Thread by @Civics4GrownUps

Lies. Malarkey. Hogwash. There are many flavors of deception in politics. In this thread we'll explore two of them:
👉🏼Lies &
👉🏼Bullshit
1/

Discerning truth from falsehood is increasingly imptnt in an age where ppl can easily find news sources that align w/ their worldview 2/

Defining/understanding different types of deception & learning to recognize them can help shed light on electeds, media & officials. 3/

So we'll define "lies" & "bullshit", offer examples, & recommend some reading. If you like this topic, check out ep 8 of our @afrwpod pod 4/

LIES: A core characteristic of a lie is that, at the point that it's told, the truth is known by the actor. Deception is the goal. 5/

The liar is motivated by some factor (vengeance, self-preservation, greed, etc.) to not only withhold truth, but intentionally deceive. 6/

A classic example of a political lie was Bill Clinton's perjury re: the Lewinsky affair. This lie of self-preservation led to impeachment 7/

Another current, high-profile example: Comey is accusing Trump of knowingly lying abt their Flynn/Russia convo's, and vice versa...8/

...They accuse e/o of knowing an objective truth & engaging in intentional deception to mislead the media, public & Congress. 9/

Now, we don't always condemn lying: b/c we entrust our leaders with secret-keeping, we expect judicious deception in interest of nat sec 10/

For exmpl, on night of the Bin Laden raid if pt blank asked what he was up to, we would've expected Obama to lie. Strategic deception. 11/

BULLSHIT: Unlike a liar, somebody engaging in bullshit is detached from truth. Recommended read: Harry Frankfurt's essay "On Bullshit" 12/

Frankfurt contends the prime purpose of bullshit is to persuade. Some bullshit may include truth; the bullshitter is largely ambivalent. 13/

In summary: The liar cares enough about truth to attempt to hide it; the bullshitter doesn't care about truth or falsity...14/

....Instead, the bullshitter's only concern is whether they've managed to persuade their intended audience. 15/

An example of bullshit: during the campaign, Trump stated that he knew "more than the generals" about ISIS. A ludicrous claim. 16/

Trump wasn't lying (trying 2 seriously deceive). He was bullshitting (trying 2 persuade w/ ambivalence to truth). Catch the distinction? 17/

Here's a clip where @FareedZakaria referenced "On Bullshit" in describing then-candidate Trump as a BS artist. 18/

Trump bullshits a lot. From inauguration crowds to the size of his victory to the progress of tax & HC legislation through Congress.../18a

...Trump repeatedly makes claims that are demonstrably false. /18b

In many cases his goal seems to be to influence his intended audience, not to literally convince people of the veracity of his claims. /18c

Another place where we see a lot of bullshitting is on cable news. Pundit panels are there to discuss topics through a partisan lens. 19/

These discussions routinely involve stating opinions as fact. If a pundit were to respond, "I don't know" when asked questions, they'd...20/

...stop getting invited. They are there to have opinions & persuade. By Frankfurt's def, tv news is tantamount to a bullshit factory 21/

Watch your officials. If they're perpetuating false narratives, ask: are they lying to deceive, or bullshitting to persuade? 22/

Active & purposeful deception is troubling. But is it more or less troubling than total ambivalence to the truth? What's more dangerous? 23/

More reading: "The Prevalence of Humbug" by Max Black. Another dimension of falsehood, "humbug" is often used to convey false piety. 24/

(It's just fun to get literal about a def for "humbug") /24a

Another great read: "Why Leaders Lie" by John Mearsheimer. Takes a scientific approach to investigating the Q of why ppl in power lie. 25/

And again - listen to our discussion on Truth, Lies & BS: Episode 8 of the "A Few Reasonable Words" podcast. Avail in iTunes & Stitcher. 26/

& See our most recent pod on the Twitter Presidency (Ep. 41)! Go scroll through public officials' feeds & play "Truth, Lie, BS or Humbug" //