Countering Truthiness

I am reflecting on one of the spiritual, emotional, and moral challenges of our time, which can be summed up by the word Stephen Colbert made up 19 years ago today: truthiness. Colbert was trying to get at the challenge that faces us in a society where statements that are true and verified are increasingly put on par with statements which simply feel true.

We are witnessing the phenomenon and impact of the rise of ‘truthiness’ unfold right now in the presidential and vice-presidential debates, through the sharing of posts on social media, and through reports on what purports to be news these days. We are witnessing how it manifests in conflicts arising across colleges and universities, in community organizations (including in our church), and in families and friendship circles. 

Stephen Colbert coined the term ‘truthiness’ in his first satirical bit known as The Colbert Report on October 17, 2005. In his own words, this is what he was trying to get at: “It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that’s not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It’s certainty. People love the President [George W. Bush] because he’s certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up don’t seem to exist… I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace. What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true? …”

You may remember that in the debates and news reports leading up to the 2004 election where George Bush won and John Kerry lost – the Bush campaign turned Kerry’s military service and awards into a liability, questioning whether he acted with honor and deserved the medals he received. The attacks against Kerry on this issue were proven false, and gave rise to a new term “swiftboating,” meaning an untrue political attack.

That election season was the fall I was ordained into the Unitarian Universalist ministry at the Unitarian Church of All Souls, NYC, twenty years ago today, October 17, 2004. I realize that so much of my ministry, especially in the work of engaging with matters of morality and justice have been intertwined with countering this phenomenon of ‘truthiness,’ and the ways it functions to so often discredit the experience of people who are most impacted by an injustice.

This week it showed up once more, and the humbling thing is that both Democrats and Republicans will manipulate the truth based on the way the “political winds are shifting”, which is a phrase that means, “how people are feeling.” I participated in First Unitarian Portland’s Immigration Justice Action Group’s forum on the state of national immigration policy in the US on October 15. (Yes, it was recorded for those who missed it, so you can watch it.) One fact that we encountered was how both Democrats and Republicans have a very similar track record as far as enacting mass deportations throughout ICE’s two decades of existence. Immigrants with and without papers are used as a scapegoat for the challenges of our economy by politicians of all stripes. We may feel someone would promote humane immigration reforms. They may even campaign on implementing humane immigration reforms. However, we need to do our research and find out what is actually unfolding regardless of our feelings. 

As a religious people who put love at the center, we need to pay attention to when we are falling into the “truthiness” trap, believing something because we feel or want it to be true. The immigration forum was an important reminder to me that, in our modern age of social media and constant information sharing, all of us are susceptible to the kinds of dynamics that allow misinformation or distortions to spread with the equal weight of facts. And it can have devastating consequences, such as dehumanizing immigration policies that fail to respect the dignity of our neighbors.

It was also a reminder that these dynamics can infiltrate so many of our spaces, not just the political arena. At our own church, there is a situation unfolding involving researched facts vs. unverified propositions connected to the music ministry transition that occurred in June. Our Board of Trustees has produced an FAQ about the changes in our music ministry, which is based on robustly researched facts; and people who are unhappy about the changes are providing a set of alternative FAQs with non-verified statements that reflect upset feelings.

Our Board’s FAQ is based on the findings of an HR consultant who was hired by the Board to serve as an investigator, the findings of a second completely independent investigator hired by the church’s lawyer, and the findings of an independent mediator outside of our congregation. Professionals whom the Board hired investigate for a living and have the credentials and expertise to do so. They interviewed multiple staff members (including former staff members and former ministers) and congregants who hold varying perspectives, experiences, and knowledge. They reviewed documents, emails, and other written materials. They put hundreds of hours into this work. All of this led to decisions grounded in the recommendations that stemmed from these processes. The people who are generating alternate narratives are operating from a place of feelings and what they want to be true. They are missing the full context our Board has received from all of the findings. I hope that anyone with concerns will reach out to the Board.   

However, what we are learning, among many things, is that the communication networks were not quick enough or robust enough to satisfy people’s immediate need for more information. We also experienced the need for a right relations team to be already in place for when conflicts arise. If you heard the Board’s update a couple of weeks ago, you are aware that these are things that leadership has been and is continuing to work on.

May this be a time where all of us learn more about how to navigate conflict while staying in covenant, while recognizing one another’s humanity, and while nurturing the health of our systems and our people.

In faith,

Rev. Alison