Episode 14 | Language & Truth
We start with good news this week, about the many ways the judicial system is pushing back against the Trump regime. (Read some of Heather Cox Richardson’s recent “Letters from an American” to learn more.) We also cannot underestimate the value of breaking bread and spending time with people you love. This is a form of self-care and sometimes resistance.
On Tyranny presents us with two more concepts: Be Kind to Our Language and Believe in Truth. Language is bent to create “alternative facts,” and a narcissist with authoritarian dreams will try to convince us that his truth is THE truth. We must be willing to read critically, read more, and question falsehoods. We must then call falsehoods out so that we contribute to upholding a larger, shared ethic of honesty. I certainly do not think honesty is too much to expect from our leaders. It is the basis of all good relationships and feelings of safety. One response to being lied to is to delude ourselves into believing “untruths” so that we don’t feel unsafe, so that we belong. Just seeking truthful information that is undistorted by megalomanicas and shock jocks is an act of resistance.
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On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
“Me. We.” by Muhammed Ali