Institutionalized Dishonesty

The left has been decrying “institutionalized racism” for some time.  These partisans say that even though overt racism is less common, a deep-seated brand of bigotry is built into our nation’s traditions and psyche.  Although this bias is often unconscious, it is alleged to be vicious.

Once upon a time, it was undoubtedly true that racism was part of our country’s fabric.  Blacks were not allowed to vote.  They were lynched if they were too assertive.  A host of jobs were completely closed to them.  What is more, the media invariably portrayed them as simple-minded criminals.

That has obviously changed.  To engage in this sort of blatant discrimination would cause more problems for the racist than his target.  Paradoxically, this is why the institutionalized racism charge has become prevalent.  It is a way of decrying bigotry without having to prove its presence.

On the other hand, we are besieged by a torrent of institutionalized dishonesty.  Starting with a flood of untrue accusations about race, gender and political bias, we find fraudulence in a variety of venues.  Thus, we encounter it in the government, the media, and education.

The ubiquity of liberal deceit is one of the primary reasons that Donald Trump was elected president.  Many ordinary voters were fed up with politically correct cant depicting them as low-life boobs.  They realized that all they have to do is hint that some black person in the wrong and they will be vilified.

Likewise, anyone who has been paying attention to the propaganda coming out of the State Department, the Department of Justice, or the White House knows that dishonesty has become normal operating procedure.  The folks doing this may call it “spin,” but it is a way of disguising the truth and implying what is false.

We saw the same thing during the recent political campaign.  Both sides habitually made impossible promises.  Although we expect exaggeration from political candidates, the cascade of lies was over and above what we are accustomed to hearing.

But then there were the media.  They have always been partisan, but seldom as transparently partisan.  Time and again, they misrepresented what a candidate said.  Actually, this was almost always directed at Trump.  Journalists were so dedicated to a Clinton victory that they felt justified in distorting her vile opponent.

The New York Times, which was once considered the newspaper of record, openly violated its boast to publish all the news that’s fit to print.  It routinely failed to mention WikiLeaks revelations that were damaging to Hillary.  Either that or it buried them in the back pages.

Meanwhile CNN richly earned the sobriquet of the Clinton News Network.  Like MSNBC, and the mainstream television networks, it editorialized in what amounted to the front page.  Commentators and news anchors alike made it obvious where their sympathies lay.

Even after the election was over, the bias remained.  As a consequence, the Times, when writing about the Trump victory, framed it in terms of how the losers would react.  Instead of featuring Trump’s efforts to be conciliatory, it was its own constituents hard feelings that mattered.

As for CNN, it highlighted purported instances of where Trump supporters had violated minority rights.  Middle schoolers were described as bigots for chanting “Build the Wall.”  Graffiti at Louisiana State University about “safe places” was denounced as despicable.  Similarly. a man who yanked at a Muslim woman’s hajib received national attention.

On the other hand, a Trump voter being stomped in Chicago was virtually overlooked.  So were Hispanic Americans who encouraged their children to beat a piñata of Trump.  Worst of all, violent anti-Trump riots in Portland Oregon were given short shrift.

As an academic, I can also assure readers that our universities have not been even-handed in teaching about politics.  There was precious little joy on campus when Trump prevailed.  Nor were there many approving lessons taught about his potential policies.

The fact is that government agencies, the media, and academe are riven through and through with partisans.  As a result, these folks reflexively transmit untruths, as well as withhold abhorrent information, because they want to win.  They may not believe they are doing so, but this practice has become institutionalized.  It is just who they have become.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University