Repeated false accusation can generate belief through sheer illocutionary force

Evidence

The Bullingdon Club has pushed Doublethink to new limits with its mantric repetition of the ludicrous claim that it was New Labour policy, rather than the bank bailouts, that was responsible for the massive deficit. The strategy seems to be to employ the illocutionary power of repetition — if they keep saying it, then it will have been true. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1466

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to Orwell’s actual Newspeak Doublethink from ch on internalized censorship (1984); earlier chapter noted state propaganda vs self-censorship. — connects to: False beliefs mostly persist through social transmission, not individual failings — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age: How False…, 30; Repeating a statement increases belief in its truth regardless of accuracy — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 65; Some claims remain unbelievable no matter how often repeated — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 71 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Repeating a false claim to debunk it increases its plausibility #corroborates (0.92) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 164
• Repeated exposure alone makes false statements seem more credible to anyone #expands (0.85) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 285
• Repetition substitutes for evidence as validation in new conspiracism #corroborates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 15