I have just discovered truthiness. The word, not the concept. I gather most of you have known about it since, oh, 2005 or so, but I heard the word for the first time on the radio yesterday. The concept, if not the word, has been part of my analysis of Unfortunate Contemporary Discourse for a long time. I discovered that responsible journalists use it–the word, not the concept–to good effect. In Postcard from Washington: Truthiness on trial – Supreme Court considers ‘right to lie’ (Ottawa Citizen, April 26 2014) Allen Abel wrote:
One case is about political campaigning and the other is about pomegranate juice, but both of them are about diluting a fact with so much fiction that you can’t taste it anymore.
I thought that was a very good description of how “truthiness” works, but just to make sure I understood the subtleties of popular usage I looked it up on Wikipedia, which I suppose introduces a whole new layer of irony. The Truthiness entry was very entertaining. As a bonus, I found this:
In 2012, a study examining truthiness was carried out by PhD student Eryn Newman of Victoria University of Wellington. The experiments showed that people are more likely to believe that a claim is true regardless of evidence when a decorative photograph appears alongside it.
Excellent. I happen to have some decorative photographs in support of my contention that we have achieved springiness.
The pond at the horse barn is overflowing, creating the perfect mirror for a spring sky.
Miss Sadie, the Cowboy and I have been down on the beach documenting the arrival of springiness based on the departure of iciness. The ice mountains, broken loose from the shore ice, have begun to float away. The open water is encouraging birds. I am pretty sure these are migrating Tundra Swans, headed north up the Bay. (I got a better look at them than the camera did, on account of my grip is wobbly and my reaction time is pathetic. Anyway, all white except for black legs and black bills (no yellow/orange – not mute swans) at the end of long straight necks–and really big. Enormous.)
Then I saw movement w-a-a-a-y out there on one of the receding ice mountains and thought Oh look, someone’s playing King of the Mountain! Wait, wait, maybe they’re marooned!
Fortunately I realized that I was looking at one of the resident eagles, having a little rest during the evening hunt. Sorry for the blurry image, but trust me, it’s an eagle, and that’s a fact, Jack. One of these days I will get a good picture.
The wild leeks are coming up in the woods.
Late afternoons have been nice and warm, with sunsets that set our windows on fire. Warms us right up it does.
Which isn’t to say that we’re out of the woods yet. Whatever the Weather this time of year, there’s always more where that came from.
tootlepedal
April 27, 2014
Nancy Sinatra sang, “You keep lying when you should have been truthing.” I believe anything that you say.
Gerry
April 27, 2014
You are just full of surprises. Nancy Sinatra! Who knew?
Lauren
April 27, 2014
Nice shots of the apparent springiness. I believe you….and it’s not only because of the decorative photographs. Thanks for the Sunday smile!
Gerry
April 27, 2014
I am very glad to make you smile, and delighted to have achieved belief as well. Thank you.
Ed LaFreniere
April 27, 2014
Very nice! Oh, and enjoy Torchiness!
Gerry
April 27, 2014
I will make Torchiness my first order of business in the morning.
sybil
April 27, 2014
I believe you. Spring is here … sorta.
Gerry
April 27, 2014
We are certainly entitled to our own opinions, aren’t we! And if recent history is to be believed, to our own facts as well. Sorta . .
WOL
April 28, 2014
Is “Truthiness” different from “Truthfulness”? Or is it a quotient, like the percentage of truth in something? I like your picture of an eagle. Made me think about that advert for the TV series about living in Alaska, “where your neighbors are bald (eagles) and hibernate for half the year (bears).” Today we had sandstorminess, but only with gusts to 54 mph.
Gerry
April 28, 2014
Truthiness is very definitely different from truthfulness. Truthiness is dissembling, prevaricating, obfuscating, propagandizing . . . and lying. Sometimes to one’s self. Truthiness is also wishful thinking–it ought to be true, therefore it is. I like Linda’s (shoreacres) analogy of “fruitiness.”
Martha
April 28, 2014
Finally. And whatever shall you do with all this Springiness?
Gerry
April 28, 2014
Probably wander about in a daze following the calls of invisible birds and sneezing. (I expect we will have a bonus crop of molds, mildews and pollens this wet spring. I hope that at least we will also have lots of morels.)
shoreacres
April 28, 2014
Huh. I’ve never heard the word “truthiness.” That may say more than I want known about the state of my life and the circles I travel in “With it” isn’t an expression you’d generally associate with me, I suppose.
On the other hand, I recognized the concept immediately. Think about “fruitiness.” You know — where you buy a frozen fruit bar or a fruit drink because of it’s advertised “fruitiness” and the presence of real fruit juice. Then, you look at the label, and discover it’s 2% fruit juice and the rest is sugar and water and artificial flavor.
Perfect analogy, I’d say.
Gerry
April 28, 2014
In this we are on the same (probably printed!) page. I can be counted on to remain “without it” right up until “it” is no longer at the cutting edge of language. Then someone like Rob the Firefighter explains things to me.
I like your analogy very much.
Scott Thomas Photography
April 28, 2014
I don’t know…the way people can create a photo via PhotoShopiness these days, it is getting harder and harder to believe in “truthiness”. 😉 Maybe I can find some evidence of Springiness over the next week around here, too.
Gerry
April 28, 2014
You make an excellent point. On the one hand, I think of PhotoShop as an enabler of truthiness, as when my sister sent me a photo of their dog paddling a kayak . . . On the other hand, it is possible to use the tools to repair a historic photo with integrity. I remember editor Tom Vranich working ever so carefully to tease out the writing on a store’s sign. When he was done, we knew–based on the photo, its context, and historic land records–exactly when and where the photo had been made. This sort of thing fascinates me.
Maybe when the entire cultural environment is overrun with flimflam, we all resort to accepting only those things that comport with our own existing notions, whether or not those things are fact-based, evidence-based.
Of course, there’s always trustiness. Based on my experience, you will post Actual Factual evidence of Springiness!
jen
April 28, 2014
thoroughly enjoyed. thanks for the lift, gerry!
Gerry
April 28, 2014
Always glad to provide lifting.
Belinda
April 29, 2014
So nice to see what’s going on up North.
Gerry
April 29, 2014
So nice to have a little springiness to show you . . .
Dawn
April 29, 2014
You live in one very beautiful place, and that’s the truthiness. Which I have to say I’d never heard of before.
Gerry
April 30, 2014
There you go. I was going to say not truthiness, simply true . . . but then I reconsidered. I don’t include pictures of the less lovely aspects of the Township, and I’m not going to either. I would depress myself. So I suppose TLV is a selection of the day’s possibilities to suit my own wishfulness.
Craig
April 30, 2014
I recently stumbled upon another useful neologism (thanks to my clumsy attempt at typing the German word “fach”): a “facht”, according to urbandictionary.com, is something that the speaker believes to be factual but the listener regards as being unsupported by the evidence. This would seem to sum up contemporary political discourse in a nutshell.
Gerry
April 30, 2014
Perfect. Truthiness supported by fachts. Or perhaps fachts not in evidence, as pleadings in the court of public opinion might put it . . .
Karma
May 3, 2014
“Springiness” – I love it! Honestly, I haven’t been aware of “truthiness” so you taught me something today. Springiness is great for this spring – the season itself has been dragging its heels and making us wait to enjoy those really nice warm temperatures. Your barn photo is really lovely – nice job!
uphilldowndale
June 3, 2014
Not sure why I’ve been missing so many of your heart lifting posts, what a joy to catch up with them
Gerry
June 3, 2014
You haven’t missed many – they have been rather thin on the ground lately. I’m glad catching up was heart lifting!