Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

A Nation Where Lies Outnumber Truths
Glen Ford, BAR executive editor
17 Jan 2007
🖨️ Print Article

by Glen Ford

Lies so permeate the assumptions on which U.S. public discourse is based, the truth often finds no place in the conversation. The biggest concentration of lies and liars can be found on corporate TV ‘news’ broadcasts.

A Nation Where Lies Outnumber Truths

It becomes ever more difficult to hold a coherent conversation in the United States, so saturated is daily discourse with lies. It’s like a minefield of lies out there – too many to map. But, here are some key phrases to look out for when attempting to avoid lies.

Any sentence that includes the words, “War on Terror” is rooted in a lie. There is no such thing as a War on Terror, and never has been. War, itself, is organized terror. That’s why international law finally got around to making it a crime to wage war against peace, an offense for which a number of Nazis were hanged, after World War Two. Like them, George Bush wages a terrifying war against peace – under the guise of a lie with no end.

War on Drugs.” Another never-was, never-will-be phrase. The United States is the illegal and legal mind- and body-altering drug empire of the world. So, if the U.S. were waging a war on drugs, it would be attacking itself daily. The real domestic war is a war on Black people. The casualties number in the millions, making up half the U.S. prison system.

If there were a real war on drugs, the fiercest battles would be taking place somewhere widely referred to as “the American Heartland.” American Heartland is a liars term, one that really means a place that’s overwhelmingly white. It’s also where methamphetamines rule, but no one is waging a War on Drugs, there. Not enough Black people.

“Pretty soon, outright fascists will simply be called ‘conservatives.’”

Here’s another lying phrase: “Good news on Wall Street.” So-called news people throw that lie around all the time. Good news for who? When Wal-Mart succeeds in further depressing the wages of working people, its stock on Wall Street goes up. That may be good news for Wal-Mart, but its not good news for most of the rest of us. In fact, every time so-called news people proclaim there’s “Good news on Wall Street,” they are, by definition, lying to most of the audience.

 “Conservative” – that’s a liar’s word if there ever was one. What it really means is a person or party on the right of the political spectrum. In the U.S., that spectrum keeps going further and further rightwards. Pretty soon, outright fascists will simply be called “conservatives.” Maybe they already are.

 “Liberal” is also a lie. I can prove it. They call Hillary Clinton a liberal. They’re lying.

 “Strongman” is a lying word used by the corporate media to denote a foreign leader that the United States doesn’t like. In reality, the U.S. hopes that the “Strongman” is really a weak man, so they can overthrow him – which always requires a whole lot of lying.

Finally, the lying-est word in the American vocabulary: "News." The so-called news is full of words and phrases that are, in fact, lies. In that kind of environment, there's no place for the truth. For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Conference Organizing Committee
    Declaration of the International Conference Cuba 2024. Decade for People of African Descent. Equality-Equity-Social Justice
    18 Dec 2024
    Delegates representing organizations from around the world gathered in Cuba for the conference “Cuba 2024 Decade for People of African Descent.” The following declaration was produced and approved at…
  • Black Agenda Radio
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio December 13, 2024
    13 Dec 2024
    In this week’s segment, we hear a 2019 analysis from the late Glen Ford on US support of jihadist proxies as part of regime change efforts. Also, Margaret Kimberley discusses the 2024 election, Joe…
  • Tanks in Syria
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Gerald Horne Analyzes the Collapse of the Syria Government
    13 Dec 2024
    Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to discuss the recent and very rapid collapse of the Syrian state and its international impacts, including in Africa.
  • Biden's tweet about Syria
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    U.S. Still Protects Jihadists in Syria
    13 Dec 2024
    BAR continues coverage of the collapse of the Syrian state with a look back at Black Agenda Report analysis from May 27, 2019. The late Glen Ford, then Executive Editor, analyzed the history of the U…
  • Jamarl Thomas
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    2024 Election, Hunter Biden Pardon, Uhuru 3 with Jamarl Thomas
    13 Dec 2024
    Margaret Kimberley recently appeared with Jamarl Thomas on his YouTube channel. They discussed the 2024 election, Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden, and the case of the Uhuru 3.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us