26/04/2019
It constantly amazes me how gullible some people are. Even people who, on the face of it seem to be reasonable, balanced and even intelligent. Their besottedness in authority blinds them to the most obvious of truths: that everyone acts in what they believe to be the best interest of what they hold important. Their community, their families, their employers, their peers, their nations, their race or creed, and definitely not to underestimated, themselves.
I want to hone in on a particular type of deception that is so thinly veiled, but is so profoundly significant to the wellbeing of so many. Economic lies.
The "Authorities"
Our organized and regimented societies seemingly require ever greater levels of command and control. Like wayward children, our societies seem to veer into self destructive tendencies at the first hint of freedom. We grow accustomed to have some authorities to help us when something goes wrong, much like a child does to a parent.
The collective authority, referring to the complex web of bureaucratic and governmental organisations are given purpose by our reliance. Despite the fact that by all intents and purposes, we are subjects ruled over by these institutions, if we believe in the basic tenets of democracy, it is we who give them their power.
Puting that thorny issue aside, there are many useful and in some contexts essential services that the Authority provide us which without, would diminish our standards of living. Sewage removal and treatment, road maintenance, education, etc.. could theoretically be serviced by a market forces powered for profit private enterprise, but in many of these cases, the natural monopolies that would flourish could very easily be much worse than the centralised wasteful option.
When humanity crossed the invisible line of population density, making cooperation a survival necessity, the requirement for an authority was also born. They represent an essential organ of society, and a huge magnet for corruption and power. For those of us with a penchant for power and urge to dominate, the lure of public office is irresistable.
This is not the main thrust of my essay, but it is a primer of sorts so you can view my understanding of where Authority exists in my interpretation.
The new Rules
My life of continuous education spans the period before the internet. Information came at me through the TV. But at that time I was too young and stupid to understand the importance to discern the source of one's education and information.
Today I am a little wiser about sources, and more importantly the motivation behind these sources.
On average, a journalist will not endanger his reputation and income to report in such a way to stir the ire of his editor. This is why a necessity for extra-commercial mechanisms such as awards and merits for honesty in reporting are required. But today these motivations have been swamped to a great degree.
The internet has kipped over the carefully laid play table to actors in power in the information world. Google, Facebook , Twitter, and blogging have completely upset the fine balance between the Main Stream Media (MSM), the Authorities, and the public.
A literal war of ideas exists now wildly raging on the internet. A swarm of bloggers fling splinters of information at the Authorities while their loyal MSM (to a large extent) accuse anyone disagreeing with the official narrative of the Authorities a peddler of fake news.
Explosion of choice
Discerning fake from real news has always posed a challenge for the public. Authoritative news outlets (MSM) for a large degree over the second half of the 20th century enjoyed a level of trust they will never regain. Starting in the closing years of that century, the internet empowered an entire new class of media outlets, the blogger. Anyone with a connection to the internet can be a media outlet now.
This new condition has not improved the overall quality of information though. All it has achieved is to flood the public with a diversity of sources never before seen. It is no surprise then that the MSM struggles to retain control of the narrative. The version of facts best suited to keep disruption to the structures of power and government to a minimum.
While on the other side, the altruistic desire for truth to be exposed drives an endless stream of independent publishers to use whatever new social media tool becomes available online, to share their version of the truth.
So where is the truth now in this new paradigm?
The Confidence Game
To best illustrate this, I want to take a snippet of a story I recently read which lays bare the idea of News, Narratives and Confidence, in particular when it comes to economics.
Link to source
If you are sceptical of Zerohedge (a healthy dose of scepticism is vital to discovering truth) then check out the Telegraph in the UK on this quote from Jean-Claude Juncker
After such a lie, would you place any confidence in what Jean-Claude Juncker says anymore?
If it were not Jean-Claude Juncker, but your slightly alcoholic uncle, would you continue to believe his assertions after benign caught lying red handed in such a way? You deceive yourself it you do.
Why did he lie?
We all know the answer instinctively, that is why it maddens me to no end when seemingly intelligent people display astounding levels of gullibility when dealing with pronouncements from Figures of Authority.
Their primary goal is to promote your confidence in your economy, in your nation, in your company, but above all, your confidence in THEM.
When telling the truth runs counter that this primary goal, they will all lie.
Face it, placed in that same position of power, you will be sorely pressed to lie, and if you have trouble reconciling lying in such a way, then you are quite unsuited to holding such positions, which bring us to the second fundamental axiom:
Only good and comfortable liars reach positions of Authority and power.
It is a prerequisite that your morals do not obstruct the telling of lies with the goal of maintaining confidence in the community, economy, or wherever else.
Whenever we are dealing with Government sources and the MSM (which are either coerced to follow the official narrative or themselves support it editorially through the extreme concentration of ownership of these outlets) we need to understand a very important point: They are telling you what is needed to maintain your confidence in ******* (this being whatever the issue happens to be)
Final word
If you want financial and economic reporting which is as honest as you can find. Absolutely avoid official government and institution sources, and use a huge dose of skepticism in the MSM.
A diverse cross section of independent bloggers will serve you way better in this field of news. Why?
Because contrary to simply keeping you blind and confident, the independent blogger wants to be believed and as such has a powerful incentive to tell the truth, with no regard to how it affects your confidence in the economy.
Find bloggers with some stable credentials and with time a track record of telling the truth.
The generally accepted narrative surrounding great events like: the Skripal poisonings, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the twin towers, the war in Yemen, and for that matter Iraq, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, ..., all end up thrown again up into the air if one digs a little deeper. Following threads which intrepid bloggers have lain between official facts leading to glaring contradictions, or simply do not make sense, will lead you to begin to question more and believe less what the "talking heads on the idiot box" say.
Remember Jean-Claude Juncker's lie.
He lied straight faced to journalists and was exposed literally within days. The reporters, whether willingly or not, took him to task on this blatant falsehood, and for a fleeting moment, the curtain is pulled back on the integrity of our leaders.
But eventually, all confidence lies are exposed. With a new critical eye, it doesn't take long before you see through this facade of fakery. And once you discover this, you can not un-know it. The only option is to open your mind and start to identify what the real sources of truth are.
In the space of economics and finance, it is precisely because of their lack of vested interest that independent bloggers are, on the whole, the most honest source of information.
Honesty is often painful, but lies are worse.
