“Mommy, where do alternative facts come from?” the wide eyed
little boy wanted to know after listening to Kelly
Anne Conway.
The mother sighed thoughtfully before deciding it was time
to tell the tyke the truth about alternative birds and bees. “Alternative facts come from an alternative universe’”
she replied.
“What’s an alternative universe and where did it come from?” the child persisted.
“An alternative universe is one where powerful people decide what is real and what isn’t real. If the truth isn’t pleasant, or if it in some way impedes their ability to rule the world or to make fantastic sums of money-sometimes more than even their great- great- great- grandchildren would be able to spend, they just make stuff up and substitute it for reality.
“There has always been an alternative universe, but it
didn’t really become as powerful-sometimes even more powerful-than the real
universe, until the United States of America was born. That was when Thomas
Jefferson wrote that “all men are created equal,” while owning slaves.
“When people saw that Thomas Jefferson was a hypocrite, they
must have despised him, right?”
“No, baby, they made him president. It happens all the time, especially today,
but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.
You see, America has done a lot of very bad things, like
destroying the people who were here before them and stealing their land. They created an alternative reality by making
movies where the victims –the Indians- were portrayed as bad guys. Some people buy into the alternative reality
because they are evil and they know better.
Others buy into it because they don’t know any better.
More recently, George Bush,
for example, told the public that the Iranians hated them because they hated
their freedom. Not knowing any better,
they believed him. The truth was that
the Iranians hated America because the American government overthrew their
elected government and installed a brutal dictator named the Shah. When alternative facts are used in the real world,
you get a real mess, which is what happened in the Middle East. “
“Wow!” the child responded.
“So, alternative facts are based on false history?”
“Not all the time.
Sometimes it’s based on what’s happening right in front of people. Like the alternative facts about how many
people came to the Trump inauguration.
Or how he stacked his meeting with the CIA with supporters cheering
him. People watch Fox
news and believe these alternative facts. ”
“But how can people believe alternative facts when the truth
is staring them in the face?” the kid found this absolutely incredulous.
“Sometimes people find comfort in alternative facts. Abusive people often create alternative facts
in which the abuser is the victim. Sometimes
the truth is complicated and the alternative fact gives them an easy answer so
they don’t have to think too much. When
people, whether it’s individuals or societies, don’t believe they have done
anything wrong, they can continue to do wrong and still feel justified. Alternative facts can often provide comfort
for those who buy into them.
Remember in the movie, “The Matrix” how the man betrayed his
colleagues because he wanted the comfort of the Matrix, even though he knew it
was a lie? Well, America had a choice of
which pill to take-reality or the Matrix- and a very large minority chose the
pill to stay in the Matrix.”
“They did? What
happened?”
“Donald Trump got elected.
Now we may have a reality no one can escape, no matter how much Fox News
they watch.”
www.williamgriggs.net
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