When the lies told to a society become endemic, it’s vital to understand that it’s no longer about separating truth from lies, it’s about “othering” and humiliation.
It’s about being subjugated one lie at a time.
This Theodore Dalrymple quote explains it very well:
Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.
This is how you subvert a nation and a people.
Once again:
“... not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate ... the less it corresponded to reality the better ...”
Read that again three or four times, until it really penetrates the rusted recesses of your mind.
It’s tempting, after hearing a pile of lies from the government or anyone else trying to take your money, freedom, and self-respect, to point out what is untrue and then assume victory.
This is a victory only on the debate stage in your mind.
Comprehending such a thing as lies told on purpose, for the explicit purpose of humiliation, is very difficult for those of us raised in Western society based on Enlightenment values of logic, reason, facts, and truth. It just doesn’t fit into the worldview.
So you need to find a new worldview. “What is true and what is not” … it’s just not relevant in this context.
But consider the next part of the quote:
“To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control.”
Don’t be a willing party to your own subjugation.