Give me the truth, and nothing but

“At a time when the search for truth should be quicker and yield more trusted results than ever before, truth has become more elusive than it has ever been.”

— Donnie Douglas

That’s right. I began today’s column quoting myself. Not bad, huh? Feel free to use with proper attribution.

I assembled those words Wednesday night while I was walking through the Facebook field that is littered with elephant dung, trying, unsuccessfully, not to get soiled. Then I read a declarative sentence that I questioned. This is a paraphrase, but close enough: Taylor Swift is boycotting red states because of the election results, and she does not want to hang with “those people” — meaning us.

My knowledge of Taylor Swift is pretty much limited to commentary about her when the Kansas City Chiefs are playing. She is in the booth slamming beers, which I do find adorable, watching boyfriend Travis Kelce score on the field instead of off it. I know she is a billionaire, and most folks do not achieve that kind of financial success by giving the proverbial middle finger to half the nation’s population, with a slightly higher percentage in the red states.

So, I flashed back to my days as a journalist, a time when truth was my master, and my assignment was to pursue it. Without any name-calling, I began my own thread advising folks that before they shared information on Facebook, especially that which appears sketchy, ensure its veracity. I even provided a roadmap, saying in this instance Googling “Taylor Swift,” “red states” and “boycott” would provide the truth, that she had not promised a boycott.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Yea, I got a couple of attaboys, but mostly snide remarks from folks who had now convinced themselves that Taylor’s and my politics were the same, that I voted for Harris, and whatever else their unbridled minds could conjure up. I even got an admonition from a half-century old friend who told me that I should “do better,” and I was “not as smart” as I think I am.

Well, that is true. No way I could be as smart as I think I am.

Let me say here that Bruce Springsteen is my musical muse, a perch he has occupied since the release of “Born to Run” in 1975 when I was 18 years old, a freshman at UNC and searching for something that made sense to me. And if you just concluded that I share Springsteen’s politics, please keep reading because this column is for you.

But I will add this parenthetically: Springsteen did not dodge the draft, another well-worn Facebook lie, but flunked the physical. Alas, he does more for veterans and the discarded in this country by noon each day than most of his critics have done in their lifetime. End rant.

So, after getting Swift boated – yes, that is a real thing, Google it – I realized what I already knew, that in this country in the year of our Lord 2024, way too many folks are less interested in the truth than they are in having their own beliefs affirmed.

This door swings both ways. Had I used Google to expose that yes, a single FEMA supervisor went rogue and ordered staff to skip some Florida homes with Trump signs, I am sure that I would have provoked a fury from the Left wrapped with “Yes, but their side lies more.”

Probably.

When exactly did truth stop mattering? It is not helpful that newspapers have cut staff to the bone, making it difficult to do original reporting, and that there is no dark line between the news and editorial departments. That leaves wide open the door for social media.

My message today, which I understand will be rejected by many, is do not draw any sweeping conclusions about what I do or do not believe based on my embrace of the truth. I insist that the truth still matters, and honoring it is not only noble but required.

I began with my own quote but will end with one from Galileo: “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”