"Everybody Lies"

So says Greg House (at least, he was fond of saying it in the first few seasons.)

Lately, I don't know. I'm beginning to feel like the lying is becoming more blatant, or more poorly-done, or maybe the liars just don't care any more that some people don't believe their lies.

I feel very much - both in my personal life of late, and in what I hear in the news - like I'm constantly being lied to. And it frustrates me. And it makes the life of a hermit look ever more appealing.

People say stuff in the news that's demonstrably untrue, and they keep on insisting it, even when their opposition points out that what they're saying is not true. Politicians fudge all over the place, throwing out numbers, claiming "It was the eight years before this administration" or whatever.

I don't LIKE the idea of becoming a cynic and refusing to believe anything I'm told, but on the other hand, I don't LIKE the feeling of warm rain on my leg and looking down and realizing that someone's actually pissing on it. Which is how I feel, a lot, of late.

I keep telling myself I need to stop 100% watching the news. Stop even listening to radio news - the other day, even the fairly right-leaning station I listen to was perpetuating something later shown to be a lie. And to have been the result of someone lying.

And you know? Think back. Think back three years. Do you remember - honestly remember, without Googling it - what was the big issue on this day? What were people all het up about on July 21, 2007?

Yeah, me neither. I'm thinking maybe reading books about history and culture instead of reading the news makes more sense these days. It's like I tell my students about climate and weather: weather means nothing. It's day to day fluctuations. You have to look at the overall pattern, preferably across 30 years or more, to understand climate.

Because I don't understand the news any more. It seems like more and more nonsensical stuff is being thrown out to see what sticks.