John Meishiemer, an American professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, writes and speaks about how global leaders often lie out of necessity. If you haven’t heard his talk about the methods and motivations for lying to a public, you should watch the YouTube link I provide at the bottom of this post. I have come to the realization that the truth like a sound wave has peaks, troughs and a frequency. Somewhere in the middle of the wave is the baseline truth that we have to listen for very carefully.
Competing agendas, opposing ideologies, and lies cause an amplification of a message. The more sides to a story the more we hear about it. The more the debate, the more the message gets amplified and the higher the frequency. So where is the truth in all this? Finding the truth in loud, high pitched debates is difficult but at least there is noise to analyse. The more important security awareness message is to listen for the quiet truths. Silence on a topic can mean there’s nothing to talk about, but it can also mean that we are not listening to the right people.
So who do I listen to? Comedians. They consistently turn up the volume on topics that need to be debated. They are the only ones that can sugar coat the bitter truth in a way that is palatable. This is true everywhere and there are countless examples around the globe of political satirists shedding light on the quiet truths. They point out the absurd and obvious truths that no one else will discuss. Steven Colbert’s quest for “truthiness” is a great American example of what I am talking about. Irony and satire seem to be the only way we can mask the flavour of the really distasteful perversions of the truth that are out there.
Here in Canada, we have a rich history of poking fun at our public officials. But political satire is more than just fun when done well. Political satire is about holding our officials to task on their promises and mandates. One of my favourites is Marg Delahunty. Delahunty, like Colbert, is not afraid of herself and doesn’t tell us the news but helps us feel it. Terry Mosher (Aislin) has this knack as well. Aislin’s drawings force us to see the peaks and troughs of every truth. There are so many other Canadians willing to stick their neck out to draw attention to the absurd and unjust.
What about elsewhere? The Daily Show and Colbert Report have given rise to a new form of news which should be sad to us but at least there are people interested in investigating the truth. Take Dr. Bassem Youssef in Egypt. Youssef’s show mimics not just the format of the Daily Show but he is just as committed to talking about things that usually go untested in that part of the world. Youssef has of course faced police charges and threats because he is willing to stand up and amplify the important, but otherwise quiet, truths pressing on Egypt and Islam.
In India, the cultural divide, the growing middle class and the pressures of globalization create instability in one of the world’s most important economies. This instability should worry us but fortunately India, unlike many countries in that part of the world, has remained mostly democratic since gaining its independence in ’47. Whatever stability and growth India has seen is on the backs of its growing middle class. A middle class that is educated, healthy and employed. But this true in China. The truth is - middle classes can flourish in both democracies and autocracies. Middle classes can also be made to starve in both democracies and autocracies. What’s interesting is that it is not hard to find Indian political satire but it was impossible for me to find any Chinese political commentary. I am of course limited to Google and English in my searches.
Russian political satire is abundant. As a music fan and closet feminist, I have followed the Pussy Riot story. Musicians are another source of alternate truth. Musicians have always been willing to expose the ugly and honour the brave in ways that make it easy for us to sing along. While Pussy Riot’s performances are musically based, their treatment of the important stories they tell are filled with a playfulness that make you smile even though you know it is wrong to do so.
As a child growing up in north central Nigeria in the late ‘60’s, my father had one main source of truth. The BBC World Service was a daily event in our home during afternoon tea. The dial, left fixed on the appropriate shortwave frequency, always needed a little adjustment. Shortwave radio was of course the Internet of its time. This was a time when investigative reporters were not bound to the agenda of their sponsors, board of directors, corporate owners or governments. The news was told to us impartially and was mostly limited to the facts and void of commentary. There was little comedy about it. Occasionally we balanced the message with the Voice of America but usually because the winds weren’t blowing in the right direction for the BBC to reach us.
I grew up learning that you have to find a trust worthy voice in the silence. Today, you must keep tuning the dial because the story has many sides. Listen to everyone, trust none of it and contribute to the noise yourself. But remember, if there’s a laugh track or your new reporter is laughing - they are probably telling you the truth.
Two Hours of Links to Keep You Busy
- John Meishiemer – Why Leaders Lie
- Stephen Colbert’s Speaks “Truthiness” to Power
- Marg Delahunty on Canadian Senate Reform
- Dr Bassem Youssef on Hypocracy
- The Hindu Newspaper – Video Commentary on Political Compromise
- The Guardian Interview with Pussy Riot Members in Hiding
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