Truth Decay - Barak to Boris

I listened to Barak Obama being interviewed about his new book "A Promised Land"on Radio 4 this morning.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/barack-obama-book-live-reading-highlights-best-bits-b1724527.html

I've always thought he was a pretty good president - well informed, literate, thoughtful, a good communicator - what you need in a good leader. Such a contrast to both Boris & tRump. tRump seems to be the model Boris follows in so many ways, not least the tenuous hold he has on truth & the aggrandised, erroneous, image he has of himself.

So I think Obama's phrase "truth decay" is worryingly clever. We live in a world where communication is instant. I can find out what is happening anywhere from Venezuela to Kazakhstan. The difficulty I have is knowing whether what I'm reading, or even seeing is true. Truth has decayed to such an extent that conspiracy theories are rife. We trust nothing & no one.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/investigating-the-most-convincing-covid-19-conspiracy-theories

 

I do believe what I'm told by reputable websites like Kings College London. So if they produce this about conspiracy theories I have confidence in what I'm reading.

On the other hand there is the lengthy crowdfunded movie, Hold Up, which purports to uncover a conspiracy by global governments and pharmaceutical companies to use the pandemic to assert control over citizens.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/covid-conspiracy-theory-france-antivaxx-b1729249.html

If something is produced well there will always be people who are taken in by it. If someone in a position of supreme authority, like tRump or Boris, says something, people will believe it. People want to follow leaders. People are gullible & too lazy to fact check with reliable information. The media doesn't police what they publish, believing that everyone has the right to their opinions. They do. I believe that, but they also need to be told when something is a lie.

We can't afford Truth Decay. The Anti Vaxers will have a seriously detrimental effect on stopping virus transmission if they have their way & that affects us all. Politicians deliberately lying in order to achieve power & then hold on to it affects us all. tRump & Boris have made this into an art form & seriously damaged democracy in doing so.

Everyone has to fight against Truth Decay or Democracy & the Rule of Law has had it.