Easy lies and the hard truth

URL has been copied successfully!

This is a brilliant comic by Shencomix.com.

Lies are soft and squishy. They can be whatever shape you want. They are convenient. [They fit into any world view.] The Truth is hard and spiky. Hard to embrace. Worth embracing.

I’m absolutely amazed at how many (smart, educated) people are sucked into conspiracy theories and exaggerated (and clearly misrepresented) statistics that fit their world view… even when the theories are debunked.

Example : A US educator that I know shared this October 25, 2019 Joe Biden Tweet, which was a response to another tweet from a Washington Post article on pandemic preparedness:


This is the top reply which has been retweeted 71 times and liked 359 times at the time of me sharing this:


It’s absolutely ridiculous that someone with such influence can spread a conspiracy theory that the pandemic was planned. But it’s convenient. It fits her world view.

The problem is that is so much easier to cherry pick lies and convenient half-truths than it is to actually embrace and meaningfully interpret facts that don’t match biased opinions.

Sometimes lies are easy and the truth is hard… it’s spiky… But we want to live in a society where the hard truth is embraced, even if it isn’t something we want to hear.

Some more related posts:

Your chance to share:

8 thoughts on “Easy lies and the hard truth

  1. Bill Kingsland

    I feel like we’ve wondered into an alternate universe when I read and hear about ever more outrageous conspiracy theories which can usually be debunked with basic research. What brought us to this point? On the first day of my Geology class I ask my students if there are any flat-Earthers in the group. If there are any, none have responded affirmatively (yet). Not sure how I’ll react when/if the day comes.

    1. David Truss Post author

      I have no idea how we got here Bill? The anti-intellectual conspiracy focus is something that should not exist with the current access to information.
      I have a great anti-flat world argument that I’m hoping to use some time… if you are interested, let’s chat, or maybe I’ll blog it:)

        1. David Truss Post author

          It’s basically about flight times. Most flat earth folk have travelled on planes…If, for example, the end of the earth was between Hawaii and Australia/Asia, then a flight from Hawaii to Japan would need to go faster than a fighter jet to get there in the time that it does. A simple look at Travelocity flight times is all it takes to debunk a flat earth… no matter where they draw the lines.

          1. Bill Kingsland

            Genius! There’s a built-in geography lesson in that argument. I’ll be using it. Thank you. 🙂

Comments are closed.