Golden Age of Mendacity

A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.--Wilde


Chris made sticky buns. Really good.
Chris and I went for boys night out at Mineo's.

What’s truly striking is that President Trump has somehow placed the Democrat  2020 hopefuls in the awkward position of defending U.S. forever wars. 

U.S. negotiators dangled a Trumpian carrot before North Korean diplomats during nuclear talks two weeks ago: a promise to complete and expand a tourist resort that has been a favorite project of Kim Jong-un. The American diplomats offered the development help in exchange for denuclearization, according to the South Korean newspaper Hankook Ibo. These people are so silly.

Unrest in Chile, triggered by a subway fare increase(!), has led to looting and vandalism, with buses, stores and the headquarters of Enel Chile torched.(wsj)

New York’s season-ending defeat to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series on Saturday means that for the first time since the 1910s, they have gone a full calendar decade without so much as appearing in the World Series. They spent more than $2 billion on player salaries, more than any other team in the majors over that span. They employed at least eight current, likely or possible future Hall of Famers. And yet, along the way, the Yankees settled into a strange, new normal. They have become the sort of franchise their fans used to mock: great in every way but the one that counts.

In the wake of Trump’s commanded military withdrawal from northeast Syria, the once U.S.-backed Kurds cut a deal with the Assad regime!!!!

“Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis.”--Richard Lindzen

Has anyone seen a picture of Hilary standing recently?

On this day in 1805, in one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain. Nelson divided his 27 ships into two divisions and signaled a famous message from the flagship Victory: “England expects that every man will do his duty.”

In five hours of fighting, the British devastated the enemy fleet, destroying 19 enemy ships. No British ships were lost, but 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded in the heavy fighting. The battle raged at its fiercest around the Victory, and a French sniper shot Nelson in the shoulder and chest. The admiral was taken below and died about 30 minutes before the end of the battle. Nelson’s last words, after being informed that victory was imminent, were “Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty.” Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that Napoleon would never invade Britain. 

            Golden Age of Mendacity

Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.

But in our modern culture, hypocrisy was the liar's high watermark. It is now long gone. There is no longer debate, a struggle between thoughtful posing, pros and cons. Instead, we have simple declarations--usually in a celebration--of a simple lie. The lie simmers, is usually countered to a much smaller audience and the liar, like a traveling circus that has milked the spot long enough, folds his tent and moves on to a new venue, a new lie.

The point is not that public people are insincere, it is that the culture no longer expects sincerity. Mendacity is the norm and we are stunned by outbreaks of honesty. This is further complicated by the public airing of difficult problems for which there may be no definitive answer--or, worse, a complex one--and the public presentation of a simplified or ideologically motivated explanation. Or, if necessary, a simple lie is presented.

What happens in a culture that no longer believes its leaders any more than it does its enemies? What happens when "trust" becomes a curious, archaic word?

What happens when a culture longs for the days of hypocrisy?