And the rantings of a lunatic seem as credible as the findings of a Nobel Prize winner. The fictitious Protocols of the Elders of Zion look as valid as an ADL report. On the internet, everything can appear equally legitimate.

As one headline put it, “Just Think What Goebbels Could Have Done with Facebook.” And it’s no surprise that the greatest propaganda machine in history has spread the oldest conspiracy theory in history-the lie that Jews are somehow dangerous. It’s why fake news outperforms real news, because studies show that lies spread faster than truth. It’s why YouTube recommended videos by the conspiracist Alex Jones billions of times. The algorithms these platforms depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged-stories that appeal to our baser instincts and that trigger outrage and fear. Facebook, YouTube and Google, Twitter and others-they reach billions of people.

The greatest propaganda machine in history. All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history. What do all these dangerous trends have in common? I’m just a comedian and an actor, not a scholar. Hate crimes are surging, as are murderous attacks on religious and ethnic minorities. Democracy, which depends on shared truths, is in retreat, and autocracy, which depends on shared lies, is on the march. It’s as if the Age of Reason-the era of evidential argument-is ending, and now knowledge is delegitimized and scientific consensus is dismissed. Conspiracy theories once confined to the fringe are going mainstream. Today around the world, demagogues appeal to our worst instincts. That’s why I appreciate the opportunity to be here with you. And when-disguised as an ultra-woke developer-I proposed building a mosque in one rural community, prompting a resident to proudly admit, “I am racist, against Muslims”-it showed the acceptance of Islamophobia. When-as Bruno, the gay fashion reporter from Austria-I started kissing a man in a cage fight in Arkansas, nearly starting a riot, it showed the violent potential of homophobia. I admit, there was nothing particularly enlightening about me-as Borat from Kazakhstan, the first fake news journalist-running through a conference of mortgage brokers when I was completely naked.īut when Borat was able to get an entire bar in Arizona to sing “Throw the Jew down the well,” it did reveal people’s indifference to anti-Semitism. Yes, some of my comedy, OK probably half my comedy, has been absolutely juvenile and the other half completely puerile. Now, I’m not going to claim that everything I’ve done has been for a higher purpose. And as a comedian, I’ve tried to use my characters to get people to let down their guard and reveal what they actually believe, including their own prejudice. As an undergraduate, I traveled around America and wrote my thesis about the civil rights movement, with the help of the archives of the ADL. As a teenager in the UK, I marched against the fascist National Front and to abolish Apartheid. The truth is, I’ve been passionate about challenging bigotry and intolerance throughout my life. At times, some critics have said my comedy risks reinforcing old stereotypes.

I realize that my presence here may also be unexpected for another reason. In fact, this is the first time that I have ever stood up and given a speech as my least popular character, Sacha Baron Cohen. I’ve spent most of the past two decades in character. Now, I realize that some of you may be thinking, what the hell is a comedian doing speaking at a conference like this! I certainly am. And to be clear, when I say “racism, hate and bigotry” I’m not referring to the names of Stephen Miller’s Labradoodles. Thank you, ADL, for this recognition and your work in fighting racism, hate and bigotry.

Thank you, Jonathan, for your very kind words.

Google keynote speech 2018