Truth Is Never Out of Style

Truth is never out of style—but corrupt regimes should and must go out of style.

Truth Is Never Out of Style

by C.A. Matthews

I enjoy listening to my friend DJ Amjad’s Deep Mix Music and More radio program while I’m writing. The other day I found myself singing along with a catchy chorus from a 1990’s rap song:

Now I know you're sayin'
Well why don't he stop beating around the bush
Well I'll get there when i get there
So there ain't no need to push!
Because the point I'm trying to make contains my whole philosophy
So listen to what I tell you and repeat it after me

Truth is out of style (out of style)
Truth is out of style (out of style) (say what?)
Truth is out of style (say what?)
Truth (say what?) (is out of style)
Truth (is out of style)
--from Truth Is Out of Style by DJ Zero & MC 900 ft. Jesus

Thirty-four years later, and the words still ring true. The “philosophy” that MC 900 sung in his rap has become the motto of many Western governments: Truth is out of style.

If you don’t believe me, how do you explain the following?

Richard Medhurst, an independent British journalist was arrested at Heathrow airport and held for nearly 24 hours under the UK Terrorism Act because of stories he featured on his podcast.

Mary Kostakidis, known as “the face of television news in Australia,” has been accused of supporting ethnic cleansing of Jews because of two retweets about Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Sarah Wilkinson, a UK activist/journalist and supporter of Palestinians, has been banned from using her phone or her laptop because of her tweets. (Yes, just for posting on the X platform!) She is effectively under house arrest.

Sharmine Narwani, who founded The Cradle, an online journal of news and comment, was permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram. Narwani now stands accused of “praising terrorist organizations” and engaging in “incitement to violence.”

Professor Danny Shaw was detained by the FBI for three hours in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport after returning from a Free Palestine film festival in London. His computing devices were seized. He had been fired from his job back in April when he was falsely called “antisemitic” for his pro-Palestine comments.

and, of course, Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame, taken away from his wife and young sons, was locked up in Belmarsh Prison for the “crime of practicing journalism” for five years after spending years stuck in the Ecuadorian embassy in London while seeking asylum.

If journalists and activists cannot tell the truth of what’s happening in the world without facing prison time, personal smears, and worse, then the truth is out of style. But does the public really want to be spoon fed nothing but lies? Maybe a good proportion of humanity does enjoy being lied to—or at least they don’t really care much one way or the other—but I still believe the majority want to know the truth of what is going on in the world.

What if the truth is painful, distressing, or just plain horrific? Does that make a difference? Are there people who’d rather not know about the evil that humans inflict upon their fellow humans (as well as upon the planet)? Do some prefer to be ignorant, listening to pleasant lies that make them feel better about themselves and their situation? There is evidence that this is indeed the case for some:

From Patrick Lawrence: The Sound of Enforced Silence

Kamala Harris, or the cynical operatives busily inventing Kamala Harris, are selling “joy” this political season, not any kind of sober, responsible view of our circumstances. Harris is supposed to ride into the White House on a carpet of good vibes. Gaza, the war in Ukraine, Washington’s provocations at the other end of the Pacific: Nah: All such questions are bad vibes.

How can anyone equate Harris, who has been quite outspoken in her support of Biden’s funding and arming the genocidal Netanyahu regime, with “joy” or “good vibes” or anything positive? How can “joy” be used to describe anyone associated with the current administration that has set records for drilling and fracking for oil in our national wildlife preserves, although Biden/Harris claimed in the 2020 race that they were for shutting down such operations? Harris stated in her recent CNN interview that she supports expanding fracking, not stopping it. “Immoral” and “hypocrite” are words I’d used to describe Harris, not joy.

The truth isn’t a skirt length or a preferred color scheme. Truth should never go out of style.

Truth is conveyed in words, and words become thoughts, and thoughts become actions, and actions become…possibly World War III if you’re not careful. When politicians start using words like “human animal” to describe their fellow humans, genocides begin. Don’t ever think it’s normal for politicians to lie because they can get away with it without any negative consequences. Words have power.

But what is truth?
Is truth a changing law?
We both have truths.
Are mine the same as yours? --Pontius Pilate in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar

Pilate asks Jesus a pertinent question that’s still relevant two thousand years later. Is “my truth” the same as “your truth”? Can “truth” change over time? What happens if it does?

If I’m a journalist/activist who calls the murders of over 200,000+ human beings in Gaza a “genocide” since it fits the United Nations’ definition of a genocide, is it still a genocide if your personal definition states that it isn’t? Maybe you believe that dropping 2,000 pound bombs upon a caged-in indigenous population while denying them food, water, and medicine is called “a picnic” and you believe it to be a good and necessary thing, nothing to get all hot and bothered about. Why should the UN definition of genocide rank above your personal definition? If the United Nations ceased to exist, would the current legal definition of genocide simply go away?

In other words, is there such a thing as a “universal truth” or a truth that doesn’t change over time? If so, how can we prove that these universal truths exist?

Philosophers and academics will argue this subject until they’re blue in the face, but I take a more practical approach. Let’s do a thought experiment together. Let’s say that your government has outlawed everything to do with oxygen.

Yes, oxygen, the invisible gas that human beings need to breath in every minute of every day of their lives has been outlawed. Your government has declared that oxygen is a “terrorist threat” and that no one should have anything to do with it. Anyone caught using, distributing, selling, buying, or simply writing or reporting on oxygen will be subject to enormous fines, lengthy jail times, and kicked off of all social media platforms forever. Independent journalists’ previous writings or reportage on oxygen have been censored and all their published books on oxygen burned.

To paraphrase a quote from Aaron Bushnell: This is what your ruling class has deemed “normal.”

Since oxygen has been declared illegal by your government what is the truth of oxygen in your society now? Would you be willing to give up oxygen and fighting for the right to breathe? If you feel in good conscience that you must follow the dictates of your government, are you related to Aquaman or Superman by chance?

I will go out on a limb here and state that there is a universal truth about oxygen: Human beings need oxygen to live. Therefore, your government has declared unlawful a universal truth that is necessary for life itself. Your government is acting in an immoral fashion and gaslighting you.

Independent journalists and bloggers should be writing and reporting on oxygen every chance they get in order to keep the public informed and safe from the evil that is in authority over them. Civil disobedience and protests to force the government to allow oxygen to be talked about and used once again are more than warranted. They are absolutely necessary.

Now replace the word oxygen with “the genocide of Palestinians by Israel” in the above paragraphs. It’s not a perfect fit, but it does give you an idea that whenever authorities start censoring and outlawing discussions and reportage on certain topics your internal warning mechanisms should go off. Your own safety and well-being could very well be at risk. The government could be trying to desensitize you so you won’t even recognize when they attempt to commit genocide against your own ethnic group some day.

Something is definitely rotten in any governmental system if it takes a universal truth like the UN’s definition of genocide and twists it around to turn the victims of the genocide into the victimizers, the oppressed into the oppressors. It takes a high level of denial and malfeasance to pretend that nothing untoward is happening in Gaza and the West Bank currently, has never happened there, and to pretend that no one from the current US administration isn’t helping to perpetuate the ethnic cleansing, rape, and torture happening there.

The vast majority of nations that comprise the United Nations agree: Aiding and abetting a genocide is immoral. It should never be equated with joy, not even in a shallow campaign slogan. Genocide as defined by the UN is a universal truth.

Using the above example, equating genocide with joy makes as much sense as cutting the oxygen line on a scuba diver, attaching lead weights to his ankles, and telling everyone later that drowning was the the best thing ever to happen to that diver since he avoided using oxygen. Bullsh*t! There’s nothing “joyful” about the mass murders of innocents.

So, what can we do to protect those who share truth, whether it’s “in style” with the current regime’s agenda or not? Think of Julian Assange and how he was punished harshly for publishing the truth. Remember that his only “crime” was publishing the collateral murder video that showed how innocent lives were taken by the US bombing Iraqis indiscriminately. How can we prevent unjust charges and prison sentences for those simply doing their job as journalists, revealing the truth, ugly and embarrassing as the truth sometimes can be for those in authority?

International activists protesting loudly and incessantly for years helped bring about Julian Assange’s eventual release from Belmarsh Prison. Now isn’t the time to give up on these protests. We must continue protesting to protect our free speech rights worldwide. Although freedom of speech is written into the First Amendment of the US Constitution, if American agencies actively censor and imprison journalists and activists, then the Constitution isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Americans can’t relax and let these rights be taken away from them because once they’re gone…

They’re gone. Forever.

Truth is never out of style—but corrupt regimes should and must go out of style.

Stand up for what is right. Protest against censorship and protect all journalists and activists who report the truth. Be there for the truth-tellers whenever our criminal governments come after them, because it will be only a matter time until they’ll come after you. And then who will be left to stand up for you?

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Acclaimed Journalist Charged With ‘Anti-Semitism’ https://consortiumnews.com/2024/08/28/acclaimed-journalist-charged-with-anti-semitism/

Starmer's purges of Labour have mutated into the arrest of Palestine supporters https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/starmers-purges-of-labour-have-mutated

Patrick Lawrence: The Sound of Enforced Silence https://scheerpost.com/2024/08/29/patrick-lawrence-the-sound-of-enforced-silence/

UK police have arrested another pro-Palestinian journalist https://www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/uk-police-have-arrested-another-pro

Chris Hedges' TikTok on Harris' Censorship is Censored https://twitter.com/ChrisLynnHedges/status/1828846025983045777

France Slaps Telegram CEO With 12 Criminal Charges After Israel Calls Platform ‘Uncooperative’ https://scheerpost.com/2024/08/28/france-slaps-telegram-ceo-with-12-criminal-charges-after-israel-calls-platform-uncooperative/

I Was Arrested at Heathrow Airport as a “Terrorist” for My Journalism https://richardmedhurst.substack.com/p/i-was-arrested-at-heathrow-airport

Harris and Trump agree on fracking and Big Oil youtu.be/MpUfXPAKhr8

The West Truly Doesn't See Palestinians As Human www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/the-west-truly-doesnt-see-palestinians

If you tell people it’s unreasonable to demand an end to a genocide that’s only possible because of your government, you are telling them they need to tear down the entire system which gave rise to this situation. You are telling them they have no other choice but to radicalize against everything you stand for. That’s not people like me who are telling them this — it’s you. —Caitlin Johnstone

"Stop Doing Genocide" Is The Most Reasonable Political Demand Ever https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/stop-doing-genocide-is-the-most-reasonable

There Is No Argument For Supporting Israel That's Both Logical And Moral https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/there-is-no-argument-for-supporting

Biden's Cruel and Orwellian Remarks on Gaza at the DNC https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/joe-biden-gaza-democratic-convention

Standing for Justice: Why We Raised a “Stop Arming Israel” Banner on Day 1 of the DNC Convention https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/standing-for-justice-why-we-raised-a-stop-arming-israel-banner-on-day-1-of-the-dnc-convention/

Palestinians Seek US Appeals Court Review of Biden Genocide Complicity Case https://www.commondreams.org/news/gaza-genocide-case

Aaron Mate: Debunking Israeli 'Lies' youtu.be/wAC4UmCmbeM

In running against the other party, Democrats fear-monger about being rounded up in Fascist prisons and Republicans fear-monger about being placed in Communist gulags.

And meanwhile both parties join hands to cage two million Palestinians in an actual death camp. --Aaron Maté on X

At least 10 killed as Israel launches major raid on occupied West Bank https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/28/at-least-7-killed-as-israel-launches-major-raid-on-occupied-west-bank

The main suspect in the Sde Teiman gang rape case is now a media star in Israel https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/the-main-suspect-in-the-sde-teiman-gang-rape-case-is-now-a-media-star-in-israel/

The War on Gaza – 4.9.24 https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-war-on-gaza-4924

'Very Bad Sign for Democracy': AIPAC Has Spent Over $100 Million on 2024 Elections https://www.commondreams.org/news/aipac-100-million

Justice delayed, not yet denied: an update on the ICC arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant https://mondoweiss.net/2024/08/justice-delayed-not-yet-denied-an-update-on-the-icc-arrest-warrants-for-benjamin-netanyahu-and-yoav-gallant/

Biden Was Told Gaza Pier Would Undermine Efforts To Get Israel To Allow More Aid Into Gaza https://scheerpost.com/2024/08/29/biden-was-told-gaza-pier-would-undermine-efforts-to-get-israel-to-allow-more-aid-into-gaza/

There's No Good News In The Unfolding Of Armageddon https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/theres-no-good-news-in-the-unfolding

Presidential Candidate Jill Stein & VP Butch Ware | Hosted by Rifat Malik | Muslim Viewpoint https://www.youtube.com/live/Z63Rds4eRE0?si=-5l22GWzM1F4Zigv

The Racket | Presidential Candidate Jill Stein on Fighting The US War Machine youtu.be/Gs3CqUWmNUU?si=q4WVy9nQ-pk2xJa0

You Don't Get To Vote On Any Of Your Government's Most Consequential Actions https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/you-dont-get-to-vote-on-any-of-your

Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac called on U.S. churches to take action against Israel's genocide at the same church where MLK Jr. called out churches’ silence on the U.S. war in Vietnam in 1967. https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1828798440714936789

The IDF Uses Palestinian Civilians As Human Shields to Inspect Gaza's Tunnels https://rumble.com/v5ca1dh-the-idf-is-using-palestinian-civilians-as-human-shields-to-inspect-gazas-tu.html

Satellite Imagery Shows Vast Destruction in Rafah https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/08/27/satellite-imagery-shows-vast-destruction-in-rafah/

Washington's Israel Policy Is Just Feigning Ignorance Of Israeli Depravity https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/washingtons-israel-policy-is-just

Do Something Every Day To Help De-Normalize The Abuses Of The Empire https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/do-something-every-day-to-help-de

A Looming Nuclear Catastrophe https://scheerpost.com/2024/08/31/a-looming-nuclear-catastrophe/

Congressman: Nordstream Pipeline Was BLOWN UP By U.S. youtu.be/FRTR5Vfflv8?si=t90D45hE4sFvpHUu

Five years later: How Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce Killed an Anti-Pollution Bill of Rights https://theintercept.com/2019/08/29/lake-erie-bill-of-rights-ohio/