Whispers, Lies, and the Truth
“Never believe a thing simply because you want to believe it”~Tyrion Lannister
For my first post in a new series, One Page, I’ll begin with a quote from Tyrion Lannister, which struck a chord with me the other day. Even if you haven’t clocked weeks and months in front of your TV watching all eight seasons of The Game of Thrones, you probably know that the diminutive but mighty Tyrion says some of the wisest and most quotable lines in the show.
His statement resonates now more than ever in this era of Trump. I think ALL of us–no matter our political affinities–are intent on believing and affirming what we already want to believe–sometimes despite evidence to the contrary.
So how do we keep an open mind in an era where truth is fluid (i.e., subjective). How do we distinguish lies from the truth?
You may be reassured to know that we’ve been in a similar spot in history before.
The Backstory
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced an American public that was predominantly isolationist and against entering World War II. At the same time, FDR had committed to provide aid to Winston Churchill and the British people. What’s worse, anti-British sentiment ran high in different parts of the country, especially in places where Irish immigrants settled–like Boston and New York City. In this tense era, rumors swirled, circulated by isolationists Americans and those who wanted to help the Allies or the Axis powers.
In the 1940’s several newspapers and colleges, most notably The Boston Herald and Harvard University, ran Rumor Clinics, which solicited rumors from the public, had teams of volunteers, staff, and students who researched them, and posted the results.
Rumor Clinic at the Boston Herald. 1942. Life Magazine.
Fast Forward to Today
Two journalists from The New York Times, David Lionhardt and Stuart A. Thompson, have undertaken the task of keeping track of President Trump’s lies, fact-checking them and periodically updating the list in the article “Trump’s Lies…and Counting.”
Source: Trump’s Lies,..And Counting. July 21, 2017
Sound Familiar?
It’s tempting to think America has never been so divided before on the issues of race and religion, and people have never struggled as hard to sift out the lies from a caldron of daily, heart-wrenching news. It’s tempting to believe that terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s tempting to think anti-fascists battled against totalitarian regimes in Spain, Italy, and Germany decades ago, but they never existed here in America. But you’d be mistaken.
After several years of researching a new novel about the rise of fascist hate groups in America in the 1940’s, I am struck again and again with the parallels between the past and the current struggles in our world. While I’m working on my new novel set in Boston in the 1940’s, I’ll post “flashbacks”–brief profiles of people, places, and events which echo what is happening today in America and in other parts of the world. My hope is that the successes and missteps in the past will help us today as we struggle to find our way through the murkiness and ugliness to a better future. This is not simply my wish for my own country, but for all of us around the world. I’m an optimist. I believe we can avert the gloomy predictions of people like C.S. Lewis who believe we are destined to sink again into the mire of divisiveness:
“That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended – civilizations are built up – excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and the cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin.”― C.S. Lewis
Instead, I believe in a hopeful future.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.
This is the first post in a series called One Page, which highlights events from the past that resonate in today’s political climate. To see other posts in this series, follow the links below.
A Quiz: Do You Know These Fascists?
Categories: One Page
P.A. Moed 
Well done, it is an era of “fluidity.” Let’s hope that we come out on the other side of this chaos and uncertainty with a moral code for the greater good.
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I totally agree, Sally. We have got to have a vision of the future that will carry us through this uncertainty.
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This one goes on my browser toolbar. I expect to use it.
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Hi, Cortland. Great to hear from you! So glad you’re bookmarking this!
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Well said, Patti. Thanks for putting things in perspective. Have you listened to the podcast called Backstory? It’s hosted by 4 American history professors (one who teaches at UVa). They’ve done two excellent pieces about recent events and placed them in the context as you mentioned above.
(Also, Nixon on the cover of Time 55 times? Wow!)
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Hi, Jackie. Wow! Thanks for the tip. I haven’t heard about Backstory. I will check it out. So glad you enjoyed this post.
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great post, and great food for thought- and disturbing. I will look forward to your new book!!
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Oh, that would be wonderful, Cybele if it were in your hands right now! But I’ve got a lot of work to do before then!
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It’s so true that we believe what we want to, and can be so difficult to look at the other side, but the inability to do that causes the greatest suffering to ourselves and others.
The C.S. Lewis quote though gloomy also gives a sense of perspective, in a way similar to the Sagan quote you posted before.
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Yes, vert true. Lewis does give a sense of perspective. And it is difficult to look at the other side. I’m in the process of doing that now and it can be painful, but rewarding!
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