Trump's War on the Truth Has Officially Gone Full Orwell

[smilesammich 10,727]

it's really sad that anyone will actually tolerates this sort of double speak.

 

Quote

“What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.”

This is almost a little too on-the-nose Orwellian. In 1984, George Orwell described the totalitarian government's ultimate demand of its subjects:

The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

It has long been clear that the president is attempting to build a genuine authoritarian movement over which only his word has any power, and which he can use to ride roughshod over the institutions of democracy. So far, this attempt has been an unmitigated success, as his supporters inhabit the same infotainment vortex he does and other members of the Republican Party—which controls both Houses of Congress and has a constitutional duty to provide a check on the Executive Branch—bow to him out of craven fealty.

 

Lies that are not merely lies, but instead serve to destroy the very concept of truth, are a cornerstone of any authoritarian playbook. As the journalist Masha Gessen wrote while comparing Trump and Vladimir Putin's styles of lying in The New York Review of Books:

 

Lying is the message. It’s not just that both Putin and Trump lie, it is that they lie in the same way and for the same purpose: blatantly, to assert power over truth itself. Take, for example, Putin’s statements on Ukraine. In March 2014 he claimed that there were no Russian troops in newly annexed Crimea; a month later he affirmed that Russians troops had been on the ground. Throughout 2014 and 2015, he repeatedly denied that Russian troops were fighting in eastern Ukraine; in 2016 he easily acknowledged that they were there. In each case, Putin insisted on lying in the face of clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, and in each case his subsequent shift to truthful statements were not admissions given under duress: they were proud, even boastful affirmatives made at his convenience. Together, they communicated a single message: Putin’s power lies in being able to say what he wants, when he wants, regardless of the facts. He is president of his country and king of reality.

Trump has exhibited similar behavior, apparently for the same reason: when he claims that he didn’t make statements that he is on record as making, or when he claims that millions of people voting illegally cost him the popular vote, he is not making easily disprovable factual claims: he is claiming control over reality itself.

This was in evidence elsewhere this week, as Trump produced this remarkable tweet Tuesday:

Donald J. Trump

 

I’m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don’t want Trump!

11:50 AM - Jul 24, 2018

 

Why would he think the Russians intend to influence the 2018 elections? Could it be because they interfered in the 2016 elections to help him win?

Only Trump has repeatedly denied they interfered, until he granted that they did, and then said they didn't again. And all the while, he claims to be the Toughest President Ever on Russia, even though he repeatedly sided with Putin, the authoritarian thug who attacked America, against his own countrymen and United States allies, while standing next to him during the disgraceful press conference in Helsinki. He has also raged over, and dragged his feet on implementing, sanctions against Russia. He has made noises indicating the U.S. could recognize Russia's annexing of Crimea from Ukraine. It is simply unreality to suggest Russia is not thrilled with their investment in 2016.

But none of that is actually the point. As Gessen explained beautifully, the point is to command power over reality itself. All this can be true at various times, or at the same time, if Trump says it is. Which is to say, we can't be sure that anything is true at all. In that environment, the only thing that matters is what powerful people say. Trump's war on the truth is an admittedly fascinating amalgam of vanity and crippling confirmation bias combined with a ferocious instinct for manipulation and deception. He is plummeting through the infotainment vortex, but he isn't gasping for air or grabbing at something to hang onto. He seems to thrive in the void.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22547037/donald-trump-orwellian-truth-reality-eyes-ears/

[Dashinka 24,760]

Now Trump is the budding authoritarian?  I guess no one, and I mean no one can question the media as they are always truthful, just ask Dan Rather and Brian Williams.

[smilesammich 10,727]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

Now Trump is the budding authoritarian?  I guess no one, and I mean no one can question the media as they are always truthful, just ask Dan Rather and Brian Williams.

a comparison was made, using trump's own words. if you don't see the validity in the comparison, say so. dan rather/brian williams have nothing to do with it.

