Harris to release medical records as campaign looks to pressure Trump to do the same

If those people cultivate a posture of victimhood as a tool for propoganda, then yes, pointing and laughing at them justifies their outrage and is a help to them.

I will quote from a comment I made a while back on a different thread:

[The problem with the conservative base is] self esteem. If you feel powerless, or worthless, or rudderless, any group that makes you feel powerful, valuable, and effective is going to be very appealing. Conservatives (read: fascists) prey on this. They make it seem like joining them is brave, and important. And since their followers lack identity and purpose, their self worth becomes entangled with [in group], be it closeted fascism such as the American GOP, or flaming fascism such as Q/proud boys/whatever. And since their identity and value depends on the perpetuation and proliferation of their in-group, they willingly accept lies and falsehood. And attacks on their in-group become attacks on them. Pretty easy to gaslight someone who's encouraging it.

Then when they wear their symbols of hate, or make shocking claims, or in anyway troll and grief society, up to and including dismantling democracy, they get a reaction. They've exerted their will on the world around them, and as such they feel powerful. The insidious bit is, even if the good guys win, with all their high falutin factual arguments and social programs, it just makes these sad people angier and feel worthless again. So they go right back to their pimps for some more sweet lies and marching orders.

The conservatives have weaponized fact checking. Every time we slam dunk on them, they just get angrier and burrow deeper into denial.

It may feel good to laugh at them, lord knows they deserve it, but it is not effective in combating them. First and foremost it is most successful as entertainment, and entertainment is only as successful as it is profitable. And this ecosystem is dependent on Trump being relevant. He is a cash cow, a hideous, demonic cow, but the left and right alike are at his greasy teats just the same.

I'll even go one further and say that the catharsis we feel from watching a comedian humilate Trump releases pressure in the audience that might otherwise build into an actual revolution. If we can't tune in to our favorite funny man and get some appeasement about the sickening cognitive dissonance we suffer through day after day, we may be forced to direct that energy outward and actually get into the streets. In short, humor may be pacifying an otherwise powerful people.