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The Hyperreal Nature of the Trump Administration's Post-Truth

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The Hyperreal Nature of the Trump Administration's Post-Truth THE HYPERREAL NATURE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S POST-TRUTH RHETORIC Thesis Submitted to The Colle e of Arts and S%ie$%es of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In P#rti#l Fulfillme$t of the Requirements for The Degree of M#ster of Arts in English () Ale*#nder &i$%ent Sharp, B.A- D#yton, Ohio M#y 2020 THE HYPERREAL NATURE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S POST-TRUTH RHETORIC N#me0 Sha"+, Ale*#nde" &i$%e$t APPRO&ED BY0 M#" #ret St"#in, Ph.D- Committee Chai" Professor P#tri%1 Thom#s, Ph.D- Committee Membe" Associ#te Professor Li2 Hutte", Ph.D- Committee Membe" Assist#nt Professor ii ABSTRACT THE HYPERREAL NATURE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S POST-TRUTH RHETORIC N#me0 Sha"+, Ale*#nde" &i$%e$t Uni3ersity of D#yton Advisor: D". M#" #ret St"#i$ This pape" looks at the rhetori% of the Trum+ admi$ist"#tion using the s%hol#rship of Je#n Baudrill#rd as a theoreti%#l lens. S%hol#rs have identified the curre$t e"# as a time of "post-truth," i$ whi%h truth has been de3#lued. The following study e*#mines the %onne%tions bet6ee$ inst#$%es by the Trump administ"#tion that exempli!) post-truth rhetori% and Je#n Baudrill#rd's conce+t of a hyperre#lit). 7hile rhetori%#l s%hol#rs have dis+#"#te definitions of "post-truth" and have identi!ied various sources of the phenomenon, I demonst"#te that Baudrill#rd's theories re #rding simul#tion provide a %onceptu#l frame6ork that better expl#ins the functionalit) and origins of post-truth. The pre3#le$%e of post-truth rhetori% is problem#ti% be%#use it sows distrust in institutions and ide#ls that are foundation#l to a functioning demo%"#%)- Post-truth rhetori% relies on st"#tegies that are utili2ed by di%t#tors i$ pseudo-democ"#%ies such as Russi# and Hunga") to kee+ the popul#%e uninformed and com+l#%ent. Underst#ndi$ how post-truth rhetori% functions is ne%ess#ry to counte"#%t its influe$%e- iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 THE POST-TRUTH ERA----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9 SIMULATION AND POST-TRUTH---------------------------------------------------------------------------------9/ THREE SIMULATIONS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION-----------------------------------.9 CONCLUSION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:; 7OR<S CITED----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------:= i3 THE POST-TRUTH ERA Post-Truth, Postmodernism, and the Era of Donald Trump. In Post-Truth, Lee M%Intyre investi #tes a politi%#l phenomenon that has come to define politi%s in the age of Donald Trum+>s preside$%). Post-truth, as M%Int)"e des%ribes it, oc%urs when "politi%i#ns c#n challenge the fa%ts and pay no political price whatsoever" (15 emphasis origi$#l). He also provides the Oxford English Di%tiona") definition of "post-truth," 6hi%h "rel#t[es] to or denot[es] ci"%umst#$%es in whi%h obje%tive fa%ts are less influe$ti#l in shaping publi% opinion tha$ appe#ls to emotion and personal belie!5 (qtd. in M%Intyre 5). To promote the British withdra6#l from the Europe#n Union—also kno6n as "Brexit"—Boris Johnson used a bi red bus with a falsehood painted on the side procl#imi$ that Brit#i$ sends the E.U. 350 million euros a week. M%Intyre uses this as #n e*#m+le of post-truth rhetori% (5-6). Othe" s%hol#rs have also identi!ied post-truth as a %ruci#l phenomenon that must be addressed. Bruce M%Comiske) cl#ims that post-truth is the prim#ry exi e$%e that rhetori%i#ns must confront in contempora") society (3-4). He provides a broade" definition, asserti$ that "post-truth signifies a st#te in whi%h l#nguage l#%ks a$) refere$%e to fa%ts, truths, or re#lities" that turns l#nguage into "a purely st"#tegi% medium" (6). R)#$ Neville-She+#rd, on the othe" hand, avoids a com+"ehensive definition of "post-truth," a"guing th#t post-truth functions to "norm#li2e a form of post- presumption a"gument#tion in the publi% sphere5 (176). 