In an interview with the BBC, former U.S. President Barack Obama said that “crazy conspiracy theories” have exacerbated divisions in American society, which are now more divided than they were four years ago. This is in part due to Trump’s initiative to “foment division because it’s good for his politics”.
To reverse this trend, Obama said, it is not enough to have an election, it is not enough to have political figures, and even the traditional media, which conducts fact-checking, is not up to the task of confronting online rumors, “When the truth has just left the door, rumors have already spread around the world.
Obama said that structural change is needed. Different groups of people need to listen to each other, and people need to agree on “general facts” before they can discuss how to solve problems.
Obama also said he saw “great hope” in the next generation of Americans. He encouraged young people to “cultivate a cautious optimism that the world can change” and “be part of changing it.
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