The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump

by Michiko Kakutani

“There is no such thing as harmless disinformation; trusting in falsehood can have dire consequences.”

The death of objectivity “relieves me of the obligation to be right.” It “demands only that I be interesting.”

The nation struggled over cultural change in order to adjust to it. The culture wars compelled Americans, even conservatives, to acknowledge transformations to American life. And although acknowledgment often came in the form of rejection, it was also the first step to resignation, if not outright acceptance.”

“Atmospheric CO2 is the same whether the scientist measuring it is a Somali woman or an Argentine man.”

The tendency of Americans to focus, myopically, on their self-pursuits—sometimes to the neglect of their civic responsibilities—is not exactly new.

I believe in being truthful, not neutral. And I believe we must stop banalizing the truth.

Trump’s unhinged presidency represents some sort of climax in the warping of reality,

insularity often means limited information input (and usually information that reinforces preexisting views) and a desire for peer approval;

Anger and fear is what gets people to the polls.”

The micro-targeted ads on social media and the algorithms designed to customize people’s news feeds blur the distinctions between what is popular and what is verifiable, and diminish the ability of people to take part in a shared conversation.

Outrage gives way to outrage fatigue, which gives way to the sort of cynicism and weariness that empowers those disseminating the lies.

Many Republicans in Congress have also abandoned reason, common sense, and the deliberative process of policy making.

A common purpose and a shared sense of reality mattered because they bound the disparate states and regions together, and they remain essential for conducting a national conversation.