Welcome to the Post-Truth Era ladies and gentlemen, where the facts matter less than cleverly worded fiction.
We are now in the era where the truth is losing its real value, particularly in politics. Trump’s presidency has shone a spotlight on the Oxford Dictionary’s international word of the year in 2016 ‘Post Truth’. Truth is losing its value as society’s reserve currency and is being replaced by our ‘new normal’. A normal full of social media innuendo where a government can come into power through this manipulation. ……………………………………………………..Just the other day I watched an interview with Jimmy Kimmel and Trump. Jimmy had made a children’s book written in the way of Doctor Seuss.
One line got me thinking, cartoon Trump had said in the book ‘losers are losers who get nothing done, just do what I do and you’ll be number one’. So I ask you, what exactly does he do to be number one? People have questioned how he came into power… I have the answer…. DECEPTION. “We are living in a society where everything is true, and nothing is true”- Obama. We are learning to navigate through life with varying information and learning it has a very dark side to it.
Donald Trump has not only broken rules and chosen not to follow protocol but has smashed democratic norms to bits and nobody in the United States was prepared for that. Trump figured out a way to profit from the negative media attention that came from his outlandish accusations and unreliable statements, he utilised social media in his favour to fuel his campaign. In a span of several weeks after Trump’s inauguration, Slate announced that “It’s Time to Give Up on Facts,” Rolling Stone declared “The End of Facts,” the New Yorker told us “Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds,” and the Atlantic ran through “the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.” And I guess we have the Post-Truth Era to thank for this… where experts are dismissed, alternative facts are offered, and the line between fact and fiction are blurred due to social media algorithms that tell us what we want to hear. … How Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Preceding Trumps win, the fake news stories surpassed the mainstream news such as the New York times with greater likes, comments and shares.
‘Wikileaks CONFIRMS Hillary sold weapons to ISIS… Then drops another BOMBSHELL’!’Pope Francis Shocks world, Endorses Donald Trump for President’. The media, specifically Facebook should be fighting this deception instead of augmenting it. Language + media = destruction of the truth… Zoinks! All 5 articles that reached over thousands of likes and shares were all against Hillary, this just shows how powerful the human language is to manipulate and sway opinions.
You could say that it’s all a little crazy……and then we have the First Lady wearing a jacket with the words ‘I REALLY DON’T CARE. DO U?’ printed on the back, while visiting the children’s migrant centre. Melania Trump states that it had no hidden meaning behind it, even Trump himself tweeted; “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!”5:51 AM – Jun 22, 2018 People believe Melania is a woman who takes great pride in what she wears, and this jacket was no accident. Who’s to say which is the truth…The truth has become so abstruse and belittled that what was once Wonka’s golden ticket, is now simple a worthless bar #chachingHowever, this word ‘Post Truth’ cannot entirely be associated with politics and the Leader of the Free World. It comes down to the basic foundations like the language we speak, we use common phrases in today’s English language which are spoken but mean the exact opposite. “wow you look great”, “your table will be ready in a few minutes” and lastly “I’m fine”. People have neglected the truth.
We sometimes celebrate these lies without even realising…and for this, there’s always a price to pay. It was inevitable that Trump was our own doing even though we had a head start in dodging the bullet with him. We the audience have the greatest power to push back the wave of fake news. We all, including children, should be taught methods of evaluating and analysing what we read. Some suggest making philosophy compulsory at schools, after all philosophy in part is a study that specialises in issues of truth and knowledge.
In the end it comes down to us to decide between truth and fabrication, that’s why we need to become the generation of critical thinkers.John 8.32- “THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE”.
