Dear Friends,
It seems to me, the halls of power are illuminated with gaslight. History tells us that the elite lie when the truth would serve them better. Because lying has become their default. Taking Machiavelli’s maxim to the Nth degree, that a prince lie constantly, while claiming to be the most honest person who ever lived… in other words, gaslighting. Forgetting Confucius, who said, people follow their leaders. Since ours are inveterate liars, most of us will follow, and become liars as well. Which means we can reliably know the truth by their words. Simply believe the opposite of what they say. If the media tells us the sky is blue, question it, because it’s likely to have turned green. Moreover, it’s imperative we stop following such villainous leaders, becoming liars ourselves.
The elite used to couch their lies in many truths so as to make them indiscernible. Not today. Our elites are honest in their lying. They do it boldly to our faces. They tell us impossible things we know to be lies and expect us to believe. When a supreme court judge claims, she can’t tell the difference between a boy and a girl, yet has a husband… one wonders how stupid she thinks we are? Or is the term gullible? The government’s spokesperson claims, with a straight face, inflation is tame, jobs are plentiful and war is peace. Gone are the days where Walter Cronkite would tell us the news, with only a few morsels of lies mixed in, to manipulate us. Now lies are the main course. Hey, at least the elite are being authentic, lying is who they are and lying is how they get as well as maintain power.
We want to believe glittering lies even when we know they’re lies. Like when Bill Clinton was elected President. When asked, a plurality of his voters admitted they thought the man was a liar… but voted for him anyway. I guess they liked the lies. People wanted what he said he would do, so voted for him…. even though they knew he wasn’t going to do them. Because the lies glittered so much they blinded them from the truth. Obama’s “Hope and change,” was effectively the same as, “Strength through joy.” Word salad that gives the impression of wisdom but indeed says nothing. They’re empty vessels one can put whatever they want into. So are effective tools of manipulation. That’s why the elite ply us with so many glittering lies. Ugly truths on the other hand aren’t as appealing.
Cognitive dissonance blinds us to lies. Once many of us have believed a lie for a long time, it becomes impossible to condemn it. Because our psyche becomes wound up in the lie. If we turn away from our old ways of thinking, that’s admitting we were wrong, causes a personal loss, and forces us to rebuild the world in our own minds. Way too much work. To admit we were wrong, causes cognitive dissonance by holding a mirror to our face, showing us blemishes we don’t want to see. When we realize we’re wrong, we experience a loss. As if we lost a loved one. Crushing emotionally, for some, it’s just too difficult to tolerate. Then there’s the rebuilding of our world analogue. Which causes us even more cognitive dissonance. That’s probably why so few of us question the elite’s obvious lies.
You could say that in the world of politics, lies make the world go round, turning day into night. In fact, I hear Al Gore spends 15k a month in gas, to light his homes and driveways… because he likes gaslight so much. The global warming swindle made Gore millions. Millions in grift that’s still rolling in. Showing there’s money to be made in gaslight. The warm glow of gaslight on the bleached faces of the elite, highlights their features, like teeth, pitchfork and horns. We loath to give up on the glittering lies, since they’re both glittering, and changing our minds is such a chore. Because of the cognitive dissonance it gives us. Lies are the stuff of politics and so liars are the ideal politicians. The one weakness of lies and liars is… once we realize who the liars are, the gaslight is extinguished.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
