Skip to main content

Post-truth and 2016


2016 is bidding adieu having gifted us ‘post-truth’ as the word of the year, thanks to the Oxford Dictionaries.  Is the concept new, however?  Haven’t emotions and personal beliefs been more influential in shaping our ‘truths’ than objective facts throughout history?  Otherwise, why did religions and their gods continue to wield such power over us perennially?  Nationalism, Jihadism, Trumpism, Modiism, and a whole range of isms would not have succeeded as they did if objective facts held sway over shaping of public opinions.

‘Post-truth’ is just a euphemism for falsehood, deception, chicanery and all the lies that have dominated politics and human affairs from time immemorial.  There’s nothing new about it except that it’s a new word.  Only the word is new, not the concept, not the implications.

Throughout history political leaders used various tricks to deceive their people.  We have words like Machiavellian and Goebbelsian which came from real people who used inhuman strategies for suppressing if not eliminating whole sections of people.  India has its own historical Chanakya.  They were all masters of post-truths. 


The electoral victory of Donald Trump and the triumphal march of Narendra Modi, along with Brexit and the imminent collapse of European Union as well as the ever-resounding missile attacks by god’s own warriors, indicate that 2017 is going to be hard for most people. 

In India, we will soon have two idols dedicated to the religion of post-truth, both of which will cost the nation more than Rs 3000 crore each (441,260,829 USD). Both Shivaji and B R Ambedkar, whose statues are being installed in very prominent places, were historical figures, no doubt.  But why these two and not any other?  One is a symbol of the Hindutva ideology which Mr Modi is trying to impose on the nation and the other is a palliative balm for the Dalits and the oppressed sections that will continue to suffer many atrocities as they always did.  The motive is the post-truth. 

In a country where thousands of people go to bed hungry each day, thousands of children suffer from malnutrition, thousands keep migrating to cities in search of jobs, thousands don’t have drinking water, thousands of farmers commit suicide  – in a country where people are still struggling to retain basic human dignity, statues costing thousands of crores of rupees are the post-truths.


Indian Bloggers

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. जितेन्द्र माथुरDecember 31, 2016 at 1:05 PM

    Your viewpoint is rational but in the corridors of power who pays two hoots for logic and rationale ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalDecember 31, 2016 at 2:25 PM

      I know. Maybe I can make at least some people think about alternative options.

      Delete
  2. K.A. AcharyaJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:32 AM

    Post-truth will always remain powerful as long as human beings have feelings. Sadly, the emotions, which are necessary for being a good human being, are also the weaknesses that fall victim to all these propaganda :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:44 AM

      The vast majority don't use their brains for thinking. That's the simple comic truth. Hence venal politicians can get away with their silly tricks.

      Delete
  3. sunaina sharmaJanuary 1, 2017 at 7:12 PM

    Yes, you correctly point out that post-truth has always been there - only the word is new. Emotions have been a major instrument for hushing facts and political leaders know well how to make best use of emotions- the year begins on an uncertain note. Only time will tell what happens next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJanuary 1, 2017 at 9:09 PM

      The new year gift is a rise in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas. The currency crisis is set to burgeon. It's not at all a promising beginning.

      Delete
  4. UnknownFebruary 23, 2017 at 11:41 AM

    Whole house water filters - Shop best quality filters in the US. We are providng whole house water filter, softener and water conditioners at Best Prices.
    Providing the Best range with best Quality of whole house water filter, KDF MediaGuard, Reverse Osmosis Water Filter, Color Changing Resin Deionization in latest Design with Latest Technolgy at your door on reasonable prices in the US.

    For more information you can check it out here : http://titanwaterpro.3dcartstores.com/Whole-House-Water-Filter-Water-Softener-Conditioner_c_20.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownMarch 20, 2017 at 12:48 PM

    Big Blue Water Filter - Shop Best Quality Big Blue Water Filter System, Micro Sediments, Big Blue Housing Filter at Reasonalbe Prices in Los Angeles, US.

    Providing Purify, Fresh, Hygenic water through our best quality with latest technology used Big Blue Water Filter, Dual Big Blue Housing Filter System, Mico Filter, Sediments,Filter Cartridge in Los Angeles, US.

    For more info you can check it out here : http://titanwaterpro.3dcartstores.com/Big-Blue-Water-Filter-_c_13.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 24, 2017 at 11:31 AM

    Nurse Practitioner Liability - Np Error includes Failure to provide oversight, Breach of Contract, Patient is harmed, Harm is Foreseeable in New Jersey, US.

    According to Recent Case Law Physician had a duty of care to the patient of an NP, even through the Physician never saw or evaluated the patient and the Facts are Dr. had a Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) with NP, who owned her medical practice.

