The Hierarchy of Lies and Modern Politics
I had a major epiphany while reading a recent piece by George Lakoff about the sophisticated message coming from Donald Trump.
I really loved the piece, and while I can't quite buy the main idea "Trump is a maestro of human emotion", preferring some kind of idiot savant explanation, this idea jumped out at me:
To understand this, one needs to look at the concept of lying. Most people will say that a lie is a false statement. But a study by linguists Linda Coleman and Paul Kay pointed out more than 30 years ago that the situation is more complex. If a statement happens to be false, but you sincerely believe it is true, you are not lying in stating it. Lying involves a hierarchy of conditions defining worse and worse lies. Here is the hierarchy:
- You don’t believe it.
- You are trying to deceive.
- You are trying to gain advantage for yourself.
- You are trying to harm.
Take a look at that list again and apply it to politics.
Politics is not only a lie, it's often an ugly and harmful lie.
Modern Politics IS the Built Upon the Hierarchy of Lies
This hierarchy of lies should be the first place we start when trying to piece together the crime of corporate sponsored public policy and modern day politics and it's relationship to voter apathy.
Our political system is broken because this hierarchy of lies is on full public display in nearly all of our heated political discussions.
Lies Not Believed
Political argument is often un-believable because we know they don't believe it -- Bernie is having this problem right now with his support of Clinton. This is a small and necessary deception, one that has the greater good at heart, but it is a deception, an as such has created a chink in Bernie's straight shooter armor.
The idea that Hillary Clinton, and her posse of centrist Fauxgressives at the head of the Democratic Party actually believe in the ability of government to serve the people is challenged daily by the policy they put forward and the defense of it.
Deception & Personal Advantage
"Healthcare for all!" ... "Now go shop for unaffordable insurance on the exchanges or face a fine." ... "This is the greatest Public Health Care bill in US History."
This deception goes 3 levels deep into the Hierarchy of Lies:
They can't believe it.
They are trying to deceive.
They are doing it to advantage themselves.
The only question remains: are they trying to harm?
Perhaps we should ask Mr. Kissenger?
We can see a framework of the Heirarchy of Lies all over our political discourse.
Lies Don't Work for Democrats and Humanity
Given the ideological moorings of US Politics, the Democrats are far more compromised, as they, supposedly, believe in the institution of government -- Democrats empower and protect people via government.
Republicans have been sabotaging government for 40 years. Their lies, while clearly on display as those of the Democrats, and far more frequently hitting the 4th level on the Hierarchy of Lies; these lies serve to reinforce their main idea, that government sucks, and as such are politically useful tools.
Lies are useful for tearing shit apart, not building things. Democrats and Progressive policy can't be built using lies.
Comments
Tips:
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Seeing the March to War, based on lies, now rolling,
seeing Lee Camp's interview with an inside nay-sayer, that the MIC wants/needs perpetual war [and we are certainly there], it gets more difficult daily to fight (lol) for even a candidate for president who is not part of the problem. BUT, Americans are easily dazzled by shiny objects, no idea of the alternative end of Custer's Last Stand happening now. But their horses are pretty!
I cut the satellite cord over a year ago and have not watched my limited-reception TV for about a month. Breathing room for even a non-acolyte.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
The longer you go w/o a tv the easier it is. 15 years for me and
I don't listen to what passes for news on the radio either.
There's a lot of news at various web sites and still quite a few progressive magazines to read. I don't think you will miss the tv because the alternatives are better, to me at least.
I lived for 12 years in remote areas where there was no tv signal available, ever. In SW Utah, you couldn't even get radio during the day. It was only when I moved to the SE mountains that I got a tv because the signals were good, even if the programming wasn't.
Cheers.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
I'm only up to 5 years
with out TV.
C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote
I have a DVD player and watch movies but broadcast tv or
on-demand tv-like service from Amazon or similar, no; and, I don't think I'll ever get another set even though we live in an area with good reception.
Five years is good. I don't run into too many who have pulled the plug but I do meet quite a few who say that they would like to.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Tuned off the TV
I turned off the TV about 17 years ago, and don't have one in the house at all now. I haven't actually missed it; I get news and other things from the 'net. I do notice that I'm 'out of it' regarding pop stars, tv shows and their plots (such as they are) and much of modern culture in that way. That might be a part of getting old too, dunno. All the young tv stars look the same to me. I haven't a clue what they do or why.
If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so
I've got more than enough
other bad habits, but it's been about 36 years since I've owned a tv.
native
The Clarity Is Stimulating
Once you aren't constantly bombarded with the propaganda issued by the corporatist media, it becomes incredibly easy to hear the lies right as they are issued. I find I am amazed at the amount of lies that people now believe due to this conspiracy. I also find that waiting for the traffic report on the radio is becoming too painful to justify the payoff, so I tend to not use the radio even for this useful purpose.
"And freedom tastes of reality"
Vowing To Oppose Everything Trump Attempts.
Here in the Chicago Metro area -
I can give you the traffic report in two words - it sucks. It's always the same litany of crashes and 10mph creeping.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
lol - in Michigan it is always the same too...
highway construction has the two left lanes closed and traffic is backed up to BFE.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Funny, latest bumpersticker on my car: "They're Lying"
Had it laying around among a pile that I've accumulated from the various great radical bookstores around the country, maybe in Vermont or maybe in Asheville, NC. Actually I believe this one was made by a friends of mine who gave it to me years ago. Seemed the perfect time to put that one on, so we did last month just before we go to Philly to protest the DNC.
