Two major events in 2016 have shaped the way we view the world of post-truth: the first was the vote in Britain to leave the European Union in June. In November, Donald Trump, a political maverick who has never been confined to a party or a single ideology, was elected as the 45th president of the United States of America. The Trump administration spent his third day as president talking about ” alternative fact” and making false statements about the number of people who attended his inauguration.
The importance of Trump and Brexit for the rest of the world can be best gauged when you understand that both took place in the USA and the UK. From the late 19th century to the end of World War II, the UK was the driving force in the world. The US has remained that way ever since. As strategic allies, or because of their “special relation,” the US and UK have often shared similar views on global geopolitical events.
The dominant Western narrative
The English-language mainstream media is largely based in the US and UK and dominates the global news agenda. If these unexpected electoral results had occurred in the other two countries, the impact of the “post-truth’ narrative would have been less.
It is only natural that events of such historic importance, occurring so quickly across the Atlantic, would shake up English-speaking Western Intellectuals.
The US and UK have lived in denial for years. Both countries went to war with Iraq in 2003 over the false idea that Saddam Hussein harbored weapons of mass destruction.
Post-truth politics in the old school. Reuters
The term “post-truth” could also refer to a group of elites in the US or UK who are faced with a reality that they did not expect. The term “post truth” is used when elites do not accept the truth. A person who is looking for facts in one set of circumstances will be accused of not recognizing evidence in another set of circumstances.
Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn have told us for a long while that the Western mainstream media narrative and politicians are not always representative of people’s interests.
What the US and UK mainstream media and their policy makers think has always been more important than what the rest of the globe thought.
Wake up to the truth and post-truth
The world has been in a state of post-truth for many years. We have seen the reality from the perspective of these two governments, as well as the mainstream media.
It is certainly true that the US and UK are no longer able to present a coherent narrative. Even the US’s relationship with former enemies, like Russia, has become unclear.
The US is experiencing a rise in partisanship, as the mainstream media and intelligence agencies are on one side and alternative media, such as WikiLeaks, on the other. Alternate media often share narratives from Kremlin-funded media like RT. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are members of the first club. Donald Trump is currently a member of the second club, driven by convenience.
Some of us are now waking up to the fact that binary pictures have never been able to accurately represent reality’s complexity.
Is it the dawning of a brand new era? Jim Bourg/Reuters
India: the home of post-truth political culture
This was the global context for post-truth political movements and their advent in the West. As the US and UK awaken to this new era, it is worth noting that for years, the world’s biggest democracy lived in a world of post-truth.
India is a leader in post-truth political movements. From Education and health care to the economy, especially its obsession with GDP.
India’s post-truth era is not a one-year phenomenon. Its complexities span generations. The election of Narendra Modi in 2014 was a major turning point. Since then, the country has been ruled by a majority with discrimination towards minorities.
India’s post-truth differs from its Western counterparts because of its socioeconomic status. Its nominal per capita income, for example, is less than 3% that of the US or 4% that of the UK. Post-truths still exist in India.
Our booming Wall Street is contrasted with our failing Main Street. We also have schools without teachers and villages without infrastructure. It is possible to have a positive impact on the world without having good governance and basic living conditions at home.
Modi’s government showed how decisions could be made that were completely detached from the lives of Indian citizens but manipulated to make it appear as if they had been taken for their benefit. This is most evident in India’s recent Demonetisation Drive, which plunged India into crisis against its central bank and affected the poorest people hardest.