{"id":4712,"date":"2017-01-25T13:16:42","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T20:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/?p=4712"},"modified":"2017-01-26T12:39:52","modified_gmt":"2017-01-26T19:39:52","slug":"in-the-age-of-alternative-facts-truth-telling-is-an-act-of-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2017\/01\/in-the-age-of-alternative-facts-truth-telling-is-an-act-of-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Age of “Alternative Facts,” Truth Telling is an Act of Resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Our new President has been busy. His tiny hands must be tired from signing all those executive orders.<\/p>\n

First there was the action\u00a0affecting women\u2019s reproductive rights <\/a>on a global scale\u2013which he signed, surrounded by a covey\u00a0of white men, creating the most nauseating photo opp since that pic of the Trump family in the golden tower. (You know the one, with the giant lion thing? What even IS that??) In the same swipe of the pen, he\u00a0rolled back regulations of the ACA and withdrew us from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He has also resurrected the Keystone and Dakota pipeline projects<\/a>\u2013in which he appears to have vast (VAST) conflicts of interest<\/a>.\u00a0All in all,\u00a0his first few days in office yielded\u00a0ten executive orders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he created a smoke and mirrors conspiracy with allegations of wide-spread voter fraud<\/a>\u2013in an election that he won<\/em>. While you\u2019re still trying to process what all that means,\u00a0he is starting\u00a0on the wall<\/a>. And making good on that promise to ban Muslim refugees<\/a> from entering the country. And somewhere in the middle of all that\u2013while the freight train is going by so loud and so fast you can scarcely hear yourself think\u2013he\u00a0issues a gag order against the EPA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s repeat that one, because it sounds like the beginning of an Orwell or Stephen King novel and not real life: the new President just banned actual\u00a0government scientists from sharing information with the public.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

If it all seems overwhelming, that\u00a0is intentional. This is a tactical maneuver on the part of the new administration. While you\u2019re still drowning in despair over the most recent outrage, they initiate another one. And another, and another. There is no time to process, organize, or craft a communal response. It is on to the next sweeping change, roll-back and regulation. All the while, he casts\u00a0doubt on the press. He writes\u00a0off all opposition as \u201cfake news\u201d from the \u201cliberal media,\u201d and pads every reality with this new thing called \u201cAlternative facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another word for that:\u00a0propaganda<\/strong>. And of all the concerning developments of the past few days, this is the darkest prospect of all\u2013that he\u00a0can so quickly and effectively threaten a cornerstone of democracy, one so sacred it is even written into the Constitution. Not only has he worked to silence legitimate news sources, he has cast doubt among his followers about the credibility of anything those outlets produce. Now, moving forward, his administration can literally get away with murder, because even the worst possible outcomes will be presented as \u201cfake news,\u201d or \u201cspin;\u201d and we, the people, will have to sift through a mountain of \u201calternative facts\u201d to find\u00a0some semblance of reality. By then, we\u2019ll be too exhausted to push back.<\/p>\n

This is democracy dies. Not with a bang, but a whimper.\u00a0\"truth-166853_640\"<\/p>\n

So, how to resist? Do we rush to defend women\u2019s rights, or stave off a vast wave of deportations? Protect the National Parks, or stop the pipeline? Speak out against the privatization of our public schools, or address the repeal of the Affordable Care Act? It\u2019s nearly impossible to know where to start.<\/p>\n

Again, remember\u2013that is their goal. Overwhelm the opposition with the sheer volume of actionable items, and there is no time for response or engagement. No window for imposing the checks and balances of democracy. So here\u2019s my takeaway, for the moment: Resistance in any one of these areas is dependent on the\u00a0fierce protection of the truth.<\/p>\n

The real enemy at work here is the overarching war on true and nuanced stories. Already Trump has begun limiting\u00a0the access of certain press outlets, tightly controlling what questions can be asked, and shouting down any challengers. This blitzing of witnesses is\u00a0what we\u2019re really up against, and it is bigger than any one issue.<\/p>\n

In this new normal of \u201calternative facts,\u201d\u00a0telling the truth is\u00a0the first order of resistance.<\/p>\n

When\u00a0President Trump issued the decree (let\u2019s just call it what it is) banning the Department of the Interior from posting on social media,\u00a0Badlands National Park went rogue<\/a>.\u00a0They posted a bunch of PESKY FACTS about the environment on the park\u2019s Twitter feed. They managed to get out 4 Tweets before their account was taken down, but\u00a0those Tweets were\u00a0captured and shared far and wide.\u00a0\"170124180426-badlands-twitter-large-169\"<\/p>\n

Since the account went dark, another one has appeared in its place\u2026 The new account,\u00a0AltUSNatParkSer<\/a>, is\u00a0presumably run\u00a0by National Parks employees on their own time. They have gathered more than half a million followers in less than 24 hours.<\/p>\n

\"altnps-1020x548\"<\/p>\n

The truth can be a powerful form of defense. Especially\u00a0when misinformation is your opponent\u2019s greatest weapon.<\/p>\n

There are many ways to put that truthful resistance\u00a0into practice. For instance: share news from reliable sources on social media, and push back with fact checks when you see something that really is \u201cfake news.\u201d This approach is neither perfect nor comprehensive, but it is a start.\u00a0Say what is true, even to people who won\u2019t hear it; stay informed, stay engaged, and diversify your sources of information\u2013this is the best way to discern what is actual news and what is\u2026other stuff.<\/p>\n

Along those same lines, try not to limit your circles to like-minded people. This temptation is a real liability of the current administration\u2019s communication style, to drive us into even tighter corners of isolation. Put yourself in the presence of other voices; continue to share life and meals and parenting and neighboring with a wide range of people, even if you don\u2019t agree politically. Respectfully disagree when you must, but try to maintain relationships that will overcome the general villainizing of \u2018those people.\u2019<\/p>\n

Then, call your Representatives and speak truth to power. You could spend hours crafting the perfect STRONGLY WORDED EMAIL detailing all of your concerns, but that would not go as far as a 30-second convo with the intern who answers the phone. Better yet\u2013show up in person. Many local groups (official and otherwise) are planning weekly and monthly gatherings for leaders to engage\u00a0the community. You do not have to quit your day job to get politically active. Just show up.<\/p>\n

For your act of resistance today, follow those AltPark people on Twitter; or support and empower others who\u00a0say what is true, by whatever means available to them. And tomorrow\u2026 well, what about tomorrow? How are you going to speak the truth? Get creative, and let us know what you\u2019re doing in your community to work for a future based in reality and accountability. We\u2019ll amplify your voice as well.<\/p>\n

Because the truth creates a wall of resistance\u2026stronger than anything built on \u201calternative facts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our new President has been busy. His tiny hands must be tired from signing all those executive orders. First there was the action\u00a0affecting women\u2019s reproductive rights on a global scale\u2013which he signed, surrounded by a covey\u00a0of white men, creating the most nauseating photo opp since that pic of the Trump family in the golden tower. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":4715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1105],"tags":[1382,1385,1386,1383,1384,19,9,10],"class_list":["post-4712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-good-week-for-progress","tag-alternative-news","tag-altnatparkser","tag-dakota-pipeline","tag-epa-gag-order","tag-executive-orders","tag-national-parks","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nIn the Age of "Alternative Facts," Truth Telling is an Act of Resistance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the age of "alternative facts," truth-telling is a great act of resistance. 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