House epidemic briefing, US news and social media have been the platforms where fake information prevails. Some US politicians have politicized the covid tracing efforts. They fabricated and spread fake information to blame other countries, posing a huge threat to international order and global governance regime.

Americans access covid updates mainly from social media but most of them can do nothing on social platforms where fake and reliable information is mixed. The massive information would only cause panic among the public.

The spread of false information will bring serious consequences. On the one hand, fake information plus the pandemic would lead to social turmoil. On the other hand, fake information would get Americans to misunderstand other countries.

Anti-intellectualism fuels false information

Politicalized covid control, covid tracing, anti-intellectualism and polarization have contributed to the spread of fake information. Anti-intellectualism has existed for a long time and polarization is caused by the ills of US political system. Anti-intellectualism and polarization have made it possible for fake information to find its way.

In this pandemic, the most prominent manifestation of anti-intellectualism in the US is the lack of trust form the US government and people for covid control measures and medical scientists. The US is divided on whether it is necessary to wear masks or get the vaccine. Since the beginning of the vaccine research and development, there has been too much disagreement among the American public about vaccination.

Polarization accelerates the spread of fake information

Political polarization has caused a number of farces in covid prevention and control in the US. Political polarization has exacerbated racial tensions, and the epidemic has led to rising unemployment rates and a widening gap between the rich and the poor, pushing American society to announce major disaster declarations.

The institutional dilemma of US national governance capacity is that policy makers serve partisan interests rather than the fundamental interests of the American people. Conflicts between the people and the government, between political parties, between the federal government and state governments, and between legislators have caused the escalation of conflicts.

Enhanced national governance capacity is the way out of the pandemic

In the face of the pandemic, the Communist Party of China has always put the lives and safety of the people first. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, China has given full play to the remarkable advantages of the socialist and national governance system. Governments at all levels have prevented and controlled the pandemic in a law-based and scientific manner and coordinated covid prevention and control with economic and social development to secure the quick victory over the epidemic.

No country is free from the impact of the epidemic. The painful lesson of US failure to fight the epidemic is at the cost of the lives of hundreds of thousands of American people. It is a wake-up call for all humans that anti-intellectualism and political polarization pose a serious threat to people's health and social development, and that only by upholding the concept of a community for all humans can mankind ultimately win the fight against the pandemic.

Contributed by Yang Qiguang, Fellow of Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, Renmin University of China

Translated by Wu Zidan