Human Nature

[Belacqua]

Trump is not necessarily a danger because he is prepared to lie, but many of his lies are demonstrably pernicious.

When Trump first ran for office back in 2016, I read a fact-checking site about his public statements.  It told me that most American politicians lied 12 to 15% of the time, whereas Trump lied over 60% of the time.  The degree and frequency of his lies have proven to be overwhelming.  

That is why he is a demagogue too.  His lies appeal specifically to people's prejudices against liberals, immigrants, the "deep state," and whoever stands in his way.

The fact that so many people can't see his barrage against the facts for what it so obviously is points to a huge flaw in human nature.

15% is kind of a lot, though, right? I mean, are we really to the point where we think 15% is OK? 

It seems small compared to 60%. But why do we have to put up with even 10%?

This is what we get when we polarize these things, and focus all our blame on one side. We end up defending the team we're on, even though it's only 85% truthful. 

Biden and his team lied about his obvious senility. If you said, "that guy's clearly senile," people would accuse you of working for Russia. (“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”) But then suddenly everybody knew it. They lied to cover up scandals he was involved in. If they hadn't lied about these things, the Dems might have had a chance to run a viable candidate, and then we'd be spared another Trump term. 

So this, I think, is a flaw in human nature. We choose up teams, and forgive obvious wrongdoing in our own.