The left side has a Bernie Sanders 2016 sticker. The right has, "They're Lying."
No tv either, folks. Or should I say any commercial media at all, including newspapers, radio and social media (expect for Twitter). We have rabbit ears and sometimes watch local public television. Which means more time to read books too.
Our internet tv is one of the best purchases we ever made 5 or 6 years ago. We subscribe to YouTube channels, such as Democracy Now, Real News, RT, Al Jazeera, Cspan, TYT, and instead watch them. There's also a goldmine of book and university lectures and documentaries available on practically any subject you want. Sometimes it's like being in a graduate history program; so much great learning at your fingertips now it is quite remarkable. Netflix rounds it out quire nicely. No need ever again for cable tv. In fact, that's always been a mission of mine: to get people to watch less tv programs and news. It's propaganda poison preying on our subconscious.
One other piece of advice I tell people. You don't have to read or take in the constant barrage of ads screaming at you all day, on the billboards, on the side bar of your computer, on the backs of buses, on highway billboards, subway cars, back of taxi cabs, in elevators now, even at the fucking gas pumps (register a complaint with management), etc. Train your eyes to avert from all their predatory consumerist poison. It takes a concerted effort, but you can train yourself. Throw away the consumerist flyers and dept store sales circulars too; they also prey on your insecurities.
Think it's also a good idea to carry around a sharpie to scrawl subversive messages. Especially now when so many people are restless and angry about the state of affairs here, to let them know they're not alone. And of course to remind them that "they're lying."
We Are The 99%.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
A couple good recommendations for your "Non-TV" viewing pleasure
if you enjoy debates are those hosted by
Intelligence Squared Debates
Or
TedTalks
I have found many hours of stimulating discussion on those two channels, if you have yet to check them out I highly recommend them.
"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me
Thank you - I really enjoyed this essay.
I have a good friend who I thought made a brilliant point about politics and another hierarchy - the Hierarchy of Needs, which in his opinion goes a long way to explaining the What's the Matter With Kansas conundrum - why do people vote against their own self-interest?
In his view, the vast majority of people are focused on plain old economic survival - keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table and they are overworked with very little leisure time. The last thing most people would choose to do with their spare time is to take valuable minutes away from their families or activities they enjoy to devote themselves to doing the deep diving and research that is necessary to understand things like single payer healthcare or the TPP. So they rely on their friends or family or their workplace to shape their views or Our Crappy Media, which we know is in the tank to the 1%. In summary - political knowlege is a LUXURY unavailable to many.
The only countervailing presence is that due to unemployment, underemployment, inadequate retirements, etc. there are now more people who do have the time to address the issue of "why do things suck so much and why am I getting screwed and who is doing the screwing?" and then these influencers are using social media to clue in their clueless friends and family and co-workers.
I also think that so many people have realized that our government is corrupt and working against our interests that they have bought into the "starve the beast" rhetoric of the right out of cynicism and despair. If even so-called Liberal administrations like Obama's deliver up travesties like the ACA and the TPP, people will default to simply trying to keep more of their own dollars in their own pockets and it will kill off the altruistic tendencies of society.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
I may be one of the 'others" there.
I am doing more targeted giving to sources I trust even with much less income, but a lot more time in retirement. Time to gather this generation's Gray Panthers to teach those with less time? Just a thought.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
PBS censors Jill Stein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvqdl_CGCGk
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
How shameless!
Please share.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
Forgive me, I'm new here
How else can I share this?
Cheers
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
Hello and Welcome....
I'm not sure what you are asking. The link is to a youtube video. You can copy and paste it. If you want the embed code, follow the link, click share, click embed, copy and paste the code.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
Hi, dkmich and thanks
Hawk had asked me to share, but I thought the link was already in the post, I'll catch my way around sooner or later.
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
I don't think Democrats do believe in the ability of government
to run things. Just today the Democratic mayor of Atlanta announced another public/private program, this time with GE somehow providing training for police.
Atlanta's police salaries are lower than other jurisdictions and so the force suffers from attrition. I'm not sure how GE's involvement is supposed to fix that, although I suspect shenanigans.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Some Do, Some Don't...
The Establishment surely doesn't, and they have not for some time. Hence the lies of belief and self interest mentioned in the essay... It's getting harder and harder to bridge the gap with a lot of us.
This is why Democrats have reduced membership and low energy.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Thanks K9disk
No TV cable or network for us. Thing is the internet is almost as bad these days. btw My city and state government is Democratic and they all ran as progressives. They lied. the first thing our crooked disgraced Democratic governor said once elected was "Oregon is now open for business". Kate Brown his replacement is now trying hard to get around a ballot measure that passed that made it illegal for Nestle to privatize our water. She's parsing the 'law' lilke Hillary is doing with the TPP. They are all weasels who lie even though nobody is supposed to use the L word in politics. Parsing or walking it back are preferred and now even those euphemisms are off limits. They just blatantly lie and tell you it's a fact. Boggles the mind that any one believes anything that the owners of the place call reality..
Ah! You are writing about
La Mentirocracia
The Kingdom of Lies
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver