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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 03/2020
  • 978-1-03-919210-2
  • 466 pages
  • $9.99
Paperback Details
  • 03/2020
  • 978-1-03-919210-9
  • 466 pages
  • $35.99
Theater of Lies
Ted Griffith, author

Adult; Political & Social Sciences; (Market)

Theater of Lies, by a communications professional with 40 years of advising governments, businesses, and non-profits, answers three questions critical to our lives. (1)\tWhy do we believe lies and misinformation, repeat them to others, and often act upon them (from refusing vaccinations to rioting at the US Congress, trucker convoys, and threatening physical harm to those that disagree with us). (2)\tWhat harm does this cause, to our society, ourselves - personally, and to our trust in institutions, government, and democracy? and, (3)\tWhat can we as individuals, organizations, and society do to protect ourselves from the influence of lies and misinformation in our lives? Rather than an academic work, Theater of Lies comes from the perspective of a persuasion expert, a writer who has 40 years of success convincing people to change their opinions - based on facts rather than lie; a writer who has wondered for decades why lies are often more effective at persuasion than truth. Theater of Lies provides the answers - as the producer of lies use the same tools as do producers of cinema, television, and stage; creating villains, problems only their heroes can solve, and dire consequences if they don't.
Reviews
The title of Griffith’s rousing treatise introduces the book’s central metaphor and argument: that a powerful “theater of lies” has corrupted contemporary life, distracting us, stressing us out, encouraging our biases and hatreds, diminishing trust in institutions and expertise, even—with hate crimes and science denialism—killing us. For Griffith, the “theater” is key to the lies’ success, and he makes a persuasive case for mis- and disinformation as deliberately crafted narratives in the Aristotelian and Hollywood traditions, with story hooks and villains chosen to grip the minds of target audiences. His analysis of the beats of Die Hard, and how they reflect the techniques of media propagandists, is especially illuminating. “The Theater of Lies is a provider of addictive substance,” he writes. “We, the audience, keep demanding more.”

Theater of Lies urges individuals and institutions to demand and defend something else: truth. Griffith opens with a sweeping—perhaps too much so—history of lies and the manipulation of the public, stretching back to the Garden of Eden, the origins of race as a concept, and Kipling’s insistence on a “white man’s burden.” This material is impassioned and sometimes illuminating, but the discussions are brief for such epochal subjects. More immediately compelling are examples from recent decades, mostly from the U.S. and Canada, and many fresh accounts of events readers might not know about, showcasing how “purpose-driven lies and misinformation are produced, staged, and presented.”

With sharp insights, clear and inviting prose, and an upbeat belief in humanity’s capacity to do better, Griffith lays bare the craft and reach of those who lie for profit and power and the failures of mind that inspire their targets not just to believe propaganda but to spread it. Refreshingly, he seems unconcerned with being accused of bias when discussing, say, the “wrecking ball” that is Donald Trump. Instead, he models the healthy habits of thinking and analysis that he urges readers toward in the book’s last third, which encourages standing up for truth, acknowledging one’s own assumptions, and rebuilding trust.

Takeaway: Incisive history of lies and misinformation, and a call to action.

Comparable Titles: Lee McIntyre’s Post-Truth, Barbara McQuade’s Attack From Within.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 03/2020
  • 978-1-03-919210-2
  • 466 pages
  • $9.99
Paperback Details
  • 03/2020
  • 978-1-03-919210-9
  • 466 pages
  • $35.99
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