Irrelevant Facts

Impressions are everything and facts are irrelevant. Advertisers and political spinners have always known that and in these days of Trumpian denial we all notice how facts are fading away into oblivion. It’s not that we really forget what has just happened. The facts are still stored somewhere in our mind, but since no one talks about them anymore, it’s as if they don’t count.

For example, we know very well that the US is heavily present in Iraq. We remember clearly how they invaded the country and installed a new government and how their soldiers kept on fighting for a long time thereafter. We are aware that an Iraqi government cannot be formed without American acceptance.

Still, mainstream media is far from blaming the Iraqi misery on the US. We hear about corrupt Iraqi politicians, religious fanaticism, IS terror and above all Iran. Now we are suddenly told that that eastern neighbor is the main culprit. What happened to the others?

How can we know the truth about what’s happening thousands of miles away? We have to believe what we are told, and most Westerns are only informed by the major news outlets which are of course biased. But our problem is not the lack of facts. We may assume that all the basic data are correct and that we are not being outright lied to. Everything is probably true and if we take the trouble to put the facts together, we might get a decent picture of the situation. We may be inclined to blame one agent more than another, but wouldn’t it be fair to assume that all the forces fighting for influence in this war ridden country have contributed to the present situation?

But of course, if you have already decided who is good and who is evil, then facts are an unnecessary burden.