Truth In a Post-Fact Era

In Peter Pomerantsev’s book This is Not Propaganda: Adventures of War against Reality he talks about the role of truth in democracy. Pomerantsev argues that we are living in an age where truth does not matter, where falsehoods and the politicians who spread them have free reign. He contends that when the truth has nothing to offer “the politician who makes a big show of rejecting facts, who validates the pleasure of spouting nonsense, who indulges in a full anarchic liberation from coherence, from glum reality, becomes attractive” (Pomerantsev 129). This is true to some extent; however, these politicians are not just spouting nonsense with no grounding in real issues. The arguments made by Donald Trump, Roger Stone, Dominic Cummings and political figures alike address real concerns. They are talking to citizens directly and promising to help them. They understand that the current political system does not work and use that to their advantage, they just are not interested in actually solving the problems they address. Truth can be very powerful, but no one wants to believe in a truth that does not suit their needs, people demand control over their lives. In the disarray of information that Pomerantsev describes, the information that bleeds through is always concerned with solving the problems real people face, taking control and creating a spectacle.

Control plays a very important role in what Pomerantsev refers to as a post-fact era. When control over one’s life is exceeding limited, believing in something can be a very powerful mitigator of that sense of displacement. Flat earth is a primary example. In the documentary Behind the Curve, there is an exceptionally large community of “flat earthers” who, despite the overwhelming amount of contrary evidence, contest that their belief is correct. The film features a conference for "flat earthers" and one of the speakers, in reference to the conference, says “this is a time that we’ve all been waiting for. This is now becoming something that cannot be ignored” (Clark 1:21:29). Flat earth is about gaining a voice. It is about having a presence in the world and feeling capable of making change. There is nothing to say to a flat earther to change their mind because to them that would mean giving up their sense of control. An article in Psychology Today addresses this question of why people believe in conspiracy theories and one of the primary reasons is the desire for control and security. The article reads “conspiracy theories can give believers a sense of control and security. This is especially true when the alternative account feels threatening” (Apes, “Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories”). This quotation is useful for a couple of reasons. The first is to highlight the need to construct a new reality when the current one feels completely out of control. Believing in flat earth allows people to feel like an active participant in history. The second is that after engaging in a conspiracy theory such as flat earth there is no turning back, the tangible world will no longer accept you, the only answer is to spiral deeper.

In the case of Donald Trump and Roger Stone, and Dominic Cummings and Brexit, the role of half-truths and complete falsehoods also spoke to this displacement of control. Most obviously, the Vote Leave campaign’s slogan was “take back control”, which clearly spoke to citizens' loss of power and dictation of their lives. Beyond this, Vote Leave used tracking software to find citizens that were unsure about their decision that the other side did not even know existed. In the film Brexit: The Uncivil War Dominic Cummings who is played by Benedict Cumberbatch explains the role of these data analytics, he says “for the first time in a British election, we’ve built some software that will combine your Facebook and your Twitter with the electoral roll and polling, and canvassing, all in one database that can be updated and respond in real-time” (Haynes 56:29). Of course, some parts of the film are dramatized for entertainment purposes, but the basic sentiment is accurate to the referendum. While their actions may have resided in a legal grey area, their data collection allowed the Vote Leave campaign to understand people’s concerns and speak to them directly.

Similarly, Donald Trump targeted citizens that Hilary Clinton did not even know had concerns. The Aufhebunga Bunga’s podcast “Media Shitness ft. Amber A’Lee Frost” discusses the role of the decline of journalism played the 2016 election. Frost explains that as journalism declined, smaller newspapers in more remote areas were closing down and no longer reporting on the issues they face. Donald Trump was the only one speaking about jobs and addressing the concerns these citizens face (Frost 26:03), it did not matter if what he was saying was true all that mattered was that citizens felt heard. In the documentary Get Me Roger Stone they highlight exactly this. In the film, Stone explains that Trump rode a crest of voter anger to success, he appealed to angry, white working-class voters to further an agenda that helps the richest people in the world, and it worked (Bank, DiMauro and Pehme 1:12:11). They knew how to use both voter anger and fear and the media’s desire to create a spectacle. In the film, Michael Caputo recounts something Roger Stone told him when he was young, he says “the media is either evil or they’re lazy, or they’re both. And if you understand that you can do whatever you want” (Bank, DiMauro, Pehme 1:08:32). Stone pioneered the narrative of “Trump VS. Everyone” and people immediately empathized with that spectacle and story. Media will always report on stories with shock value and citizens will always listen to them if it is something they want to hear; this is something Roger Stone and Dominic Cummings understand. In both cases, with Brexit and Trump, no one expected either to win so no one took it seriously. Hilary Clinton and Vote Remain failed to legitimize the challenges most citizens face so, despite the fact Donald Trump and Vote Leave never intended to change anything, they won because they talked about it.

There are, however, ways facts can work to the advantage of politicians. Pomerantsev explains this as he writes, “in politics, facts are necessary to show you are pursuing some rational idea of progress: here are our aims, here is how we prove we are achieving them, this is how they improve our lives” (Pomerantsev 128). While this is not always the case, painting truth in a way that appeals to people’s needs, while still being interesting can be a very powerful way to wield truth. In Aufhebunga Bunga, Frost explains this in regard to Bernie Sanders when discussing a recent article she published on the politician. She explains her argument is twofold, “one is that Bernie is the most popular left candidate and two is that he is the one with the best policies. Now that never, ever, ever happens in America… this is the most promising political opportunity in my lifetime” (Frost 3:04). Bernie Sanders addresses the social concerns of American citizens in a way very similar to Trump and Cummings, but in addition to this, he offers truth and evidence of how he intends to make changes and work towards a nation that benefits everyone. Sanders's use of facts makes his message all the more impactful, he reframes the narrative of “Trump VS. Everyone” to “Bernie VS. Everyone” and people are overwhelmingly drawn to it.

To conclude, Pomerantsev’s argument highlights the role truth plays in shaping the current political landscape. When reality has nothing to offer, it is not unexpected to turn to a politician who has nothing factual to say. Not because citizens do not believe in facts, but because they want to believe they can have the future they want. Truth, in itself, carries very little validity in the midst of the current information warfare. This is not to say that truth does not have power, it simply depends on how it is used. Truth can be a very powerful tool if it is used to address real issues citizens face and solve problems in a way that catches media attention.

Work Cited

Bank, Dylan, Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme, directors. Get Me Roger Stone. Netflix, 17 May 2017.

Clark, Daniel, director. Behind the Curve. Delta-v Productions, 15 Nov. 2018.

Cunliffe, Philip, George Hoare and Alex Hochuli, hosts. “/62/ Media Shitness ft. Amber A’Lee Frost” Aufhebunga Bunga, PodBean, 11 Feb. 2019. https://aufhebungabunga.podbean.com/e/62-media-shitness-ft-amber-alee-frost/

Haynes, Toby, director. Brexit: The Uncivil War. HBO, 7 Jan. 2019.

Ludden, David. “Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?” Psychology Today, 6 Jan. 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/talking-apes/201801/why-do-people-believe-in-conspiracy-theories.

Pomerantsev, Peter. “Soft Fact” This is not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, Public Affairs, New York, 2019.