Truth

We have gathered here to mark the passing of many an artifact and institution that has outlived its usefulness. I’d like to comment on the death of one of my favorites.

Let’s all wave a found farewell to The Truth.

The Truth as in a fact or set of facts that are incontrovertible or the condition of enlightenment derived from contemplation of such facts. Things that have actually happened, words people really said, actions they certifiable took, and the acknowledgment that these actions and words occurred and were said. For real. Honest. In case you haven’t noticed, that kind of truth is gone.

It has been replace by New Truth, this in the tradition of New Coke which was an improvement of something we never asked anybody to improve. New Truth strips away the outmoded demands for veracity and evidence. Streamlined New Truth is simply anything you or I or anyone else says that we can get someone to believe. Their belief makes what we say true. The more people we can get to believe it, the truer it becomes.

Now, you may be asking yourself, how is this different from lying. I’ll answer that question: Not at all.

Like much of what is elegant and beautiful the truth has been overwhelmed in the open marketplace by a superior product: The Lie.

The lie has always been a potent force, arguably man’s most enduring contribution to civilization. But with recent deregulation, the lie has soared to its greatest heights marking the rapid marginalization and eventual disappearance of the dusty old concept of truth.

To be honest, I think we all saw this coming. In a fair fight, a lie will always be able to outgun the truth, mainly because lies are not restricted to the hobbling need for honesty that hogties the truth.

Lies have other advantages. Lies fill a need, truth is without obvious function. Lies are bold, strong, comforting, easy to understand and communicate to others. Lies are shoutable, the stuff of bumper stickers. A good lie usually contains at least some trace of the truth, the way HI-C contains ten percent real fruit juice. But it’s the other ninety percent that gives it flavorand shelf-life. Lies are much more entertaining. And while they require some effort on the part of the liar, they come to us duty free. All we have to do is swallow. One of their greatest evolutionary advantages is the fact that lies can appear so good and noble in their stated intentions that they make those who question them appear suspect.

On the other hand, truth is awkward, subtle, troublesome and slippery. You can’t trust the truth. It can turn on you. But a lie will always be there for you. A lie will never let you down. If it does, just lie about it and move on. You see the advantages?

This hasn’t been a sudden development, it’s been coming on for years. Helped by the belief of many that not being caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth.

Certainly what has accelerated the ascendancy of the lie is the final admission in places high and low that the truth was at best a vestigial organ. Like the appendix. It’s in there somewhere, its origins and purpose a little murky. It flares up occasionally, causing pain. If you don’t pay attention the damn thing can kill you. But it can also be removed and you can go on for a lifetime and never miss it.

So, we arrive at the dawn of the age of New Truth in which a thing becomes so simply because a sufficient number of people believe it. Fact by consensus. Frankly, this is not a new idea. Ask Gallileo.

But I think with our new techniques for creating and spreading lies of both commission and omission we’ll be able to take the art of deceit to new levels. Now that truth has been shunted off to the lunatic fringe, there’s nothing to stop us.

Admittedly we will become a nation of sociopaths who can’t differentiate between reality and fantasy and who don’t need a reason for our actions, merely the appearance of a reason which can, in a pinch, be provided and revised substantially after the fact. But, I’m sure you’ll agree the pluses outweigh the minuses.

People who have been lying to themselves for decades will see the examplesset by the brave individuals in both the public and private sectors and come to realize they’ve been mistaken. What they thought was shameful and cowardly is in fact a gift, a source of great personal and national pride. They will hold their heads up high and lie through their teeth as they listen to the stream of lies from others and nod in heartwarming agreement.

Truth is dead, along with responsibility and culpability. History is reduced to something written on an Etch-A Sketch. And so we will march on, as blissful as sleepwalkers on a twenty-story ledge, unassailable in our self-generated certainty that things are what they tell us they are.

I truly believe this. And since I believe it, it is true.

-Joseph Dougherty