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Falsehood Flies

Kathy Werner
Posted 12/17/21

“Besides, as the vilest Writer has his Readers, so the greatest Liar has his Believers; and it often happens, that if a Lie be believ’d only for an Hour, it has done its Work, and there …

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Falsehood Flies

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“Besides, as the vilest Writer has his Readers, so the greatest Liar has his Believers; and it often happens, that if a Lie be believ’d only for an Hour, it has done its Work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late; the Jest is over, and the Tale has had its Effect…” Jonathan Swift, 1710.

“There’s a sucker born every minute.” Mistakenly attributed to P. T. Barnum, but actually a quote from David Hannum, who purchased the Cardiff Giant in 1869. Hannum wouldn’t sell the phony giant to Barnum, so Barnum created his own.

Never let it be said that Americans, nay all people, were immune to a good conspiracy theory, no matter how outlandish.

We hold conventions to talk about aliens. We read about sightings of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs. From time to time, we even sit on rooftops waiting for the end of the world.

Back in the good old days, we didn’t have instant access to all the geniuses and crackpots of the world. You really had to do some digging to access the information you were seeking. It had to be carefully sought out, rather than coming at you with the volume and force of a fire hose, truth and lies all mixed together like a fountain of mud.

Now with the advent of social media (YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, et al), there are limitless venues for conspiracy theorists, crackpots, and charlatans to peddle their wares. And peddle they do.

People have always had an affinity for conspiracy theories. After all, real life can get boring, and it is fascinating to imagine all sorts of things as the “real reason” something has happened.

From rule by the Illuminati to theories about the JFK assassination, the market for such “mysteries” is eternal and unceasing. Those who buy into this believe that we are all being lied to by those in charge and that we are merely pawns in a game we can’t comprehend.

Books are written, videos are created, and podcasts are launched. And though we are no longer paying Mr. Barnum to get into the circus sideshow, many are making money peddling this nonsense online. Unfortunately, the internet is like the wild West. There are no filters and Truth has become a slippery concept. We live in an age of alternative facts. And those alternative facts can lead you down some really scary rabbit holes.  

One must be a critical reader, a questioner, a seeker of truth. And applying some common sense is useful as well. If something sounds unbelievable, it may well be. We would do well to remember these words of Winston Churchill, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.”

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