INDIE TRUTHER

Q: Who are you and what is The Indie Truther?

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The Indie Truther is a webzine that looks at how those who have any power or influence are using that same power in conjunction with misdirection to lead to (oftentimes) nefarious or self-serving ends. Because of the many avenues that this misdirection can take, the site not only focuses on the political leaders of our nation but also those who are directing millions of followers through their social media empires. Though the publishing frequency of the social media influence articles is not as prevalent as the political ones, we know that there are tens of millions of Americans who do not follow politics at all but are oftentimes being duped in the exact same way as our lawmakers towards everyone else. The primary author of the content is Anton Sawyer. He is joined by his business partner Nicole West—who handles all of the back-end elements to the site and occasionally pens a piece.

 

We like to consider ourselves “Unbiasedly Biased.” There will be articles that definitely have a pro-liberal slant. There will be articles that definitely have a pro-conservative slant. Some will even hold both to account all in one. Regardless of the political positioning, or which specific arm of popular culture the subject is known for, all misdirection will be exposed at one point or another.  

 

Q: With how divisive the news cycle has become, have you seen this non-partisanship stance being welcomed with open arms?

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Because of this unbiasedly biased stance, along with Anton being as vocal as he is about the political independents of this country, it has revealed just how indivisible certain people have become when it pertains to party affiliation.

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To the republicans, The Indie Truther is nothing more than an arbiter of destruction. Hell-bent on razing our entire way of life in America in an attempt to punish those who have had success. All done while yelling at the top of our lungs how much we hate the red, white, and blue.

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To the democrats, because we don’t blindly follow along and hold the same level of unconditional love for the party and its leaders as some people do, we are seen as nothing more than a member of the Geheimpolizei secret police that wants to see an autocracy proliferate. Again leading to the same endgame of the utter destruction of the American way of life.

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This is why we value our readers so much. Whether on our Twitter account or other social media platform, we have people consistently re-tweeting, or sharing on Reddit and Facebook, and it has helped immensely. Due to the controversial nature and topics of the articles, we've seen a number of our tweets suppressed, and having our content be permanently banned from Reddit; this makes the readers that share our work so valuable to what we're doing. 

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Q: Why should your opinions matter?

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After having become politically aware during the 2000 election, Anton has followed both parties under scrutiny for many years. During this time he became obsessed with 20th Century American History and found that many of the calamities that hurt the country in the prior century were being repeated, and sending us on a negative trajectory. Of course, transparency and trust are some of the keystones to what the site is about. This is why on every article if some statistic is used or some piece of research is written about, the access to its entirety will be available in our Bibliography section. If there is a specific law that is referenced, the link to the law itself will be available. If there’s a scientific research paper, we will direct you to the entire thing. We know that context matters. We know that anyone can pick and choose certain quotes or other elements completely out of context to solidify their ideal. We include everything so you can see the entire context. Also, for better or worse, over the last dozen years or so of his life, Anton has had the ability to be directly involved with situations that have dominated our social, and legal cultures. He knows this doesn’t make him “smarter” or “better” than anyone, however, there’s a certain level of wisdom and experience you get from living a situation versus second-hand accounts.

 

Q: What are these “situations?”

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• In 2008 he was getting a ride home from a friend who was black. Anton got to see racially motivated harassment by the police predicated on “mistaken identity” as they had just both got done with their work shifts. There is much to this story, but it ended when the friend was arrested, and Anton was threatened (in a few different ways) when he tried to stop the situation. 

• In 2011Anton became a victim of the opioid epidemic. He was diagnosed with an auto-immune condition that can cause a severe amount of pain. His doctor, on the first visit, prescribed him 120 Lortab 10mg, with 12 refills (it was supposed to last a year). He got severely addicted and it took years to quit. Happily, he can say he hasn't been taking them for over two years now. 

• In 2015—before Donald Trump made his announcement—Anton worked for six months as a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee under Reince Priebus for the campaign coming the following year. Though the purpose behind him working there was to research links between politics and psychology, it was discovered there was a lot more about the levels of manipulation the party used towards their base. He called people who were registered as a Republican or who had supported before and used some pretty dubious tactics to “get support” from the base. 

• Between 2014 and 2018 Anton worked in the music industry helping bands with press writing and promotion. During this time he toured with a band across North America. With one of the members being a female, he was able to see that sadly, sexism and misogyny are still alive and well in the entertainment industry. 

• In the span of two years, Anton went from walking in and writing about the 2015 Pride Parade for a major metropolitan city, to receiving death threats from the liberal branch of the Social Justice Warriors for his work with a different band that was mired in controversy.

• As you read through the articles, there will be other situations you will see that aren’t mentioned here. But whenever possible, Anton uses the research in conjunction with his experiences to illustrate how the United States is heading in a specific direction, and what could be done to help stop it.

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Q: What are you wanting us to think? What is the ultimate goal?

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Unlike other websites that tackle politics or media influences, The Indie Truther is not trying to sell you on a specific side. The main purpose is for people to make educated choices. Both political parties constantly refer to “low information voters” and how they are damaging it for the rest of us with their ignorance. We look at what a politician—or social media influencer—claims as being accurate, and then leap into the rabbit hole head-first to see what the actual numbers—or reality—are. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, the goal here is not to trash one of the sides to sway people towards the other. Whether you are conservative or liberal if you find a person/group whose ACTIONS mirror the same ingredients that comprise your moral core, then go for it. But do not be so naïve as to think for one second that if there is power involved, the person/group you support hasn’t done something terrible to someone, at some point. Whenever I heard someone say “ALL politicians are liars. All they care about is screwing over the little guy. But I support (blank) because they tell it like it is!” No, they aren’t. They are just telling it like you want to hear it.

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Q: For a site that claims to be so “independent,” the economic policies written about seem to be as liberal/radical as it gets. How is this as independent as you claim?

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Simply numbers. One thing that has been mentioned in many articles is to look at the numbers of the ratio of the Minimum Wage to Annual Household Income and the tax brackets of 1963. It was during a time of peak upward mobility, before the Vietnam War, and the purchasing power of the average American citizen was at a zenith—coincidentally, this is also the same time frame that a lot of Americans feel we were “great”.  Since then, the top tax bracket has seen a decrease in their amounts owed by 54%. Also, the purchasing power of the middle and lower classes has been cut in half. The articles have the specific numbers, but even using logic will tell you everything you need to know. In the 1960s a single-income household was able to afford a house, car, and a spouse with two kids. In modern times it would take AT LEAST 2.5-3 household incomes to be able to afford the same things. Until we can return to those numbers from 1963, then income inequality is going to continue its current trajectory nationwide. Because we understand it takes two to tango, along with the fact that these numbers have taken more than four decades to drift from where they were once at, both political parties have had a hand in this chasm of wealth. Knowing this, The Indie Truther does not care if the plan comes from the GOP or DNC, whoever has a plan to return us to those numbers will receive our support.   

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Q: Do you allow an open forum discussion, or will my comments be censored?

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We are believers in free speech. We do not believe there’s a word that can send a person to the place where the man with the pitchfork and horns conducts his business. As long as we can remain respectful, no one will be censored. However, comments that are racist, homophobic, or bigoted in any way will not be tolerated.