We are all Slave now.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

You realize I'm actually on your side here. I was being ironic when I used "speak truth" to the old. The joke is that Trump spoke "truth" to the old and scared which they wanted to hear. It's not actual truth, of course.

But given the public's distaste for actual truth, and desire to instead trade in narratives, I have to ask, somewhat earnestly, "What's the value of truth anymore"?

Seriously. Put aside the typical adversarial bent of conversation here and assume I'm asking the question without any bias of any kind. "Truth is worth _____ right now?" Or perhaps more significantly, fill in this: "Truth is likely to go [up/down] to [x] degree in value in the near future."

Consider this argument: https://www.fastcompany.com/40565050...reputation-now

Isn't truth increasingly uncomfortably close to, if not fused with, or all but eaten by, branding/messaging/spin/tribal dog-whistling?

Even when it's factual, is it not gilded or massaged to suit the audience?

ETA: Your reference to Goebbels is apt. But to find the real villain, you have to go back to Bernays. The Big Lie is an American concept, born on Madison Avenue, a few minutes from Trump Tower.

We seem to live in a world where people are more interested in arguing over whether reality is relevant rather than over what it is, and as long as that is the case, we are Wiemar.