George Orwell described things in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four with some frightful insights into the world that would exist 37 years after his imaginings.
1984 was written by English novelist George Orwell. It was published in 1949 as Orwell's ninth and final book. Thematically, Nineteen Eighty-Four centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of persons and behaviors within society. Orwell, himself a democratic socialist, modeled the authoritarian government in the novel after Stalinist Russia. More broadly, the novel examines the role of truth and facts within politics and the ways in which they are manipulated.
en.wikipedia.org/...
I predict the future will see a plethora of books with 1/6/2021 in the lead title. We have stumbled into a time when people will not even agree on whether these forthcoming books, individually, are fact or fiction.
A large and influential portion of the country has somehow lost the ability to differentiate between the two. They can’t tell when they are being lied to. They don’t know how to find reliable sources. And worst of all, they are unable to use critical thinking skills to foresee the outcomes or trace the root motivations of those that lead by lying to them.
False memes absolve them of having to take any responsibility for searching out the truth, and promote feelings of entitlement based on fraudulent claims. Part of this is the media and its failure to stop, question, or fact check obvious liars in real time. A huge part of it is social media and its wildfire, unsupervised methods of disseminating information — true or false. And a huge part of this is us. All of us.
When did we all stop insisting on “truthfulness?”
Every citizen, old and young, needs to be re-educated on a very basic principle of living a meaningful life:
1 The quality or state of being true.
- 1.1 also the truth That which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
- 1.2 A fact or belief that is accepted as true.
1 A thing that is known or proved to be true.
- 1.1 facts Information used as evidence or as part of a report or news article.
- 1.2 Law The truth about events as opposed to interpretation.
lie2
noun1 An intentionally false statement.
verb1Used with reference to a situation involving deception or founded on a mistaken impression.
Again, when did we all stop insisting on “truthfulness?” And what can we do about it?
There are lots of studies on why people lie, and how to tell if they’re lying. This article from Forbes (2015), written by Kathy Caprino, relies heavily on observations noted by former CIA Officers Philip Houston, Michael Floyd and Susan Carnicero. It may predate the serial liar president who took lying to a whole new level, but its conclusions are still sound.
How To Tell When People Lie And Make Them Tell The Truth
Why do people lie?
- Because they fear the negative consequences of disclosing the truth.
- Because they want others to believe something about them that isn’t true.
- Because they want to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
*(Because they are sociopaths and have no conscience?) Sorry, my bad.
How can we spot a lie quickly and easily?
- Evasion: Think of these behaviors as linguistic acts of concealment. Example: Failure to answer the question.
- Persuasion: These behaviors are aimed at convincing you of something, rather than conveying the information you’re asking for. Example: Invoking religion.
- Manipulation: These behaviors are meant to disrupt your game plan. Example: Failure to understand a simple question.
- Aggression: These behaviors are typically exhibited by a person who feels cornered, and who needs to lash out to get you to back off. Example: Attacking your credibility.
- Reaction: These are behaviors that are triggered by the autonomic nervous system when your question creates a spike in anxiety. Example: Hand-to-face activity.
What are the key steps to take to get the truth out of anyone?
- 1. Adopt a sincere, understanding tone and demeanor.
- 2. Help the person rationalize his actions.
- 3. Minimize the seriousness of the situation.
- 4. Socialize the situation so the person doesn’t feel so alone.
- 5. Assure the individual that there is plenty of blame to go around.
- 6. Don’t allow the person to voice a lie or a denial.
- 7. Take advantage of the power of repetition.
- 8. Use implicit rather than explicit language.
- 9. Never sit in judgment.
*my two cents
What should be the consequences for lying?
What happens if you lie to your boss? Your lover? Your friends? On your taxes? When you are pulled over by the cops? What happens if you lie about what your product can do? What happens when you lie to a judge? What happens if you lie to your employees? What happens if you lie to your neighbors?
There is a consequence, and in almost all of these cases, it’s likely to cost you big. No, you won’t often go to jail, but you will lose. Lose friends, lose respect, lose business, lose your job...
So where are the consequences for lying to the people you serve? To the media? To the government?
It’s time for some light on the shadowy liars who have dragged our country into the gutters of intolerance, hatred and violence.
Story after story here and elsewhere delineate the massive lies that are yet being spewed across our bruised and broken country.
www.dailykos.com/… 1/28/2021 by UsernameUnavailable
www.dailykos.com/… 1/27/2021 by PvtJarHead
www.dailykos.com/… 1/26/2021 by News Corpse
It’s time for some serious consequences. Maybe we can’t put them all in jail, but we can do something. And we must.