Or, if all humans suddenly lost the ability to lie, what industry would collapse spectacularly?
When one with honeyed words but evil mind
–Euripides
Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.
I’ve occasionally seen this question, or variations of it, on social media. However, I don’t recall coming across it as a WordPress Daily Writing Prompt, but then again, my memory isn’t always reliable.
The answers provided are all fairly standard and predictable: religion, politics, advertising, and insurance, among others. I’m certain all of these will be severely affected, even collapse to some degree or another, but will that industry require a complete rethink?
There is, however, one industry that permeates our daily lives, yet we hardly think of it as such. In capitalist societies prevalent worldwide, industries are created for profit; therefore, we would not normally regard this industry as such, but the accrual of material wealth and power is inseparable from it.
I’m referring to electoral politics or electoral systems, which are in place in most countries, even those with despotic regimes, unless they’re monarchies or theocracies, of which there are only a handful. To further demonstrate my disdain for electoral politics, I will refer to it as the electoral circus from now on. I will also attempt to illustrate why I consider it an industry.
The electoral circus, for indeed that is most fittingly what it represents, is a gigantic tent that can accommodate the entire spectrum of political perspectives from radical ultra-leftist to moderate to every conceivable bigotry on the right and radical right. That is not to say that there is no bigotry on the left, just that it is not that prevalent. To be sure, it is an industry, for it generates wealth and misery in equal measure.
Voter participation is essential, and by extension, voting is a designated civic duty that enables the system to function effectively. However, injudicious voter participation ensures that the system will never be broken. It’s why the politicians who inhabit this tent find it so easy to prey on the latter type of voter, who can admittedly also be considered disparagingly as voting fodder.
The electoral circus requires an obscene amount of money to sustain itself, and its foundation is all LIES; innocent little fibs, half-truths, white-lies, carefully curated false narratives, and tiny lies to gigantic whoppers. For the seasoned politician, lying is a skill set, a tool of trade. The bigger the lie, the more funding it will require to give it legs and maintain traction. For the victims, who also happen to be the voters, it’s a test for their credulity.
Meanwhile, the most astonishing characteristic of the electoral circus is that politicians need not fund their own lies. No, no, no, for the most part, funding comes from corrupt wealthy donors who may benefit materially or in some other way from throwing cash at a professional liar politician. Even more astonishing is that voters in countries like the U.S. donate huge sums to politicians to fund their own deception.
In the 2024 U.S. election race, candidates and their respective parties spent an eye-watering $14.8 billion on their campaigns. A more detailed breakdown can be found here on OpenSecrets. The bulk of it comes, of course, from special interest groups, who are assured of cashing in if the right liar horse makes it past the post. This obscene amount of money was spent to entertain and massage the cult of culture-worship that is endemic among U.S. citizens. However, the primary losers are the voters, who, for all intents and purposes, not only contribute materially to the lies being served up but also unwittingly enable a corrupt system.
Voters are, unfortunately, not innocent victims. They willingly participate in their deception because they also have personal interests and biases that they believe will be satisfied through partisan voting.
Now, just imagine if everyone lost the ability to lie. Honest politicians and honest voters will most certainly collapse the electoral circus. Whatever will become of a world bereft of deceitful entertainment?
lenny unencumbered 