Inconvenient Truth

Truth is often stranger than fiction. In fact truth is often subjective and depends on your view point. While facts can often remain the same, opinions can vary. A famous US divorce lawyer so rightly once said, “There are three versions of each story, his, hers and the truth.” Often we distort the truth to make our version of events suit our immediate needs, thereby consciously or subconsciously manipulating the listener for self gain. This idea of manipulation of the truth to gain control over someone by playing psychological mind games with a person’s memory is the cornerstone of George Orwell’s 1984.

            In 1984 Big Brother would change past events to show the regime in a good light, thereby maintaining the unquestioning faith and support of the people he controlled. In one instance while chocolate rations were reduced to 20g and reported correctly, just as quickly news reports blatantly lied by false claims that chocolate rations had in fact been increased to 20g. Either way the people were receiving 20g rations of chocolate but through manipulation their disappointment quickly changed to euphoria. This manipulation was caused by poor short term memory, and belief and trust that whatever they are being told verbally by people in authority has to be true. Further, the changing of the written word in newspapers, or other forms of media and communications in 1984 becomes objective truth. It was reported for example that Oceania was at war with East Asia and allies with Euro Asia and vice versa to the whims of Big Brother. People believe their eyes far more than their ears, and believe that if it is written as so then it must be so. However, this is not always the case as we see even today there is much false reporting from the media to sell papers. A trivial case in point are the reported alliances and break ups of movie stars as reported without concrete proof in the popular press.

            One of the greatest manipulators of the truth as shown in 1984 is governments, and this continues even today. False claims of victory over enemies or showing the economy in a better light than reality are happening in present day leaderships. This occurs often to buy vote of confidence that will win elections and retain power for the current administration. And as people we often believe, as it is a far easier pill to swallow, as yes indeed, the truth warts and all, often hurts, and we cannot handle the truth. This subtle manipulation often starts at an early age, when parents protect children by creating a candy floss perfect world. For example we are eager to believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy and that our pet dog has not died but gone to a retirement farm. In this same vein the citizens of Oceania want to believe that Big Brother is their Santa Clause, there to protect them. So people do not die or disappear from Oceania, they simply never existed. This helps to maintain the smooth natural order without any ripples in the ocean of everyday life.

            Between the white of the truth and the black of the lie is a great chasm of grey that one can manipulate. And if indeed the truth does in fact hurt, or is inconvenient then why not believe the lie.