Comforting Lies, National Collapse: How Conspiracy-Loving Cowards Are Killing America

By Cliff Potts, WPS News

There’s a sickness at the core of this country, and no—it’s not just the billionaires or the corrupt politicians or the rigged economy. It’s the willful ignorance of everyday Americans who would rather spout comforting bullshit than face hard, documented truth. And nowhere is that clearer than in the modern left’s pathetic addiction to the conspiracy theory that Truman dropped the atomic bombs just to scare the Soviet Union.

There is no proof for this claim. None. Not one shred of actual documentary evidence—no memo, no meeting note, no direct quote from Truman, Byrnes, or Stimson in the months leading up to Hiroshima that suggests “intimidating Stalin” was the primary motive. The record shows they wanted the war over. Fast. On U.S. terms. They feared a bloody invasion of Japan, were sick of the endless killing, and believed the bomb would force a surrender. You can say that was immoral. You can say it was unnecessary. But if you claim it was all a geopolitical flex, you’re just lying to yourself—and worse, spreading lazy propaganda.

This isn’t just a history problem. This is why the U.S. is failing. We are a nation addicted to narrative over fact. We don’t solve problems—we tweet theories. We don’t learn from history—we argue with Wikipedia and YouTube videos. Americans would rather believe a sexy lie than dig into uncomfortable truth. And it’s killing us.

You want to know why our democracy is circling the drain? Why fascism is clawing its way back into the mainstream? Why climate collapse, worker exploitation, police brutality, and endless war keep grinding on without serious resistance?

Because most Americans—left, right, and center—are cowards. Lazy, entitled, post-truth cowards.

You’re not a radical because you repost some grainy infographic that claims Hiroshima was about Stalin. You’re not woke because you regurgitate a conspiracy you saw on a podcast. If you won’t put in the time to learn the actual history, read the damn primary sources, and engage with hard data—then you’re part of the problem. You’re no better than the people denying climate change or saying January 6 was a tourist visit.

This rot—this mass cultural allergy to intellectual labor—is why we’re getting steamrolled. It’s why the ruling class can do whatever the hell it wants. Because it knows most Americans don’t read. Don’t fact-check. Don’t think critically. And if you dare to speak up, to say “Actually, that’s not what the evidence says,” you get screamed at for being a shill, a sellout, or a warmonger.

Enough.

If you’re still pushing conspiracy theories about Hiroshima, you’re not the voice of truth—you’re another noise machine helping drown it out. Either you start doing the work, or shut up and get out of the way. Because America doesn’t need more cowards clinging to fairy tales. It needs people willing to face the horror—and act.