Post-Truth

Post-Truth

Adult nonfiction
"As I write this--in the spring of 2017--there is no hotter
topic of conversation than post truth. We see it in the headlines and
on tv. We overhear it in conversations at restaurants and on the
elevator. This presents an advantage and a challenge, for how to
write about something so new, evolving, and controversial?"
Lucky for us Lee McIntyre, quoted above, took up this
challenge. In his Post-Truths he helps readers understand the
daunting realities of a world in which a president can lie and get
away with it. He introduces us to concepts such as:
*how the undermining of science can lead to the acceptance of a
multiple reality mindset, especially when there's a powerful entity
with a vested interest in achieving this;
"The Tobacco Industry Research Committee was created to cast
doubt on scientific consensus that smoking cigarettes causes cancer,
to convince the media that there were two sides to the story about the
risks of tobacco and that each side should be considered with equal
weight. Finally it sought to steer politicians away from damaging the
economic interests of the tobacco companies."
*how the various forms of cognitive bias work powerfully when
rationally they shouldn't;
"In his path breaking 1955 paper 'Opinions and Social Pressure,'
Solomon Asch demonstrated that there is a social aspect to belief,
such that we may discount even the evidence of our own senses if we
think that our beliefs are not in harmony with those around us. In
short, peer pressure works..."
and *how the decline of traditional media with a commitment to
journalistic standards and ethics, coupled with the meteoric rise of
the Internet, has led to:
"And if that fails, there is always Twitter. If the media is
the enemy, then Trump can get his message directly to the people. Who
needs fact-checking when people can hear directly from the president
of the United States?"
McIntyre believes there is still time to avoid the dangerous
post-truth abyss many pundits see us rushing unstoppably into. If
this is something you care about, you'll find this fine book to be a
must read.
On a purrrsonal note: can you believe we're starting the second week
of fall semester? Talk about time flying! Here are the positives.
I'm studying student development theories and loving it. I'm making
3"x5" cards as I read to get ready for weekly quizes and the big
comprehensive final. I've turned in my first paper. Got this class
participation thing going on. The head of my academic department had
an ice cream social so faculty and students could chill and make and
eat sundaes. I saw my advisor's corgi puppy that is too cute for
words. Work goes well.
On the not so positive, nearly a month after losing Joey I am ready to
admit that I'm beyond normal grief onto clinical depression turf with
anxiety kicking in. It's beyond what I can straighten out. I am
going to see a counselor. That's what they're here for.
jules hathaway


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