7hile these de!initions of "post-truth" are all fairl) simil#", there does not appe#" to be a conse$sus re #rdi$ the origins of the phenomenon. For e*#m+le, M%Comiskey 9 sees post-truth as m#$ifest from unethi%#l rhetori%#l st"#tegies that privilege ethos or pathos over logos, #ll of whi%h ci"%ul#te i$ the e%ho chambers of soci#l and t"#ditional medi# resulti$ in "fake ne6s" (3, 20, 27, 13). R)#$ Skinnell points to Donald Trump's 6illi$ $ess to spe#1 fli++#$tly re #rdless of conseque$%es, to a!fe%t an ai" of authenti%it) #nd genuine$ess th#t me#sured spee%h l#%ks. This "frank or fe#"less spee%h" m#1es Trump a modern day "parrhēsia," one who is willing to confront conventional publi% opinion (84). In this w#y Trump, Johnson, and other populists could be com+#red to Ki$ Le#r's fool, who dares to spe#1 truth to po6e", but in a democ"#%) the power resides in the ele%tor#te rather th#n a ki$ - Although these populists tend to espouse falsehoods, for m#ny the) appe#" to be spe#ki$ the truth be%#use they adhe"e to the four cha"#%teristi%s of the parrhēsia0 "(1) frank spee%h, (2) risk or danger for the spe#ke", (3) a$ un6#ve"ing duty to societ), and (4) the expression of fundament#l truths5 (86). Not#bl), Skinnell re#sons that Trum+ is able to adhere to these crite"i# by des%ribing the Preside$t's !#lsehoods as "truthful hyperbole5 (83). Neville-She+#rd, on the other hand, sees the origins of post-truth residing i$ the conspi"#%y rhetori% freque$tly em+loyed by Trum+, epitomi2ed by his initi#l foray into politi%s when he a%%used Ba"#%1 Obam# of not bei$ # natural born U.S. citi2en (183-185). Other s%hol#rs, howeve", have pointed to the underlyi$ logi% of post-truth and have ide$tified pa"#llels to postmodern philosophy. Coli$ 7ight works to ide$tify how the premises of postmodernism are foundational to post-truth rhetori%- 7ight a"gues that %onfusion re #rdi$ the e*tent of epistemologi%#l skepti%ism espoused by more t"#ditional philosophers has led to an a%%ept#$%e of the post-truth st#te. He looks at . philosophers such as K#nt, Niet2s%he, 7ittgenstein, and Kuhn who have all cont"ibuted to a skepti%ism of truth (22-24). 7ight cl#ims postmode"$ s%hol#rs and a%#demi%s have promoted an extreme skepti%ism of truth and used these foundation#l te*ts to promote such a vie6 (24-26). Noti$ that Fouc#ult has bee$ one of the most cited s%hol#rs i$ the hum#nities, arts, and soci#l s%ie$%es, 7ight cl#ims that a false di%hotomy bet6een "obje%tive truth" and "subje%tive truth" has bee$ ere%ted with most unde" "#duate students e$%oura ed to believe in the l#tter (25). Thus, the premise for post-truth—an "i$%i+ient rel#tivism th#t is the logi%#l endpoint of these ide#s"—has be%ome "dee+ly i$ "#ined in western societies5 (25). 7ight a"gues th#t a%%epting the foundational cl#ims of postmodern philosophy ent#ils a%%e+ti$ something a$titheti%#l to libe"#l postmode"$ s%hol#rs0 post-truth and its a%%om+#$)ing politi%s- Sus#$# S#l #do and M%Int)"e both agree with 7ight's cl#im that postmodernism has contributed to the current post-truth st#te of societ)H ho6eve", the) also both agree that there are more fa%tors invol3ed. Unlike 7ight, who sees a%#deme as the prim#ry vehi%le for postmode"$ rel#tivism, S#l #do a"gues that these ide#s have been propelled by populism, the medi#, and te%hnology (318). M%Intyre, me#$6hile, looks at these ide#s as 6ell as inhe"ent cognitive bi#s (35-62). Howeve", what m#kes M%Intyre's a$#lysis the most interesti$ is that he looks at how postmode"$ ide#s that were once openly moc1ed by institutions li1e the John Bi"%h Societ) and the Fede"#list Societ) have t#1en root as the foundational logi% of conse"3#ti3e movements (133-135). He t"#%es these ide#s to t6o %onse"3#ti3e c#uses that were squarel) at odds with a%%epted s%ientifi% beliefs0 the intellige$t desi $ moveme$t and its e!forts to unse#t the te#%hi$ of biologi%#l evolution 8 in s%hools and attem+ts by industri#l lobbyists to dis%redit environment#l s%ie$%e (136- 145). 7hile identifying anti-s%ie$%e movements on the right cle#"ly demonst"#tes a %onse"3#ti3e willingness to reCe%t a%%epted truth, M%Intyre furthe" une#rths evide$%e of a dire%t rel#tionship bet6een postmode"$ ide#s and conse"3#tive movements that led to post-truth by presenting dire%t quotes from st"#te ists at conse"3#tive think t#nks and medi# outlets who m#ke the conne%tion expli%it. For e*#m+le, he quotes conse"3#ti3e %onspi"#%) theorist Mi%hael Cernovi%h justifying his vie6s based on his exposure to L#%#$ in college (150).
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