The idea of truth being the first casualty of war may have stem back as 1758--with the idea existing but not being expressed in such a pithy manner further back. Nowadays--lying is easy, free, and comes with dividends--all thanks to social media. Many politicians have exploited this trend--with the most egregious being President Donald J. Trump. But Trump isn't the only political figure to have done so--since Orwell published 1984 it is no secret that lying is the pinnacle tool (besides violence) of authoritarian regimes. I have once read a news article before that described the Kremlin's online-lying apparatus as "The Firehouse of Falsehood." With the "war" (not really declared war, but is one) in the Ukraine that Firehouse is being used for oppression more than firehouses at 60's Civil Rights protests. That said though--lying goes both ways--with the Ukrainians being caught in lies as well. With social media--unlike various other forms of traditional media--there is no official more-or-less centralized, fact-checking apparatus. Now, anyone can post anything--including deep fakes of politicians--and no one will be able to dispel it until it is too late. In the future I imagine the coming conflict with China being worse--with our media coming out no better than China's. Although we will have to wait and see for that one.
- Stay Tuned
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