In today’s world “the truth” has become a pretty allusive thing to tie down.
ESU professor Michael Smith offered a new term in his recent Wichita Eagle piece. It was “post-truth.”
In fact the Oxford English Dictionary declared “post-truth” the “word of the year!”
Defined it is: “Relating or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs.”
Obviously it also explains much of the past year in terms of things we have heard and or read. Too many stories that when fact checked were not quite what the person creating them had implied.
Of course our President-elect Donald Trump leads the world in things said that turned out to not be exactly as he described them. No, he actually leads the universe, but who’s counting.
Mrs. Clinton had her share, but probably not in the same class as The Donald.
My point today isn’t so much to indict our President-elect, but to point out that telling the truth has become a not so popular thing to do.
Unfortunately many of our leaders are guilty to some degree.
Post-truth is running wild.
Example: In 2013 while defending his new health care plan President Obama said “If you like your insurance plan you can keep it.” He did eventually apologize, but his gaff was still tabbed the “lie of the year.”
Bernie Sander’s plan for “Free Tuition” for all was amusing to me.
Sorry Bernie, but there aren’t any free lunches. Free maybe if you don’t pay taxes. Somebody would have to pay for that tuition, but “appealing to the emotions” of people with tuition to pay or large debts still unpaid was effective. It wasn’t a big lie, but “free tuition” was certainly not the truth.
Now – the real test. Can our next president figure out how to govern without abusing the truth?
I think Circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs will be much more difficult to find for him as president.
