There has always been lying in politics, but the US has entered a new age of untruth. Fortunately, it isn’t as difficult to identify as a lot of people think.
The key is to completely ignore what politicians and pundits are saying. Ignore any news article or commentary that is just repeating what a politician or pundit said. Ignore what people post about what a politician or pundit said.
Instead, look at what they are actually doing. And look at what effects that is actually having. Don’t take their word for that either. Check actual news sources and check more than one. Try to check at least one source from outside the US.
Then think about why you think they would be doing (or not doing) those things. And don’t waste your time worrying about secret agendas and long-range plans. It is not usually all that subtle.
Politicians pass laws that make it harder for people to vote because they don’t want people to vote. Politicians make it more difficult to get medical help because they want fewer people to get medical help. Politicians attack education because they do not want people to be educated. They “why” rarely matters. Look at the “what”.
In five paragraphs you’ve summed it up well, and provided an easy, handy rule — what they do matters, not what they say. Not sure I’ve seen it said more succinctly. Sincere kudos, smart stranger.
Thank you for the kind words! I’ve been thinking a lot about the defenses I hear whenever someone is told they’re being lied to. I’m not sure there is a way to overcome that, but I feel like the usual responses from our side tend to be overly complicated.
There is significant truth to this. I made the decision after the last US election to skip all articles entitled “[Some asshole] says…” or similar. My post rate has dropped drastically, but my stress level has easily halved.
Yeah, same, I’m pretty sick of 'lying liar lies some more headlines too.
