They Think We’re Stupid

“Disinformation is not just a lie—it’s a mirror held up to show you what they think of you. And what they fear about you.” - Mary Coughlin

And That’s the Point of the Lies

There’s a reason the lies feel relentless. Why the news cycles seem disorienting. Why yesterday’s crisis blurs into today’s outrage.

It’s not that we’ve lost our capacity for critical thinking.
It’s not that the truth no longer matters.
It’s that we are being told, again and again, that we don’t matter.

And in case it wasn’t already obvious: they think we’re stupid.

They think we won’t notice when ICE agents show up in plain clothes, faces covered, dragging people off the streets without explanation.

They think we won’t ask questions when the Department of Homeland Security claims a “500% increase” in assaults on officers—without providing a single verifiable data point.

They think we’ll nod along when elected officials are arrested on camera, accused of “assault” for asking to see a warrant, while the real violence goes unquestioned.

They think we’ll forget that we’ve seen this before—in regimes that cloak power in secrecy and suspicion, that criminalize dissent, that use law enforcement not for safety but for spectacle.

And it’s working—for now.
Because disinformation isn’t just about spreading lies.
It’s about spreading doubt, division, and despair.

The Strategy Is Simple:

• Flood the zone with noise.
  If you can’t convince people you’re right, just exhaust them until they give up trying to know what’s true.

• Criminalize your critics.
  Arrest a mayor. Smear a senator. Confuse one name with another and let the implication stick.

• Distract from your own corruption.
  Manufacture scandals about your opponents while your own deals with foreign governments go unexamined.

• Repeat, deny, reframe.
  And when challenged? Call it fake news. Call it partisan. Call it a witch hunt.

But Here’s the Truth:

We are not stupid.

We know that public safety doesn’t require secrecy, that democracy doesn’t flourish in the shadows, and that law enforcement that fears transparency is not protecting the people—it’s protecting power.

We know that real patriotism looks like questioning authority, not pledging blind allegiance to it.

We know that asking questions, telling the truth, and showing up for each other isn’t dangerous—it’s democracy in action.

The Real Danger?

It’s not just what they’re doing.

It’s that they assume we’re too overwhelmed, too distracted, or too afraid to stop them.

But they’ve underestimated something far more powerful than their tactics.

Us.

Because the very fact that you’re reading this means their strategy isn’t working on you.
And if it isn’t working on you, it won’t work on the millions of others who are waking up, speaking out, and refusing to be fooled.

“To lie to someone is to treat them with contempt.” — Adrienne Rich

They think we’re stupid.
Let’s prove them wrong—loudly, boldly, and together.

In truth and resistance,
Mary

P.S.: If you’re a clinician, educator, or advocate who knows how essential clarity, integrity, and healing are—especially in times like these—check out the TIP 2.0 Certificate Program and sign up for my weekly newsletter here. You are not alone in this work.