*thanks to Jahsonic for the heads up; it’s news to me. see his site: “Truth“*
Jean Baudrillard, 1929-2007 (obituary at Guardian); Remember Baudrillard (profile at InsideHigherEd.com)
“Yes, hyper-scepticism. Intellectuals must stop legitimizing the notion that there is some “ultimate truth” behind appearances. Then, maybe, the masses will turn their backs on the media and public opinion management will collapse.” –Baudrillard
We tell one another false storie, in order to get away with stuff, in order to manipulate others, in order to get something we don’t rightly believe … lots of reasons.
“Truth”, quite aside from what the great powers will tell you, is based on the stories we tell one another. Truth is what we say it is.
Yes of course rocks are hard, not soft … and ceilings are up, not down … those are matters of fact. But the truths we care about … those are the product of us as people, living our lives, truth is what we make of our experiences.
There’s lots of falseness around and that will always be, until we cleanse ourselves entirely of pathology, which ain’t likely. But I suspect that what poxes us more gravely is a shortage a mere simple truth. And that’s up to us.
Addendum:
Remembering Jean Baudrillard at “Post-Modern Thought”
VibeWise 
Truth, that’s all I speak. It’s the language taught to me by my Father and the only language that I understand.
Katey
Comment by Katey — April 7, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Katey – Hi there
If we had talked more before this I’d play a bit and reply something like, “Is that a fact?” 😉
But really, folk can be honest and yet not be telling the factual “truth” … they can tell their opinion, best they can, best as they can figure it, and come out on the “wrong” side of the facts.
Honesty and authenticity, that’s where it’s at; often times there’s a whole more to “telling the truth” than we make out. Mebbe we undervalue it … mebbe we think truth just falls out of trees or springs up without effort.
Bottom line, I don’t think most folk know their own minds real well. “Opinions” are usually one-liners, and a dime a dozen at that.
be well
Comment by bentrem — April 7, 2007 @ 9:28 pm
I learned at a very young age to be honest and to tell the “factual truth”, my Dad taught me to always tell the truth and I’d have nothing to worry about. He may have only gone to the fourth grade but that Man has taught me the most valuable life lessons that anyone could have learned.
I also “hand-pick” those that I want in my life, I don’t deal with those that only tell their truth or those that only believe in their opinion.
It’s a rare gift but I got it!!
Happy Easter!!!
Katey
Comment by Katey — April 8, 2007 @ 7:17 am
I have to say, that’s a pretty dramatic contradiction: “nothing to worry about”, in line with “the truth will set you free” and “the best policy”, but then “hand-pick those I want in my life”, as though the truth-teller sings its praises but then hires a body-guard.
I’m sure a lot of people have more than sufficient reason to distance themselves from others. But that distancing, however well justified or impeccably rationalized, is the death of community. And when community dies, our body politic has no chance … so our policies become non-sense and conflict expands into generalized war.
I’d be foolish to leave my street door open. But I can choose not to run background checks on people I happen to meet.
I can’t get the image of gated communities out of my mind. Everthing we know about human nature and human psychology tells us that even self-segregation breeds a groundless confidence concerning others’ reality. We judge most harshly what we know least … just the way we’re wired.
Comment by bentrem — April 8, 2007 @ 9:09 am
Truth.
The capacity in which this word is used disgusts me to no end. What most folks seem to see is truth is a few witty catch-phrases and a one-liner here and there. For this reason; when I use the word, I try to treat it as though it’s in shining armor. I often treat it with reverence, putting it on a pedestal that the laymen can’t reach. I try to turn into the word that folks hate.
So when someone stands in front of me and utters the word as though they really believe it, i’ll tell them I what I think of their Truth. I’ll tell them that I see it as that little bit of purple skin on your upper thigh, or your finger in your asshole at 4:17am. Fuck, Truth for most folks is exactly as you said it is. They assert it for themselves and slap a label on it.
Comment by Chris — November 13, 2007 @ 12:25 am
blah – public opinion is always already managed and will be so long as you communicate. F is right: there’s no outside of power. Don’t get caught in the “rage against the machine” crap. it gets nowhere.
Comment by logios — August 22, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
@logios – I’m sure you want to be considered thoughtful but really, from what you’ve written and the way you’ve written it’s pretty obvious that your cynical pessimism is just justification and rationalization for passivity.
What impresses me is how your sort always seem to have the energy for bumming others out … prolly the cheap thrill of deniable passive-aggression.
Comment by bentrem — August 23, 2008 @ 10:17 am