A problem of the post-truth era is finding any mechanism to signal loyalty to something other than oneself. If every truth is disputed or irrelevant, how can an individual demonstrate their subordination to a higher reality or a wider group of people?
A growing trend seems to be affirmation of things which are obviously false. Here is a headline – placed bang opposite the latest reports from the Donbas – with which readers of the Daily Mail are invited to re-affirm their dedication to the conventions of the collapsing west.
‘Hacks star Megan Stalter sizzles in a sheer red floral dress and patent leather Mary Jane heels as she hits the red carpet at the 2022 Emmy Awards’
I’d rather die a virgin.
Of course, the Daily Mail are trolling its readers – but, as Kalvin Klein have discovered, some of these trends make for lucrative branding. A desperate intellectual commentariat follow the money with social science data and, before you know it, an entire school of thought has established itself on the back of commercial demand to uphold the original lie.
The Book of Revelation is full of warnings about this sort of shit.
Here’s a picture of a nice British car to clean your retinas.