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Lies, Damn Lies, and Total Bullshit
We all lie. But big, dehumanizing lies are destabilizing society. So why do powerful people spew such BS? And why do people believe them?
“One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.”
— The late American philosopher Harry Frankfurt
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Everybody lies. Let’s be honest about that right up front. You, me, the fence post, and of course politicians and their lawyers and other enablers. White lies, shaded truths, lies of omission and even outright fabrications are a consequence of being human, science has shown. Recent research also reveals we are a shockingly gullible species. But a growing chorus of experts view the ubiquity of shameless falsehoods and dangerous bullshit spewed by lawmakers and other powerful people as an existential threat to democracy.
Within a few short decades in American politics, bald-faced, hurtful and destructive lies have gone from being a source of embarrassment and shame to a go-to rhetorical strategy.
