Elica Le Bon الیکا ل بن
The debate between Douglas Murray and Dave Smith reveals one thing above all—that those with expertise, familiarity, proximity, and understanding of complex historical context on an issue (whether or not you agree with their views) have been replaced with those who have none of the above, but are infinitely more popular. There’s a reason for this, and it needs to be discussed. The replacement of media (not that that was any better) with social media as a news source has created an ability to tailor the information we choose to be exposed to. Each political camp—left and right—develops narratives about the world around them (sometimes convergence of narratives occurs, as with the far left and “woke right”). Often, these narratives are short-sighted or misguided, and driven by populism and politics over reality. Nonetheless, these distorted worldviews become accepted within the camp, and the tribalistic impulse for survival of their political identity drives people to look for evidence that confirms this belief (confirmation bias) rather than seeking out truth. They start with a premise: “this is how things are”—dictated by the delusions of the tribe—and then seek information that supports this worldview; dismissing that which contradicts it. Next comes the narrative wars. Each side’s “narrative” goes out into the world and competes with the opposite narrative(s). As this process occurs, the people who are best at telling the truth are not elevated. Instead, the people who are best at arguing the narrative (fantasy) are elevated. Because these voices are popularized, their talking points are popularized with them and ultimately accepted as accurate because of the “illusion of truth” (hearing something so many times that it appears to be true). So it goes like this: start with a falsity —> push the falsity to “win” the narrative and defeat the opposition —> narrative is popularized —> popularity of narrative confirms original falsity. When their narrative “wins”—as this western worldview of the Middle East that overly sympathizers with our oppressors and killers has—it confirms to the same people who popularized it that they were “right,” which is for no other purpose than proving they are the more “virtuous” and superior side after all. Those who brought the tribe to victory with the best narrative re-telling are branded the new “truth tellers.” It isn’t about anything but themselves. There is no curiosity, empathy, or desire to understand the world outside them. As has always been the case with western centrism, they don’t care how they harm others, so long as they’re winning. Because there is no “machine” behind truth—often layered, complex, and unsatisfying—in the form of a cheering tribe, it dies in isolation. In other words, because of collective ego and tribalism, we have manufactured a framework that is quite literally designed to kill truth.