A civilization built on quicksand and propaganda

The above beliefs/delusions (and others not included here) make up the primary layer of untruth that grips us. The secondary layer is the fog of lies, illusions, and misinformation spread on the Internet, right-wing media, and social media that Cadwalladr refers to. Unfortunately for us, when these two layers of UNtruth combine — as is occurring today — very little truthful or accurate information ever makes it through to global information ‘consumers.’

The fact that this lethal combination is active now, just as we’re confronting global climate, economic, and societal disruptions, practically ensures that no meaningful actions will be taken to turn our (or our planet’s) fortunes around.

Once again, every time vital truths are publicly shared by scientists, sociologists, reporters, and other truthful informants, some far right or far left ideologue, capitalist, or billionaire oligarch immediately throws their disinformation machine into full gear, clogs our information space with evasive or partisan nonsense — and totally eclipses the truth.

A potent and frightening example is the way the fossil fuel industry and conservative media worked together to undermine scientific, truthful information about global warming and climate change. Utilizing a decades-long, concerted propaganda effort, these groups very successfully challenged, mocked, and ultimately destroyed many Americans’ faith in science and ‘belief’ in climate change — and replaced accurate knowledge with lies, innuendo, paranoia, and dismissive sarcasm.

Their propaganda campaign was SO successful that today, most right-leaning Americans are arrogantly skeptical of all information about climate change and believe it’s just a ‘liberal hoax.’ Evidence and scientific validation mean nothing to them; they just ‘know’ it’s all made-up nonsense — and vote down any efforts to combat climate change, both locally and globally.

And this is all happening as humanity’s window to slow down climate change is closing — fast.

The disintegration of our delusional ‘reality’ is accelerating

My main point is that humanity has been embroiled in layer upon layer of UNtruth and delusion for centuries — and now the rise of the Internet and social media has added a new disruptive, destructive layer that tech companies and oligarchs are using/abusing to full advantage.

Our modern way of life was already based on profound misunderstandings, willful falsehoods, and ignorance — but the (mis)information environment today has made this problem immeasurably worse.

At the exact time that we desperately need access to accurate information to help us ‘wake up’ and act wisely… instead, the opposite is happening, and people are being misled, propagandized, and dumbed down at lightning speed.

This global trend is so firmly entrenched that I’d say, based on available and accurate evidence, that modern civilization IS already collapsing and will continue to collapse at an accelerating rate. The worldwide ‘war on truth’ has already been won by the ignoramuses, manipulators, and bad actors — and their cooperative human prey, lazy ‘consumers’ — around the globe, for they have succeeded in blinding us to the truth and stopping meaningful action to combat both climate change/disruption and social collapse.

As I said earlier, “If we take away peoples’ basic belief and trust in ‘truth’ and a shared ‘objective reality,’ we’ve done away with the only things that make a shared, peaceful society possible.” Thus, we’re seeing society after society, all around the world, unraveling. Fast. And I’d add, in the process we’ve also done away with the only things that could possibly ‘save us,’ namely truthful information and accurate, ongoing impetus for collective action.

Technological innovation alone won’t and can’t ‘save us,’ nor will our happy-face denial of reality. What could save us are human knowledge and awakening — but both of these crucial human experiences are now under sustained, merciless attack, and are on the wane instead of growing stronger.

It’s truly a social mega-disaster in progress, and it has built up tremendous momentum. Today, it’s increasingly unlikely that truth and accurate knowledge will come to our rescue — since we’ve effectively banished both.