Editing information, another aspect of totalitarianism, is terrifyingly prevalent in the 2016 election. Donald Trump, the forty-fifth President of the United States, has had one of the most controversial campaigns in history. Many question how he moved from a life of hosting TV shows to the White House so easily. The answer is simple: his use of falsehoods to psychologically manipulate the public. Trump’s presidency has been full of lies. Whether you are a supporter or not, it is clear that he does not care about the truth in the slightest. In fact, “a whopping 70% of Trump’s statements that PolitiFact checked during the campaign were false, while only 4% were completely true, and only 11% mostly true.” (Konnikova 1). Among the hundreds he
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“The act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.” (Gopnik 3). By completely ignoring the truth, Trump shows that he does not value facts, and that he believes wholeheartedly in what he is saying. When Trump tells a lie that is obviously a lie, he isn’t trying to make people believe it’s true. His clear falsehood and lack of regret about telling it goes against the idea of sanity. After such a huge falsehood begins, it is not possible to make the topic believable or normal again (Gopnik 4). “For Trump, truth is subordinate to attitude, an attitude that can be changed at will.” (Cederstrom …show more content…
At first glance, Trump’s endless lies seem immature, like a terrible political decision. However, his falsehoods have a psychological effect on people that allow him to grow in power quickly and effectively. When you hear a lie, you must believe it for a short time, to make sense of it. After that, you can decide whether or not it is a lie. Since you always experience the first part, and not always the second, you may not realize something is a lie. When faced with a consistent input of lies, it is difficult for our brains to deal with everything, which is called cognitive load. Over time, we stop attempting to decided what is correct and what is a lie (Konnikova 2). Constant repetition of the same lie is actually a real plan. While hearing Trump repeat that same lie, the public soon believes it to be true. “If Trump has a particular untruth he wants to propagate- not just an undifferentiated barrage- he simply states it over and over.” (Konnikova 2). If a lie is repeated enough, we view it as true, which is called an illusory truth. Psychologists tested this by giving people a list of statements, some listed more than
“The act of falsifying reality is only secondarily a way of changing perceptions. It is, above all, a way of asserting power.” (Gopnik 3). By completely ignoring the truth, Trump shows that he does not value facts, and that he believes wholeheartedly in what he is saying. When Trump tells a lie that is obviously a lie, he isn’t trying to make people believe it’s true. His clear falsehood and lack of regret about telling it goes against the idea of sanity. After such a huge falsehood begins, it is not possible to make the topic believable or normal again (Gopnik 4). “For Trump, truth is subordinate to attitude, an attitude that can be changed at will.” (Cederstrom …show more content…
At first glance, Trump’s endless lies seem immature, like a terrible political decision. However, his falsehoods have a psychological effect on people that allow him to grow in power quickly and effectively. When you hear a lie, you must believe it for a short time, to make sense of it. After that, you can decide whether or not it is a lie. Since you always experience the first part, and not always the second, you may not realize something is a lie. When faced with a consistent input of lies, it is difficult for our brains to deal with everything, which is called cognitive load. Over time, we stop attempting to decided what is correct and what is a lie (Konnikova 2). Constant repetition of the same lie is actually a real plan. While hearing Trump repeat that same lie, the public soon believes it to be true. “If Trump has a particular untruth he wants to propagate- not just an undifferentiated barrage- he simply states it over and over.” (Konnikova 2). If a lie is repeated enough, we view it as true, which is called an illusory truth. Psychologists tested this by giving people a list of statements, some listed more than