The Pinocchio Phenomenon
When we think of the most impactful events on western life in the past 5 years, two events stand out conspicuously.
Arguably the most impactful was the entire narrative and follow on consequences of the January 6th demonstration at the US Capitol in 2021. Who can forget the handwringing and faux outrage of the left and the entire media as they characterized the demonstration as a violent uprising threatening to topple democracy. This event resulted in imprisonment, recriminations and even deaths for many of the unfortunates involved.
Politicians and media alike condemned the actions of the ‘violent rioters’ even as conflicting evidence at the time, made these assertions questionable. One of the more interesting claims was that demonstrators were encouraged, even welcomed into the Capitol by law enforcement plants. “An outrageous accusation” was the response of lawmakers and the FBI at the time.
As time went on, they admitted that, “ok there were a few, but just to monitor things”. Under recent congressional grilling, the “few” number turned out to be somewhat higher. . But it wasn’t an easy path to the truth. It started off with; there were NO feds. Over time, this became; there probably weren’t any undercover feds, which led eventually to ok, there were twelve undercover feds. And of course after the congressional grilling the actual number was 270.
This mischaracterization of events served to quell any opposition and investigation into the disputed results of the latest national election. By criminalizing the mere event of protesting, the government crushed any opposition to the official narrative.
In a parallel but related track and very much a result of the official fibs told by the authorities at the time, the COVID narrative came on stream. Though the horrific events are now a few years in the past, we recall the narrative espoused by the ‘authorities’ at the time. The font of the narrative was Anthony Fauci but he took his moral authority from the WHO, which declared that this was a severe existential virus and extreme measures needed to be implemented.
It’s not necessary to recite all of the measures imposed upon the world, but suffice to say, it was a dystopian time with drastic Orwellian measures against entire populations. Now, as with the walk-backs on the January 6th demonstrations, the WHO is distancing themselves from their own narrative.
“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has denied any involvement in forcing people to wear masks or receive vaccinations. A WHO spokesperson stated that allegations of forced vaccinations are “both flagrant lies and dangerous pieces of disinformation,” emphasizing that the agency has no authority to impose vaccine mandates or involve the military in such actions. The organization clarified that decisions regarding health measures, including mask and vaccine policies, are made by individual sovereign governments, not by the WHO….”
Thus, it’s clear that all governments worldwide must have decided on their own to impose mask and vaccination mandates without any influence by the WHO. If this this case, why do they exist? This is amusing, because if it’s one thing that we’ve learned over the years, it’s that the internet is forever. It’s impossible to erase your digital footprint. Just ask Jon Gruden. Here’s the WHO head back in 2020:
“…Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), urged people to wear face masks once more amid a purported rise in Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.
He defended the necessity of face coverings against COVID-19 in public remarks delivered July 12, during the WHO’s COVID-19 media briefing that day. “As transmission and hospitalization [rates] rise, governments must also deploy tried and tested measures like masking, improved ventilation and test-and-treat protocols,” said Tedros, adding that “diagnostics, treatments and vaccines are not being deployed effectively.”
Tedros’ call for re-imposing mask mandates stemmed from his apparent concern about the continued rise of COVID-19 cases and deaths. These, he mentioned, put “further pressure on stretched health systems and health workers…”
The point of this discussion is not to reveal that authorities lie to us, as shocking as this may be for some. The issue is that the lies are so blatant but that there are no consequences. We all recall Baghdad Bob during the first Iraq war invasion stating in a live TV interview that there was total calm in Iraq even as buildings were being blown up behind him on camera. Blatant mendacity is an affront in most civilizations and from a young age, most are taught that lies are not acceptable. In the classic fairy tale, Pinocchio’s nose grew every time he lied to conspicuously reveal to the world his mendacity.
Why are societies now so tolerant of narratives that are completely absurd and detrimental to their own well-being? That’s a question for social science PhD candidates to answer in the years to come, but I suggest there’s a simple explanation: There are no consequences. Few ever seem to suffer from figurative long noses. Lawyers are employed to parse words and events. We may recall the famous Bill Clinton line of ” it depends what is, is.” No one is naive enough to think that politicians will stop lying. But at least bring in some consequences. Maybe the tar and feather business can make a comeback.