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If someone believes a lie, is it a lie? We are in a situation where all sides of the argument are essentially lies (to someone) because of how we have had even

If someone believes a lie, is it a lie? We are in a situation where all sides of the argument are essentially lies (to someone) because of how we have had events framed for us. Is the media responsible? Depends on who you don’t like. Is Pizzagate or Russiagate real? Conspiracies have flown in all directions. Lie itself is a term that is more persuasive than falsehood. When i hear someone call something a lie i tend to ignore everything that person says. Iraq having weapons of mass destruction. Lie or falsehood? If you don’t give them the benefit of the doubt, call it a lie. I think using the term lie itself is a self-contained conspiracy theory. One is assuming that what they are hearing is not just wrong, but not worth investigating because the person saying it doesn’t actual believe it.

jariel 6y ago
That's a good point, but we are supposed to have systems of credibility for that. Even Fox news - after the election - was careful not to directly support Trump's false claims. Instead, they 'sympathized' with voters who 'felt disenfranchised' - which is a kind of indirect lie, but not a 'straight up lie'. Even when facts are contentious we can still get the word out. We absolutely need integrity in the system at all levels - which is why having a President that completely fabricates stories, it's a problem. The press has been bending reality more since the election of Trump, which is why his presence adds to the toxicity - it just creeps into everything. It's why, despite however much some might agree with his policies, they come at an addition 'hidden cost' of the erosion of integrity in some of these systems. We all have to play our part and try to be as objective as we can I guess.
- ccsnags 6y ago
  I think this is the best way forward. The system needs integrity to work but it needs discipline to maintain it. Now it has neither. Political pressure creates an us vs them mentality where reality must pass through a filter to get to the public and whoever controls this filter wins. This is the battleground of divide but it is also how we know what’s going on. This is why we have several versions of events and one’s belief in a version is entirely dependent on one’s political views, not evidence. Evidence is tacked on after the fact. One thing I like to do is give people the benefit of the doubt. This helps me understand where they are coming from in their own words. Most people on any side of any discussion are decent and deserve to be heard.

jariel 6y ago

That's a good point, but we are supposed to have systems of credibility for that. Even Fox news - after the election - was careful not to directly support Trump's false claims. Instead, they 'sympathized' with voters who 'felt disenfranchised' - which is a kind of indirect lie, but not a 'straight up lie'. Even when facts are contentious we can still get the word out. We absolutely need integrity in the system at all levels - which is why having a President that completely fabricates stories, it's a problem. The press has been bending reality more since the election of Trump, which is why his presence adds to the toxicity - it just creeps into everything. It's why, despite however much some might agree with his policies, they come at an addition 'hidden cost' of the erosion of integrity in some of these systems. We all have to play our part and try to be as objective as we can I guess.

ccsnags 6y ago
I think this is the best way forward. The system needs integrity to work but it needs discipline to maintain it. Now it has neither. Political pressure creates an us vs them mentality where reality must pass through a filter to get to the public and whoever controls this filter wins. This is the battleground of divide but it is also how we know what’s going on. This is why we have several versions of events and one’s belief in a version is entirely dependent on one’s political views, not evidence. Evidence is tacked on after the fact. One thing I like to do is give people the benefit of the doubt. This helps me understand where they are coming from in their own words. Most people on any side of any discussion are decent and deserve to be heard.