The expression “Post-Truth” has been used everywhere these past few months (well, everywhere I look, anyhow). It annoys me because it’s too mild, giving an air of dignity/normality/innovation to outright lies, deception and falsification.
Is there a reason why the word “lie” isn’t used more often? For instance, news outlets being afraid of lawsuits?
I’ve heard the phrase more in the context of describing a larger trend or time, i.e. “We’re living in a post truth era, where a lot of people don’t care what facts are anymore.” I usually don’t see it as a synonym for an individual lie.
Because it’s something different from a lie (and more pernicious). It’s what the philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt called “bullshit”: something that isn’t merely an intentionally stated falsity, but something that’s asserted with no relation to or regard for the truth at all, purely to further some agenda.
So the liar might tell you something they know is false, because they want you to believe it; there is some relation to truth still, even if it’s a negative one. The bullshitter, on the other hand, doesn’t care whether what he says is true, or false, whether you believe him, or not. They’ll say whatever they think may cause others to go along with their agenda.
That’s why it’s ‘post-truth’: it’s not an euphemism, rather, it denotes a level of discourse on which factual matters have simply become irrelevant. So whenever somebody points out that such-and-such statement of Trump and his cronies is factually wrong, they’ve failed to realize that they’re no longer playing the same game—they’re playing chess, while Trump et al. are playing Calvinball—calling out ‘that’s against the rules’ is simply a category mistake in such circumstances.
Post-truth isn’t a euphemism. It just refers to the idea that we are in an era where truth doesn’t matter anymore. That the human race is sunseting, since we have lost our contact with reality and thus cannot face the real challenges ahead. It’s actually quite a frightening description.
I very much hope it is not accurate. So it hardly seems like a “good word” for me.
Ah, it makes more sense now. Thanks you all for your replies.
Because it’s the Republicans. They are always deferred to, given special consideration. Anything they do or say is spun to look better than it is.
I agree. People need to understand that this is not a euphemism for something. It’s an apt label for the new political era.