‘Lies, damn lies and statistics’, was a phrase popularized by the 19th century American humorist, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Even in those days of relative sincerity, blatant lies veiled in venerable figures were still rife. In late modernity, lies of all kinds, buoyed by sophisticated informatics (internet, etc.) permeate every nook and cranny of current existence. In other words, lying through the teeth is elevated to an art form and seems to serve as one of the pillars of modern nation states and by extension, the whole world system. Here is Twain again; ‘if you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you read the newspaper you are misinformed’. In a more serous note: ‘what are the consequences of these continuous structural/systemic lies? Why should the administrations of modern societies lie in the first place?
In regards to the latter query, the current President of the EU Commission gave a rather satisfying answer, compared to many of the useless idiots of the global apparatchik. ‘When things get serious you have to lie’, said the colorful Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker. He is honest enough to admit that without creatively constructed lies, complex societies will hardly function! To be sure, lying is not only reserved to the politicos, state/government operators. Far from it! Market operators and their institutions cannot survive without it. Even civil societies, whose members include the faith sector, are not immune to this widespread indignity. Only last week we heard the third highest-ranking cardinal of the Catholic Church has been lying to all and sundry for over two decades. The case that was brought against him involved the ‘sexual abuse’ of minors within the Catholic Church. Instead of confessing like a proper catholic, he continued to lie, until he was found guilty! Officials of other denominations are also known to have lied about their abuse of women and children. Many other organizations of civil society, concerned with more worldly matters, are even worse liars. Such leaders usually leverage the stature of their organizations to join in the lying world of the psychopathic politicos.
Obviously states and politicos lie profusely. In fact, it would be difficult to think of a politician without an insignia, albeit imaginary, ‘liar’ affixed on his/her forehead. Unlike civil society organizations, lying emanating from state apparatuses and administrations can be fatal to many. For the benefit of those historically challenged, we will not go back very far in mentioning the various ‘false flags’ used as pretexts to kill millions of people and destroy numerous countries. Suffice is to start with the invasion of the recent Iraq invasion (2003). NATO powers, mainly the USA, lied to the world when it claimed Iraq was in possession WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). The real reason behind the blatant lie was to make sure the Iraqi oil would remain in the universe of petrodollar. Libya was mercilessly bombed and its president executed, on the pretext of humanitarian intervention. Again, the real reason was to make sure the Libyan oil would remain… Venezuela is now targeted for another wave of humanitarian bombing. Like destroyed Iraq and Libya it has also started to barter and also exchange its oil for other currencies. Unfortunately, Venezuela is now awaiting another wave of humanitarian bombing! Russia has stopped selling its oil using the US Dollar and that is why it is getting all the raps from western establishment. Luckily, it has formidable arsenals and can avoid the worst aspects of the notorious ‘democratic and humanitarian’ interventions!
The market and its narcissistic operators are as bad as the states when it comes to lying. The market tells us; burning oil is not really that bad for the environment, or smoking tobacco is not really that bad for your health. Refined sugar, chemical products (like pesticides/herbicides), etc., GMOs, Opioid, are not really that bad for….…. Often, states and the market strategically collude to perpetrate massive lies. Results have been devastating. Big Pharma need to get the blessing of governments before selling its products to the general public. There are plenty of evidences to suggest that government agencies don’t mind looking the other way when it comes to approving drugs pushed by Big Pharma; after all, this industry contributes massively to the campaigns of politicians. When it comes to colluding, the war industry is even deadlier. The permanent call for war mobilization, particularly in the west, is part and parcel of the core business model of the killing industry. Don’t forget, it is the deep state that effectively runs the governments of advanced industrial countries and the military-industrial complex forms the heart of the deep state. See the articles next column, on page 41 & 44.
Comprehensive environmental degradation is now threatening life on earth. One would think such a grave matter would allow scientific facts to prevail over all discussions, deliberations and policy formations. But that is not the case. Since the system is essentially based on lies, it keeps on perpetuating very dangerous and flimsy narratives that undermine all life forms. For instance, the whole essence of the Paris Climate Agreement is to hold global temperature rise between 1.5 to 2 degrees by the end of the century, i.e., 2099. The actual fact on the ground is; the planet has already registered an increase of 1.5 degrees since the industrial revolution (2018)! But for this figure to be bureaucratically acceptable, by the likes of the UN, blah, blah, it had to hold, averagely, for the coming thirty years! If truth be told, no scientist worth his salt and soul really believes that the 1.5-2 degree is a realistic objective, given the destructive nature of our current existence. Moreover, climate change, like many things in nature, is not a linear phenomenon. Once things start to roll, say we hit 2 or 3 degrees, then there can be myriad occurrences (across the planet) that will not be tractable, let alone predictable. Lies are now common even amongst scientists, paid scientists, that is!
“Lies beget ignorance. Ignorance begets fear. Fear begets hatred. And hatred begets violence. The ability to speak our minds and to listen to others-even those who are said to be our enemies-is what separates us from wild beasts. Deprive us of this right, and sure as rain, we degenerate into sub humans who claw at the ground, howl at the moon and gnaw on raw human flesh… or something like that.” Dmitry Orlov. Good Day!
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