Trump and Modi: Masters of Spinning Falsehoods and Fueling Divides

 Trump and Modi: Masters of Spinning Falsehoods and Fueling Divides

In today’s world, misinformation isn’t just a concern; it’s practically an art form. And let’s be honest, who needs boring old facts when you can just make up your reality? The importance of being informed is so last decade. These days, why bother when you can just gobble up whatever nonsense you’re fed? Recently, my wife and I were treated to a delightful display of this very phenomenon by a long-time friend—a person we’ve known for over 33 years, no less. A kind soul, deeply religious, and apparently, a devoted fan of alternative facts.

During what was supposed to be a friendly chat, our dear friend dropped a bombshell that left us reeling. She confidently informed us that the Muslim population in India had skyrocketed from a measly 5% in 1950 to a whopping 42% in 2024. Impressive, right? I mean, why let something as trivial as actual data get in the way of a good story? Knowing this sounded as off as a politician’s promise, I quickly turned to those pesky things called reliable sources. Lo and behold, the truth wasn’t nearly as exciting. The actual figures? In 1950, Muslims made up 9.8% of India’s population. By 2011, that had increased to 14.2%. And guess what? In 2024, it’s still 14.2%. So much for that 42% fantasy. But hey, why let the truth ruin a perfectly good piece of fear-mongering?

As if that wasn’t enough, she followed up with another juicy tidbit of misinformation: apparently, more than half the justices on the Supreme Court of India are of Muslim faith. Well, that’s news to me. I asked her how many judges are on the Supreme Court of India. Unfortunately, even I didn’t know the exact number, so I did what any rational person would do—I googled it. Turns out, there are 34 judges on the Supreme Court of India, including the Chief Justice. So I checked the names of these judges, and guess what? I could only identify one name that might be associated with the Islamic faith. If some of the others follow Islam, I’m not sure how our friends would know that. But why let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory?

And speaking of theories, let’s talk about our friend’s admiration for Modi, who she believes is a shining example of leadership. She even mentioned how great it was that Modi visited the house of the Chief Justice of India, as if that somehow proved his greatness. What she conveniently overlooked was the glaring issue that Modi’s presence at a private worship ceremony involving the CJI’s family left a black mark on the independence of the Indian justice system. But who cares about judicial integrity when you’ve got a cult of personality to maintain?

Our friend’s belief that Muslim families are all living in sitcom-sized homes with kids popping out of every corner might hold in some isolated cases, but newsflash—it’s not a universal truth, especially in India. Yet, these ancient biases against Muslims remain as stubborn as ever, clinging on like a bad habit even in the minds of otherwise lovely people. When I asked her where she got this 42% gem, I wasn’t exactly shocked by the source—a timely reminder that unreliable and biased channels are still alive and kicking, spreading their brand of “truth.” My wife, ever the sensible one, pointed out the obvious: if 42% of India were Muslim, you’d be tripping over mosques every few steps. But let’s not let simple arithmetic spoil a good scare tactic.

And just when we thought the conversation couldn’t get any more enlightening, our friend pivoted to praise former U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies. Intrigued, I asked her to name one such policy she admired. Her answer? Priceless. She was upset with the Walz government for providing $400 per child to poor families, certain that Trump would have nixed that and single-handedly saved the national debt. I almost wanted to applaud. Here’s a pro tip: the $400 in question is a child tax credit provided by the state of Minnesota, not the federal government. But why split hairs? According to our friend, this $400 handout was about to tip the entire country into financial ruin. Never mind that Minnesota is sitting on a $3.7 billion surplus in 2024—thanks to the Democrats’ fiscal management, not that it matters to anyone who prefers their economic theories served with a side of fiction.

This little mix-up about the $400 credit made me wonder just how deep our friend’s religious convictions run. Last time I checked, true religion was supposed to be about compassion and empathy, especially for the less fortunate. But who has time for such trivialities when there are poor people to criticize and corporate profits to protect? The corporate world, after all, has become quite adept at exploiting religious sentiments to mold public opinion, turning good people into pawns in their grand economic chess game. The result? A society where the rich keep getting richer, and everyone else is left to fight over the crumbs.

Reflecting on this enlightening exchange, I can’t help but marvel at the sheer power of misinformation. It’s like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat—only the rabbit is a lie, and the audience is none the wiser. Trump, in his infinite wisdom, once claimed in a debate (watched by over 67 million people, mind you) that Haitian immigrants were feasting on the local cats, dogs, and ducks. Naturally, this led to a flurry of bomb threats against legally migrated families, who are, by the way, vital to the economic growth of these cities. Businesses that hire these immigrants have been quick to praise their contributions, but who cares about facts when there’s a perfectly good lie to believe? Trump, bless his heart, hasn’t let go of this gem and keeps repeating it at his rallies. Why not? When the truth is boring, lies are so much more fun.

Now, let’s talk about the role of government. You know, that pesky institution that’s supposed to prevent the rich from hoarding everything while the rest of us scramble for survival. Imagine a jungle where a few lions decide to hog all the food. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that eventually, even the lions will starve. But who needs logic when you’ve got wealth to protect? Without government protections, violence goes up, chaos rules and the rich sit in their ivory towers, blissfully unaware that the pitchforks are coming. But hey, as long as they’ve got their wealth, who cares, right?

In rich nations, the people shouldn’t have to rely on handouts. But when corporations have rigged the system so thoroughly that even getting six weeks of paid leave after childbirth is a struggle, something’s gone wrong. Countries like Germany are practically throwing benefits at their citizens, with mothers getting two years of paid leave. Meanwhile, in the U.S., employees are supposed to be grateful for the scraps they get, all while enriching the corporations that have them under their thumb. And the kicker? These corporations have masterfully used religious institutions to spread falsehoods, convincing people that working for peanuts is somehow noble. What a time to be alive.

In conclusion, our little chat with our friend was a sobering reminder of the dangers of living in a world fueled by falsehoods. Misinformation, whether about religion or economics, doesn’t just warp our understanding of reality; it strips away the compassion that should define our humanity. It’s high time we all learned to question the sources of our information, think critically, and—most importantly—never, ever take anything at face value. Because in a world where lies are king, truth is the only thing that can set us free.