True Enough Response - Perception of Reality

The controversial book True Enough written by Farhad Manjoo discusses significant topics present in the United States’ public sphere, emphasizing the perception of reality; what and why we choose to believe the things that we do. A number of situations are explored and deliberated, but ultimately Manjoo advises that when considering the truth people “choose wisely” (Manjoo 230). This message proves to be particularly intriguing as all of his examples are relevant to the public sphere, its’ technology, and the individuals that encompass it.

I personally enjoyed reading the somewhat unusual outlook that Manjoo holds regarding truth and its’ validity; he has no issue with publicly challenging established beliefs of the general population. “Experts” are placed under a magnifying glass and examined; in this day and age it has become more difficult to determine the true experts from those individuals who simply forge their knowledge. Manjoo states: “We consult experts specifically to learn something about which we are ignorant. The transaction is inherently treacherous because ignorance puts us at a disadvantage, too. How can we know whether the ‘experts’ who dominate the public discourse really are expert?” (Manjoo 108) With the technology available in our world it has become easier to fake expertise in a specific field, thus clouding the perception of truth regarding a topic.

What one perceives as fact often depends on personal principles: “we choose our personal versions of truth by subscribing to the clutch of specialists we find agreeable and trustworthy” (Manjoo 107). It is scary to consider that truth may not actually be the truth, as we only recognize our personal certainty. The truth then has an unlimited amount of possibilities. Once an attitude regarding reality is established, people do not tend to stray from it: “People tend to interpret and understand new information in a way that accords with their own views” (Manjoo 150). These statements caused me to reflect on my own opinions; “why do I believe what I do?” Manjoo presents legitimate arguments, reflected in my personal beliefs.

True Enough raises important points relevant to each individual and each society. It is important to be open to other viewpoints besides your own, consider other accounts and generate your perception of truth from there.

True Enough #2

Not only is True Enough relevant to class, it is also relevant to everyday life. Another intriguing point that Manjoo suggests is that “people tend to interpret and understand new information in a way that accords with their own views” (150). As people living in the public sphere we often hold very firm, personal beliefs, “and when people disagree with us, we’re apt to decide that they’re not being reasonable” (154). It is as if we are always seeking the truth, and we will not stop fighting until it is attained; but what is truth really? Manjoo keeps me interested, as I am always pondering questions regarding society and personal beliefs. He raises ideas that are not brought up very often.   

True Enough #1

Despite the fact that I did not enjoy the first 25 pages of Manjoo’s True Enough, the rest of the book was not too bad. The message put forth in the book; truth and reality can be greatly influenced and directed, proved to be very relevant to class. The public sphere holds a tremendous amount of power, influencing individuals in many different fashions.

One example of this power was seen on page 115 where Manjoo speaks of the “Dr. Fox effect”, in which “the suggestion that a person’s speaking style could so strongly seduce an audience -  that the way you said something might be more important than what you’d actually said – really makes you think twice about how the public evaluates so-called experts.” This truly reminds me of our modern day media and the topics that they decide are important. A lot of what we see in the news today has to do with the lives of celebrities, facebook or some other trendy subject. The media can allow us to forget what is truly important in life.