Truth, Lies and Tools of Mass Deception

“Why are people so wanting to believe this thing that isn't true?”

One of the most important ideas I have ever come across in communications, media, and propaganda is concept of “paltering” - putting together a series of true statements to create a false impression. It’s got lots of synonyms - equivocate, fudge, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle, weasel and the little-used but impressive “tergiversate”

I have degrees in English Literature, and minors in philosophy - degrees that I sometimes joke are worthless, because if I had taken basket-weaving, I could at least say that I can work with my hands.

But I have another joke - which is about the real value I have found in my degrees - which is that I am trained in telling the difference between reality and make-believe.

Understanding the lengths to which people can carry on with deception is extraordinary and the specific methods and techniques that people and institutions (powerful and not) use to shape public opinion, is worth better understanding.

That brings me to Larry Wilmore, who is a complete genius. I like him for lots of reasons - he is a truly brilliant and hilarious award-winning writer, producer, comedian, as you can see here.

He has the ability to distill truths in ways that is really rare. He was a writer and producer on a series of incredibly funny television shows, and was the comedian at the White House Correspondents Dinner with President Obama.

He has some of the most incredible insights you have ever heard into communication, and politics.

On Larry’s podcast - Black on the Air - from January 16, 2021 - just ten days after the January 6 assault on the US Capitol, he helped explain communications and even political propaganda in a way that was incredibly powerful and perceptive, based on insights derived from the deliberate deception that is crafted as part of being a stage magician.

It helped me - as someone who has been in politics and dealt with communications for a long time - gain incredible new insight into how we are deceived - between lies, truth - and something more insidious - paltering.

I’ll quote Larry at length, because he deserves it.

“But, you know, it's this has been so bizarre, you guys, this whole Trump presidency. And I wanted to make one point here, if you will indulge me for a bit. As a writer, I really like to focus on the words that we use.

And, you know, I can be a nerd about language and that kind of stuff.

And I love all my nerds out there who are listening to me who are language nerds and that type of thing. I see you.

But language is important. The words that we choose to use are very important. They can be very powerful, you know, or they can be not so powerful, depending on how you use them.

But there's been a word that we have been using with Donald Trump that I don't think has served a purpose very well right now. And that word is “lie”.

And I've used it as well. We've called Donald Trump a liar from the beginning, and he is a liar.

You know, he lies all the time about things. You know, he would lie about the color of the sky. He’s so used to lying, he just can't stop it.

You know, the biggest example of lying, of course, is saying that he won this election in a landslide, which is a straight up lie, you know.

And, you know, we all call that out. Very easy to see. It's pretty transparent. But there's something else going on here, you guys.

It's the people who are believing this bothers me. Because lies can be pretty transparent and some lies can be easily disproven. Like, this lie about the stolen election is a pretty easily disproven lie.

So what else is going on here?

Why are people so wanting to believe this thing that isn't true?