Fact or Opinion — Which is the Truth?

Determining whether what we hear is true or not may, in fact, be just a matter of opinion.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Sound familiar? I’m guessing that you’ve heard it many times in your life…whether on TV or in person. You may have even had to respond if you were called to testify in court.

Although this oath is well known, have you ever really thought about what it means? Or, more specifically, why there is such an emphasis on telling the “truth?”

Truth Vs. Opinion

Truth, by definition, means the actual state of a matter or that it is a verified or indisputable fact.

Truth is Absolute.

In the case of testimony, the oath that is repeated by many means that what will be said should be the indisputable facts of what actually happened. In addition, the truth of the events that took place should never be twisted by a person’s blatant lies or personal opinions.

Unlike facts that express the actual detail or truth, opinions are subjective and change from person to person. As a result, opinions are never considered verified or indisputable facts.

Subjectivity, or the focus on personal opinions, is what the courts are fixated on eliminating. The truth fosters justice, not opinions.

It is in this distinction that our criminal justice system puts its efforts. Therefore, the idea that truth is an absolute is important to every member of our civilization.

A Single Truth

Opinions and the truth are mutually exclusive. A statement is either the truth or an opinion. You can’t have both at the same time.

However, phrases like “My Truth” and “Your Truth” appear to be growing in usage.

Using “Truth” in this manner assigns ownership to the word, giving it a personal meaning. This twists the word from meaning an indisputable fact to a subjective reality.

The implication with this incorrect usage is that truth has the ability to vary from person to person — making it NOT absolute.

This could not be further from the truth! *Pun intended.

“My Truth” and “Your Truth” can’t exist!

As Connor MacLeod, from Highlander, always said “There can be only one [Truth].”

The Impact of Possessives

Take a look at these examples to see how the addition of a single word can alter the meaning.

• Example 1: “I found [a, my] book online.”

The statement, “I found a book online,” simply means that you were able to locate a book online. There is no indication of who owns the book, just that one exists…and it was found online.

On the other hand, the statement, “I found my book online,” has an entirely different meaning. The simple addition of the word “my” changes the sentence to mean that you located your book…meaning you’re the owner of the book that was found online.

• Example 2: “We waited at [the, your] stop light.”

For the statement, “we waited at the stop light,” no possession is assigned, which makes sense. We don’t think of ownership when it comes to stop lights…they are “owned” by the state.

Conversely, “we waited at your stop light,” means that you are the owner of the stop light. Unless you were able to own/build your own city, I highly doubt that you’d own an individual stop light. As a result, this simple switch makes this statement both completely untrue and just utter nonsense.

• Example 3: “It is [a, her] fact that two plus two is four.”

In this case, it is “a” fact since there is no ownership. By adding “her,” the sentence just becomes asinine. Since a fact cannot take on ownership, adding the possessive makes less sense than listing zeroes at the beginning of a price tag (Ex. $ 009.56) — it’s absurd!

The Power of Persuasion

Since we know that ownership plays a part in opinions, but not truth, why do these phrases continue to be used?

Besides ignorance, this new — incorrect — usage seems to be used to persuade or influence others.

This is how it works…

Typically, when we hear someone reference “truth” or a “fact,” we most likely take it at face value. The word “truth” promotes credibility…it’s the truth; it’s factual.

“It’s the truth, it’s actual”
“Ev’rything is satisfactual”

Song Lyrics from Disney’s “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”

However, if you hear someone reference an “opinion,” you are more likely to be skeptical. Since opinions are expressions of a person’s beliefs or thoughts, they are not always credible.

Due to this, if I want to persuade you, I won’t rely on opinions, but rather facts as they are more powerful. Although, the real trick is knowing how to disguise an opinion as a fact.

By adding ownership to “truth,” an opinion can be camouflaged. Therefore, instead of sharing something labeled as an opinion, I would be seen as sharing a fact that has personal meaning attached (aka: an opinion). However, if done properly, you may never realize the disguise I had created.

Stating “it’s my truth” is much more credible than just saying “that’s my opinion.”

If the audience believes that I am stating a fact and that it is the “truth,” they’ll likely take my statement at face value. In the end, “my” truth would be equated to “the” truth.

Thus, since the truth is indisputable and absolute, no one is likely to argue against it.

Examples in Motion

If you haven’t picked up on this tactic before, you may be a bit skeptical and wondering whether it’s really occurring today — which is totally understandable!

For a recent and prominent example, we only have to look at the transcripts from Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During discussions on the fifth day of hearings on September 27, 2018, Senator Cory Booker D-NJ referenced truths as being possessive on 5 different occasions:

• “…speaking your truth…”
• “…to speak their truth…”
• “…she told her truth.” “
• ” …to come forward and tell her truth…”
• “…to tell her truth…”

In all cases, he was referencing the viewpoints shared by the individual(s) communicating them.

Focusing solely on these specific references (rather than the content and focus for these hearings), the information being communicated by the individuals is based on their personal assessment and recollection of the situation — i.e. their viewpoint. Therefore, it should not be referenced as a “truth” (for reasons previously discussed).

In case politics isn’t your genre, here’s another example:

If you follow film and television awards, you may recall that during the Golden Globes on January 7, 2018, Oprah Winfrey won the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It was during her acceptance speech that we see our next example.

We also know it’s the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice. … what I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year we became the story.

She uses the phrase “speaking your truth” instead of “telling your story” or “sharing your narrative.” However, towards the end, it’s clear that she is referencing their personal viewpoints and experiences — or stories — rather, than factual evidence.

In both of these examples, the phrasing used is an attempt to add more credibility to the information shared by the individuals and to have the statements treated as facts.

So Why Do We Fall For It?

Now that you know this is occurring, you may be thinking that it won’t work on you anymore. However, that is where you are wrong. Even with this knowledge, you can still fall for it.

How Come?

Oftentimes, we aren’t listening closely enough and don’t always pick up on each and every word being said. We hear enough key words to get the gist…but may miss the single word that assigns ownership and drastically alters the meaning.

And, if someone who seems to have authority on a topic says something with “truth” in their discussion, it may make them seem more credible… especially if full attention wasn’t given to the speaker and that single word assigning ownership was missed.

Another potential reason is that we don’t necessarily think critically when others speak. In a fast-paced world where we try to multi-task, we may only be partially listening or just not really interested in the conversation. Therefore, we are not in a position to even begin to think critically about what we heard.

Originally published at freedomsreach.com on December 10, 2018.