Post Truth World: An Ever Present Reality?
In 2016, the international word of the year for the Oxford Dictionaries was "post-truth".[1] Trump's victory in US presidential elections had brought a certain amount of interest in the "post-truth politics" which is defined as 'relating to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.'
While the term generated an interest as late as 2016, it would be puerile to dismiss the existence of a "post-truth world" earlier. That humans are creatures of emotions has been the assumption behind the work of many scholars who have tried to identify the causes, consequences, and conflicts arising because of the same. Appeal to emotion is and has been routinely used by activists and others to further their cause.
In Julius Caesar, a classic of Shakespeare, there comes a turning point. Caesar is murdered by his confidantes including Brutus. Brutus explains and justifies the murder to the crowd which is reasonably, if not completely, satisfied by the explanation. Enter Antony and one comes across a great example of rhetoric. Antony cleverly appeals to the emotions of the crowd. At the same time, he stops short of getting in direct conflict with Brutus and others. He appeals to the emotions of the crowd, citing instances of Caesar's generosity.[2] The crowd is swayed by the speech and the fates reverse. Caesar becomes the hero who had been wronged as the crowd turns against Brutus and other conspirators. One needs to note that all this while, facts had remained the same.
In a more recent example, the Australian cricket captain Smith was labeled a cheat as the incident of premeditated ball tampering occupied the prime time slot. Reactions were extreme - calls for a lifetime ban were common. The disgraced trio found little support. Finally, as emotions nosedived while Smith continued to take the heat, there was a change in the atmosphere. The tipping point came with a conference where Smith broke down several times. The reactions which had so far occupied one extreme tumbled to the other - that of empathy. All the while, facts hadn't changed. If anything, Bancroft admitted to another lie in the press conference.
The post-truth world has always been a reality. Politicians, Activists, and even cricketers know their nirvana lies in appealing to the emotions of people. Emotions have always taken a precedence over facts and with the human nature of humans, this shouldn't change in the near future.
While the term generated an interest as late as 2016, it would be puerile to dismiss the existence of a "post-truth world" earlier. That humans are creatures of emotions has been the assumption behind the work of many scholars who have tried to identify the causes, consequences, and conflicts arising because of the same. Appeal to emotion is and has been routinely used by activists and others to further their cause.
In Julius Caesar, a classic of Shakespeare, there comes a turning point. Caesar is murdered by his confidantes including Brutus. Brutus explains and justifies the murder to the crowd which is reasonably, if not completely, satisfied by the explanation. Enter Antony and one comes across a great example of rhetoric. Antony cleverly appeals to the emotions of the crowd. At the same time, he stops short of getting in direct conflict with Brutus and others. He appeals to the emotions of the crowd, citing instances of Caesar's generosity.[2] The crowd is swayed by the speech and the fates reverse. Caesar becomes the hero who had been wronged as the crowd turns against Brutus and other conspirators. One needs to note that all this while, facts had remained the same.
In a more recent example, the Australian cricket captain Smith was labeled a cheat as the incident of premeditated ball tampering occupied the prime time slot. Reactions were extreme - calls for a lifetime ban were common. The disgraced trio found little support. Finally, as emotions nosedived while Smith continued to take the heat, there was a change in the atmosphere. The tipping point came with a conference where Smith broke down several times. The reactions which had so far occupied one extreme tumbled to the other - that of empathy. All the while, facts hadn't changed. If anything, Bancroft admitted to another lie in the press conference.
The post-truth world has always been a reality. Politicians, Activists, and even cricketers know their nirvana lies in appealing to the emotions of people. Emotions have always taken a precedence over facts and with the human nature of humans, this shouldn't change in the near future.
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