News and unity are two realities whose meaning is being distorted beyond recognition. Two are the parents begetting and nourishing the fake news phenomenon. The father is the savage commercialisation of the media. Within this capitalistic mentality, news, like everything else, including relationships with others or one’s country (i.e. citizenship), is considered to be a commodity that has a monetary price attached to it. Saleability has become a criterion of news value more than truth. Truth, unfortunately, has an ever diminishing role in our culture. It was once believed that truth is what tallies with what really is. But we have been told that the natural order of things means nothing. A belief in the natural order of things has now been banished from public discourse. Things are just a social construct. Things – concrete or abstract – now mean what we want them to mean.
This belief that everyone has their own truth is the mother of this offspring called fake news. This new kid on the square of public discourse now wants to be known by another name: alternate facts. The category truth/lies has been substituted by the category my facts/your facts.
Since alternate ‘facts’ are manufactured they can be made to look more attractive than true news. They are more readable or watchable. Buzzfeed, the US-based company focusing on digital media, found that more people engaged on Facebook with 20 fake news stories than people did with 20 news stories provided by the major media news organisations.
We do not have similar studies for Malta but even the cursory observer quickly concludes that ours is a similar situation. We have just been through an electoral campaign where fake news was carefully manufactured by well-paid local and foreign consultants, while the organised elves and trolls were then unleashed for the attack.
The creators of fake news had a field day during the election campaign and are now having a field day by begetting its twin: fake unity. This new prodigy is being touted as the latter day saviour of a divided nation; a division caused – at least in part – by the systematic spread of fake news. Those carrying shoulder-high this knight in shining armour include government spin doctors, PN wannabees, pious do-gooders and misguided commentators. As the fake news mentality abused people’s need for news, the fake unity proponents, purposely or unknowingly, are perverting people’s genuine desire and need for unity. I am all for genuine unity and reconciliation but I am dead against fake unity and fake reconciliation.
Things – concrete or abstract – now mean what we want them to mean
The language used to promote fake unity betrays an anti-democratic mindset. Conformity and acquiescence are its hallmarks. The attempt of the “let us forget the past (particularly cases of corruption) and move forward” brigade to sanction this collective dementia will only lead to the repetition of the same abuses in the very near future.
Those spreading the mantra that political parties should find a compromise dub whoever proposes an alternative way of doing things as negative. They are thus compromising the backbone of democracy. Diversity is presented as division when, in reality, it is the only weave of a beautiful national fabric. When strong arguments are pitted against opposing views, the common good is served much more than when facile compromises are reached. An effective opposition serves the national interest by intelligently opposing, not by sheepishly saying aye.
Some of those attracted by the carrot of facile national unity underestimate the stick with which they are being threatened. Traitor, negative personality, sour grapes and ‘xewwiex’ are often bandied around.
Actions sometimes betray the verbal appeals for unity. It is very indicative that one of government’s first acts after the 2013 and these elections concerned gay rights. In 2013 consensus between the two parties was possible and former President Abela would have signed a law on gay unions. Government included gay adoptions, making it difficult for the Opposition to vote for and for Dr Abela to approve. That was a divisive move certainly not abetting national unity. Now government is proposing the legalisation of gay marriage (which already exists in all but name) but tagged to it the abolition of references to ‘mother’, ‘father’ etc.
It is very clear that the haste shown by government is motivated more by its interest to cause problems to the Opposition than to achieve more unity.
Genuine unity and reconciliation is built on sterner stuff. It is based on, among other things, justice, respect for the dignity of all, fairness, use of measured speech, esteem of diversity, compliance with the law, extolling ethical standards, nourishing pluralism and avoidance of offensive language.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna’s homily on the inauguration of Parliament was the only speech in the past weeks that outlined the agenda that should be followed if politicians are interested in fomenting genuine, as opposed to, fake unity. Quoting Pope Benedict, the Archbishop mentioned the cornerstone of genuine unity: politics that strives for justice while “success is subordinated to the criterion of justice, to the will to do what is right, and to the understanding of what is right”.
He rightly described the fight against the supremacy of what is wrong as the fundamental task of the politician. He warned that the majority principle is not enough justification when laws related to human dignity are concerned. Politicians have to be “capable of sincere and effective dialogue aimed at healing the deepest roots – and not simply the appearances – of the evils in society”.
Politicians seeking the common good and who are accountable to their conscience, society and to God are another founding stone of genuine unity. Babbling about fake unity is the greatest enemy of genuine unity as it undermines the common good. Working for it is difficult, but it is the only way forward.
joseph.borg@um.edu.mt