[Póg mo 1,749]

It should be the GOP's war on the truth. Trump and the GOP are inseparable at this point, and both should be given equal credit.

[smilesammich 10,727]

Just now, Póg mo said:

It should be the GOP's war on the truth. Trump and the GOP are inseparable at this point, and both should be given equal credit.

works better with the orwell quote as well "the party..."

[Jojo92122 1,924]

4 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Now Trump is the budding authoritarian?  I guess no one, and I mean no one can question the media as they are always truthful, just ask Dan Rather and Brian Williams.

Not budding.  Full authoritarian already.

 

When my children got busted for something, they would always go "but the other kids."  No.  We are talking about Trump.  We are not talking about the other kids.

 

Nice try with "but the other kids."

Guess you prefer no one can question Fuhrer Trump.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Jojo92122

[Dashinka 24,760]

53 minutes ago, Póg mo said:

It should be the GOP's war on the truth. Trump and the GOP are inseparable at this point, and both should be given equal credit.

And what is the truth?  I know only the MDL and their press allies speak the truth right?

[Dashinka 24,760]

So what EOs has he written that created new laws?  What new laws has he created all on his own?  Did he pass the tax cuts all by himself?  I am amazed at the complete lack of civics knowledge in this country.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Bill & Katya

[smilesammich 10,727]

 

1 minute ago, Bill & Katya said:

And what is the truth?  I know only the MDL and their press allies speak the truth right?

well, it's well documented that trump and his wh doesn't speak the truth. 

Once again, ‘fake news’ decried by Trump turns out to be true

[Dashinka 24,760]

Just now, smilesammich said:

 

well, it's well documented that trump and his wh doesn't speak the truth. 

Once again, ‘fake news’ decried by Trump turns out to be true

Yes, and we know that the media speaks the truth?

[smilesammich 10,727]

Just now, Bill & Katya said:

Yes, and we know that the media speaks the truth?

right now, the media has a better track record with truth than trump. don't say orwell didn't try to warn you.

[Dashinka 24,760]

2 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

right now, the media has a better track record with truth than trump. don't say orwell didn't try to warn you.

Yep, the sky is falling, Trump lies with every word, and he is going to take over the US government in a classical authoritarian style.  Here is a news story, politicians lie, and Washington politicians lie a lot, Trump is no different in that respect and just like are most recent occupants of the OO.

 

Btw, didn't Orwell also warn us about Socialism, and yet Democratic Socialism (repackaged Communism) is rife in the Democratic Mainstream now.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Bill & Katya

[Jojo92122 1,924]

20 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

And what is the truth?  I know only the MDL and their press allies speak the truth right?

Apparently, you and the rest of the Trump brigade have no idea what the truth is.  So many lies that you have no idea what's the truth.

[smilesammich 10,727]

Just now, Bill & Katya said:

Yep, the sky is falling, Trump lies with every word, and he is going to take over the US government in a classical authoritarian style.  Here is a news story, politicians lie, and Washington politicians lie a lot, Trump is no different in that respect and just like are most recent occupants of the OO.

it's been shown time and time again that trump has them all beat when it comes to lies. it should concern you that a leader is instructing his followers to only believe what he says as he says it, instead of what they see and hear, as they see and hear it. you should look into cult leaders, what they do and say, if the idea of authoritarianism strikes you as outlandish.

 

 

[Jojo92122 1,924]

6 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Yep, the sky is falling, Trump lies with every word, and he is going to take over the US government in a classical authoritarian style.  Here is a news story, politicians lie, and Washington politicians lie a lot, Trump is no different in that respect and just like are most recent occupants of the OO.

 

Btw, didn't Orwell also warn us about Socialism, and yet Democratic Socialism (repackaged Communism) is rife in the Democratic Mainstream now.

So funny.  Orwell did not warn us about Socialism.  He was a socialist.  

https://www.biographyonline.net/socialism-george-orwell/

Thanks for your alternate facts.