Novel Use of Fiction

During a speech in Pittsburgh, Barack Obama lamented that Trump can lie about something as serious as a hurricane and not pay a price. “The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments … My question is, when did that become OK?” Sadly, it’s more than OK. For a lot of politicians and others, it’s working. In The Atlantic (Gift Article) Charlie Warzel explains why what’s happening in America today is something darker than a misinformation crisis. I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is. “Even in a decade marred by online grifters, shameless politicians, and an alternative right-wing-media complex pushing anti-science fringe theories, the events of the past few weeks stand out for their depravity and nihilism. As two catastrophic storms upended American cities, a patchwork network of influencers and fake-news peddlers have done their best to sow distrust, stoke resentment, and interfere with relief efforts. But this is more than just a misinformation crisis. To watch as real information is overwhelmed by crank theories and public servants battle death threats is to confront two alarming facts: first, that a durable ecosystem exists to ensconce citizens in an alternate reality, and second, that the people consuming and amplifying those lies are not helpless dupes but willing participants.”