On the Politics of Lies

Information rarely comes to us immediately. Even if we are eyewitnesses to an event, our backgrounds, the reactions of others, and our memories later can be affected by the method in which we remember or retell a story.

As a practitioner of theatre, it becomes easier to understand politics in terms of performance. Politicians have an objective (presumably to be elected, at this time of year), and their circumstances dictate that they should use any means necessary to get there. As such, their tactics largely center around lying, which is highly problematic for those voting.

The majority of people whom I have heard discuss the presidential debate have discussed that Romney seemed like a viable candidate at last, and his rhetoric was as effective as that used by Obama, if not more effective. While they both used half-truths and in some cases, blatant lies, sites like factcheck.org,  skewered Romney for being a 'serial exaggerator'. If this is what it takes to be President of the United States, there must be a reason.

The unfortunate truth is that the American public is at fault. The other unfortunate truth is that the American media machine is at fault, and can never not be at fault. Merely by choosing what is and is not newsworthy creates political bias from the top down, and the public feeds this negative feedback loop by eagerly appreciating aggressive lies. Until we move to a system of total information, which some may have thought was promised by the internet, we cannot have a political conversation without lies.

What's hard to comprehend, however, is that there can never be a world without bias. I am biased. You are biased. The various mediums in which any opinions or facts can be presented are biased. Later, when I click the publish button at the top of my editing page, this post will be 'live' on google, but it will only come up in the top of the results if it has been seen a large amount of times from various sites, or if I were to pay for the privilege. Additionally, even though I will post this on facebook, like the great social media giant encourages, this will only be seen by those online at the exact time I post, and only remain in the top of the newsfeed if many people 'like' or comment on the post. Google also alters results pages depending on location, as well as analytics it collects on you as an individual, so I am unlikely to get any results that are conservative, which is actually somewhat disappointing.

I think, however, that there is a distinct, tenable difference between lies and political bias. I may look at the world with an alternative viewpoint, with distinct opinions and experiences that shape the facts I receive, but I recognize this. When a politician lies, whether it is to protect the platform they are a part of or to further their own interests, it takes away from productive discourse.

It's part of why America is incredibly bi-partisan. Both parties get more caught up in defending the actions of their party than looking at the facts and examining results. Though much of the news has a bias, there are ways to glean information from statistics taken by non-partisan groups. At the very least, there must be a way to improve the situation, and honesty might actually be the best policy. It's frightening, especially when one realizes how little truth is floating around in the public eye, and how mediated our information has become, but not impossible.

I do not think we can ever give up bias, because humans love having opinions and beliefs. Where the bias end and lies begin may be solved in American politics at first by abandoning the lie that our country can never be more than a two-party system. Attack the media for only allowing two of the 411 candidates currently running for President to be heard, and vote for the candidate you agree with the most. Do not buy in to the fear-mongering and lies that are touted to make the American public believe it only has two choices.

Most importantly, vote. Presidential elections in America rarely result in a turnout of more than 55% of those eligible to vote, and have dipped below 50% before. This is pathetic. Apathy might seem like the logical reaction, but only by participating do we truly create change. Could you imagine if the 45-50% of eligible voters who either are disenfranchised, unmotivated,  or do not see where they fit in the bipartisan model suddenly stepped up and all voted for 'third' party candidates? Maybe I'm being idealistic, but I think that would be a massive sign for politicians that they cannot continue to get away with this.

Perhaps the introduction of more parties into the political system will inject a much needed sense of purpose, a sense of clarity, or at the very least, become a wake-up call to the two political parties who have coasted by on lies and deceit for so long.

And yes, I am biased, but I am not willfully informing those who do not agree with me that they are wrong. I am only encouraging the public to take back America.