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Gina Leon
State College
Lying has become so trendy these days that it feels as though we've been drawn into a muck of quicksand of all that is false. We fear we'll never be able to pull ourselves out.
Ever since MAGA Man descended down his glittering escalator and gave rise to the cult of Trump, we have witnessed one outrage after another. We become numb--discouraged and depressed, yes, but also numb. Year after year it becomes harder and harder to maintain the outrage. We dismiss his antics, countless lies, and despicable behavior with a shrug. "Well, that's Trump, ya' know? "But I like the guy," they say. "He's a good showman. And, hey, we all like to be entertained."
An adjudicated sex-offender, real-estate cheat, election-denier - well, he's a "man's man" and also who doesn't want to live large like the guy (with mansions, golf courses, beautiful women, fame, power).
Recently I came across words by the late Hannah Arendt (1906-1975), noted German historian and philosopher: "This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want."