The Video, the Narrative, and the Lie They Expect You to Swallow

Why the gap between what we see and what we’re told is the real accelerant

Jack Hopkins

Jan 25, 2026

The Video, the Narrative, and the Lie They Expect You to Swallow

Why the gap between what we see and what we’re told is the real accelerant

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #751: Sunday, January 25th, 2026.

Let me start where everyone else is lying to themselves.

People aren’t angry because they’re stupid.
They’re angry because they saw the video.

And then…like idiots were expected to forget their own eyes…they were calmly told that what they saw wasn’t really what happened.

That’s the spark.
That’s the gasoline.
That’s why this feels different.

A man is dead in Minneapolis after a federal immigration operation. You watched the footage. You heard the explanation. And your gut said the same thing millions of other guts said:

That doesn’t line up.

Once that thought lands…trust doesn’t wobble. It snaps.

Here’s the deal

By the end of this piece…you’ll understand why the gap between what you saw and what you were told is the most dangerous thing in the room right now…and why blowing up emotionally…is exactly what helps the people who created that gap.

This is not a call for calm.
It’s a call for not being played.

The video (because that’s what matters)

Let’s not insult each other.

There’s video. People replayed it. Slowed it down. Watched it again at 2am because their nervous system wouldn’t shut up.

What they saw wasn’t clean.
It wasn’t controlled.
It wasn’t some tidy use-of-force diagram.

It was chaos. Escalation. Physical force. A shot. A body on the ground.

And here’s the part that matters:

What people saw does not match what they were later told happened.

That’s it. That’s the problem.

Not politics.
Not ideology.
Mismatch.

Then comes the script

Right on time, the same old language showed up:

“Targeted operation.”
“Defensive action.”
“Perceived threat.”
“Ongoing investigation.”

Translation:

Please stop thinking while we decide what story to lock in.

These aren’t explanations. They’re stall tactics. And people know it now.

We’ve all lived this rhythm:

Statement → clarification → adjustment → investigation → silence.

And silence…is where rage grows teeth.

If you’re reading this and thinking “they’re trying to manage me” …yes. That instinct is correct.

Why this gap is dangerous

The real threat right now isn’t “too much anger.”

It’s unresolved contradiction.

When video and official narrative diverge…and no one resolves it quickly…people are forced to choose which reality to believe. When institutions insist on their version without addressing visible discrepancies, people feel handled.

That’s how societies radicalize. Not because people love chaos…but because they feel gaslit.

This isn’t a public failure.
It’s a leadership failure.

Anger isn’t the problem

Anger right now is rational. Fear is rational. Outrage is rational.

That buzzing, clenched-jaw feeling is a nervous system doing its job.

But…here’s where amateurs screw this up:

Emotion is information. It is not instruction.

Fire alarms save lives.
Fire alarms don’t drive the car.

The part nobody wants to hear

The state does not fear your rage.

It plans for it.
It budgets for it.
It trains for it.

What power hates is documentation that survives scrutiny:

Full footage, not clips
Timelines, not adjectives
Policies, not vibes
Names, not spokespeople

Violence talk expands power.
Receipts shrink it.

That’s not moral theory. That’s mechanics.

What always happens when facts are delayed

This is boring and deadly accurate:

Trust collapses
Extremes dominate the conversation
Authorities justify more force “to restore order”

Every time.

The loudest people urging chaos won’t pay the price. Other people will.

Why “just trust us” is dead

There was a time when authority could say “we’re looking into it” and people waited.

That time is over.

You cannot show people one thing with their eyes…and contradict it with press-release adjectives and expect obedience.

Once legitimacy drains…everything becomes volatile.

Leadership failed here

Real leadership doesn’t scold people for reacting.

It says:

Here’s what we know.
Here’s what we don’t.
Here’s who’s investigating…and why they’re independent.
Here’s the footage release plan.
Here’s the timeline.
Here’s what accountability looks like.

Anything less isn’t caution.

It’s cowardice.

And cowardice pours fuel on fire.

Because people feel trapped between silence and spin.

When facts are missing and explanations feel evasive…people grab for agency anywhere….even stupid places.

Shaming doesn’t help.
Lecturing doesn’t help.

Reality helps.

Flooding the zone with facts collapses fantasy.

If you’re reading this late at night…

…scrolling, replaying, arguing with strangers…good. You’re paying attention.

But…attention…without discipline…turns into self-destruction.

You don’t need permission to be angry.

You need direction.

What actually de-escalates this moment

Not suppression.
Not platitudes.
Not “both sides.”

Transparency. Relentless transparency.

Release the footage.
Release the timeline.
Release the policies.
Release the names.
Release the oversight structure.

When reality is visible…imagination loses its most dangerous fuel.

The fork in the road

One path leads to escalating rhetoric and exactly the kind of footage certain people are praying for.

The other is slower, less sexy…and far more effective:

Turn outrage into pressure.
Turn anger into demands.
Turn chaos into consequences.

The blunt ending

If you’re furious, you’re normal.
If you feel helpless, you’re human.

But…if you let fury decide your strategy…you become useful to the people you despise.

The winners in chaos aren’t the grieving.

They’re the ones who operate in the fog.

Don’t help them.

This Action Desk (below) is a sample of what paid subscribers will receive starting next week: weekly checklists, clear targets, and rapid Signal Alerts when the story shifts

THE ACTION DESK

(10 minutes. No guesswork.)

This is the operational layer…the part that turns anger into leverage.

1) The five receipts to demand (copy/paste)

Full, unedited video from all agencies present
Body-camera policy + who was wearing one
Use-of-force report and timeline
Chain of command on scene
Name of the independent investigative authority

2) One script (use exactly)

“I’m requesting full transparency regarding the Minneapolis shooting: complete footage, body-cam status, use-of-force reports, chain of command, and the name of the independent investigator. Please respond in writing.”

3) Three offices

State Attorney General’s office
City Council / Mayor’s office
DHS Inspector General

4) If you only do one thing

Force the timeline. Delays protect institutions…not truth.

Force reality into the open.
Keep it there.
Make it cost something.

That’s how adults win.

That’s how pressure compounds.

Before you go:
If you’re reading in-app, comment RECEIPTS if you want this Action Desk expanded into a reusable template for every federal use-of-force incident. If so, I’ll send it out in one of the upcoming newsletter articles.