Recently, on a fly fishing trip to Roaring River State Park (and I did quite well, thank you) in the shade of a large tree I struck up a conversation with a fellow who, without any provocation on my part, related the most recent right-wing conspiracy theories.
Since I immediately recognized that counter arguments would do nothing to convince him his views were wrong, I just listened and occasionally nodded, seeming to encourage him further.
But, there was one thing he stated as if it were fact — and one I had not heard. He stated emphatically that the reason that federal troops were in Portland was that local police were ordered to “stand down” and not engage with the mostly peaceful protesters. Of course, he did not say anything about the “mostly peaceful protesters,” but went on a rant about looters, anarchists, terrorists and arsonists.
I was taken aback by his assertion that the Portland police, by order of the mayor, were ordered to “stand down” and I told him that I had not heard that. He replied that the online media was abuzz with that and he was surprised that I was unaware.
It was not a surprise to me since I don’t subscribe to any anti-social media — no Facebook, no Twitter, no Instagram, no nothing. Rather than read someone’s opinion of what happened — then that opinion is picked up by many others and many either forward it or submit their own opinion to the world — I read credible newspapers and watch broadcast and cable TV.
Since there is no Internet access at Roaring River State Park (unless you are staying in the campground, which I was not), I did not have my laptop along. But when I got home, I almost immediately entered “Portland Police Ordered to Stand Down” and very quickly learned that it never happened. There were many, many sites that reported this, even the BBC did.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler had indeed contemplated ordering the police to not engage with protesters for fear that the presence of the police would only make things worse. His reasoning was that the uniforms worn by the police would just further infuriate Black Lives Matter protesters, but he was talked out of that notion and never issued such an order. This was reported in some length in The Oregonian, the “official” newspaper of Portland, and Oregon in general. Other national and international newspapers and news reports on broadcast and cable TV stated the same.
I have since assumed that various right-wing websites, newsletters and online social media must have been repeating this very wrong conspiracy theory, and folks already inclined to believe a falsehood about a quite liberal town swallowed it hook, line and sinker. If others believe such fake stories, I fear for the sanity of a significant portion of the population .
Most of the rest of what the right-wing fellow said was likely learned from his sources. I did not take time to investigate them all, but limited myself to an issue that I had not heard uttered and one that turned out to be completely false.
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