Recently, I read comments along the lines of “go eat your pizza” under one of my colleague’s articles, and I was once again convinced that we live in the post-truth period. That is a situation in which people’s treatment towards reality, their understanding of it, and their emotions are more important than reality itself. We often see this reality in American television shows when the lawyer tells their client that it does not matter whether the client committed the crime they are accused of or not; it is important which version the jurors will believe.
If citizens (in politics) or consumers of a particular product (in trade) are considered to be the ‘sworn jurors’ who make the verdict, then we can argue that in this case, too, it does not matter what is really happening; it is more important what emotions the presentation of that reality evokes. And the way it is served depends entirely on the preachers. It is about the advertisers, not the journalists, because a real journalist always tries to bring the consumer closer to reality and not arouse emotions favorable to customers.
Consider one of the most striking examples of post-truth today that is directly related to the accusation of “pizza eating.” The formula sounds like this: “Those who criticize the current government dream that the thieves who once robbed the country will return to power.” This is a claim that is not subject to any logical or factual analysis. But let us remember that it does not matter at all what such an accusation has to do with reality, it is important that tens of thousands of people believe in it.
If someone posts on Facebook that the government is wrong in certain instances, anywhere from 10 to 100 people will either sincerely or instructively repeat the magic ‘mantra’ about ‘pizza’ in all its variants, and the effect of the majority will work. People are usually afraid to stay in the minority, and you have to be fully established and self-sufficient to assert your point of view in this situation. Those who are not established will not post their opinions. Thus, post-truth will gain complete and unconditional power.
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Therefore, the problem is not the fact that demagogues and populists exist, nor is it the masses that are living in a “post-truth” world. The problem, in the end, is a deficiency of established and self-sufficient people. How can we increase the number of these people as much as possible? What is the “antidote” to ancestral instincts? I have to reiterate: knowledge and education.
Aram Abrahamyan
