From the first days of the former president’s first campaign until now, widespread acceptance of the truth in some quarters has become as illusive as Bigfoot and The Loch Ness Monster.
The phrase “alternative facts” popularized during the last administration is indicative of our current predicament.
Too many people believe too many falsehoods.
Too many lies are being spread by people who know better or by those content to promote chaos and anarchy.
Lies such as:
The January 6 insurrection was a nonviolent, peaceful demonstration
American racism isn’t systemic and to teach that it is demonstrates a lack of patriotism and socialism
The coronavirus danger has been overstated and vaccinations are either unnecessary or the real danger
These are just three popular lies, but there are scores more that are embraced by too much of the masses.
To believe these lies, we’re supposed to forget that
The insurrection was viewed live by millions and filmed for posterity in living color
Codified inequality, chattel slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, and extrajudicial police killings are a few of the symptoms of systemic American racism
Over four million worldwide COVID deaths demonstrates the risk. Fears of vaccines ignore the eradication of polio and smallpox by the same method
Social media has helped liars spread their tales. So-called “experts” have attempted to sway public opinion. Political opportunists, those in and outside of elected office, spin stories meant to deny what our eyes have seen and ears have heard.
Abraham Lincoln supposedly said:
“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Unfortunately, the truth is can be elusive to too many too much of the time.
But fortunately, the truth is so unavoidable that as long as some recognize it, it will never be hidden forever.