    For more info about Nurse Practitioner Liability you can check it out here : http://www.medzel.com/service/nurse-practitioner-liability-new-jersey-us/

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Country where humour died

Humour died a thousand deaths in India after May 2014. The reason – let me put it as someone put it on X.  The stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra called a politician some names like ‘traitor’ which made his audience laugh because they misunderstood it as a joke. Kunal Kamra has to explain the joke now in a court of justice. I hope his judge won’t be caught with crores of rupees of black money in his store room . India itself is the biggest joke now. Our courts of justice are huge jokes. Our universities are. Our temples, our textbooks, even our markets. Let alone our Parliament. I’m studying the Ramayana these days in detail because I’ve joined an A-to-Z blog challenge and my theme is Ramayana, as I wrote already in an earlier post . In order to understand the culture behind Ramayana, I even took the trouble to brush up my little knowledge of Sanskrit by attending a brief course. For proof, here’s part of a lesson in my handwriting.  The last day taught me some subhashit...
10 comments
Read more

Lucifer and some reflections

Let me start with a disclaimer: this is not a review of the Malayalam movie, Lucifer . These are some thoughts that came to my mind as I watched the movie today. However, just to give an idea about the movie: it’s a good entertainer with an engaging plot, Bollywood style settings, superman type violence in which the hero decimates the villains with pomp and show, and a spicy dance that is neatly tucked into the terribly orgasmic climax of the plot. The theme is highly relevant and that is what engaged me more. The role of certain mafia gangs in political governance is a theme that deserves to be examined in a good movie. In the movie, the mafia-politician nexus is busted and, like in our great myths, virtue triumphs over vice. Such a triumph is an artistic requirement. Real life, however, follows the principle of entropy: chaos flourishes with vengeance. Lucifer is the real winner in real life. The title of the movie as well as a final dialogue from the eponymous hero sugg...
4 comments
Read more

Abdullah’s Religion

O Abdulla Renowned Malayalam movie actor Mohanlal recently offered special prayers for Mammootty, another equally renowned actor of Kerala. The ritual was performed at Sabarimala temple, one of the supreme Hindu pilgrimage centres in Kerala. No one in Kerala found anything wrong in Mohanlal, a Hindu, praying for Mammootty, a Muslim, to a Hindu deity. Malayalis were concerned about Mammootty’s wellbeing and were relieved to know that the actor wasn’t suffering from anything as serious as it appeared. Except O Abdulla. Who is this Abdulla? I had never heard of him until he created an unsavoury controversy about a Hindu praying for a Muslim. This man’s Facebook profile describes him as: “Former Professor Islahiaya, Media Critic, Ex-Interpreter of Indian Ambassador, Founder Member MADHYAMAM.” He has 108K followers on FB. As I was reading Malayalam weekly this morning, I came to know that this Abdulla is a former member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Kerala , a fundamentalist organisation. ...
10 comments
Read more

Violence and Leaders

The latest issue of India Today magazine studies what it calls India’s Gross Domestic Behaviour (GDB). India is all poised to be an economic superpower. But what about its civic sense? Very poor, that’s what the study has found. Can GDP numbers and infrastructure projects alone determine a country’s development? Obviously, no. Will India be a really ‘developed’ country by 2030 although it may be $7-trillion economy by then? Again, no is the answer. India’s civic behaviour leaves a lot, lot to be desired. Ironically, the brand ambassador state of the country, Uttar Pradesh, is the worst on most parameters: civic behaviour, public safety, gender attitudes, and discrimination of various types. And UP is governed by a monk!  India Today Is there any correlation between the behaviour of a people and the values and principles displayed by their leaders? This is the question that arose in my mind as I read the India Today story. I put the question to ChatGPT. “Yes,” pat came the ...
10 comments
Read more

The Ramayana Chronicles: 26 Stories, Endless Wisdom

I’m participating in the A2Z challenge of Blogchatter this year too. I have been regular with this every April for the last few years. It’s been sheer fun for me as well as a tremendous learning experience. I wrote mostly on books and literature in the past. This year, I wish to dwell on India’s great epic Ramayana for various reasons the prominent of which is the new palatial residence in Ayodhya that our Prime Minister has benignly constructed for a supposedly homeless god. “Our Ram Lalla will no longer reside in a tent,” intoned Modi with his characteristic histrionics. This new residence for Lord Rama has become the largest pilgrimage centre in India, drawing about 100,000 devotees every day. Not even the Taj Mahal, a world wonder, gets so many footfalls. Ayodhya is not what it ever was. Earlier it was a humble temple town that belonged to all. Several temples belonging to different castes made all devotees feel at home. There was a sense of belonging, and a sense of simplici...
34 comments
Read more