In 2016, the Oxford Dictionary’s international word of the year was “post-truth.” The term prioritizes what psychologists refer to as “emotional truths”—what one “feels” is true or “wishes” to be true—over reality as it is. The term is usually associated with the phrase “post-truth politics,” which lacks a clear definition but is constantly demonstrated nonetheless.
In 2018, a shooting spree occurred in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, killing seven people and injuring 32 more. For years, Memorial Day weekend was frequently the most violent weekend of the year in Chicago, garnering national attention. This time, the national media coverage of Chicago’s Memorial weekend bloodbath focused on the fact that there were fewer victims than in prior years, rather than the annual pattern of violence itself.
Pundits who twisted this story into “post-truth politics” associated fewer victims with nationwide patterns of declining violent crime rates, predicting that Chicago’s downward trend would continue for the rest of the year.
However, the truth is that violence is unpredictable.
A few months later, in August, 63 separate shootings occurred over the course of a weekend, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. According to a Chicago Police spokesperson, some of the shootings were targeted attacks resulting from gang violence in the area, and it was one of the most violent weekends on record. Chicago’s Police Superintendent blamed the majority of the bloodshed on repeat gun offenders who receive a “slap on the wrist” after arrest and urged the state legislature to strengthen penalties for those linked to multiple gun crimes.
The unprecedented amount of violence prompted Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a shrewd politician, to hold a press conference and issue a challenge to the residents of the communities where the shootings occurred.
Mayor Emanuel stated, “You may talk about jobs, and they count, but in parts of the city where there are no jobs, people did not pull the trigger. There are too many guns on the street, too many people with criminal records, and there is a shortage of values about what is right, wrong, acceptable, approved, and condemned.” He also stated that anyone who knows the identities of the shooters has a “moral responsibility” to speak up.
During his tenure as mayor of Chicago, Emanuel concluded that the root cause of the city’s widespread violence was a shortage of values.
The mayor’s practical assessment was not “the truth,” but it was one of many things to consider given the wide range of circumstances that influence violence. However, black activists rejected the mayor’s conclusion and responded with “post-truth politics.”
Shari Runner, the former president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, stated that scolding the African-American community for the ills of what’s happening in these communities is not only not helpful, it’s not correct. There is no community more religious, conservative, and amazing than the African-American community. The African-American community deserves a lot more than victim shaming. This is the result of racist policies and bigoted practices for decades.
The complex circumstances that breed gang violence, according to mayoral candidate Lori Lightfoot, call for a thoughtful response rather than placing the blame on the same communities that are resource-starved and have few opportunities for people to connect to the legitimate economy.
During Mayor Emanuel’s press conference, he also said, “I know the power of what faith and family can do. Our kids need that structure. I’m asking that we don’t shy away from a full discussion about the importance of family and faith in helping to develop and nurture character, self-respect, a value system, and a moral compass. If we’re going to solve this, we have to have real discussions. Parts of the conversation cannot be off-limits because they’re not politically comfortable.”
Runner and Lightfoot convinced the public that Mayor Emanuel was insensitive and that the real solution to violence was a “massive reconstruction program for long-neglected inner-city communities.” After that, “post-truth politics” became the norm when addressing violence in the city.
Over the July 4th weekend, there were 72 separate shootings, resulting in over 100 injuries and 21 deaths. Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters, “What we’ve experienced over the weekend is unacceptable, and we didn’t get here overnight. And everyone knows that. Let’s tell the full story of what happened.”
When Mayor Emanuel told the complete story, it was rejected.
Mayor Johnson, on the other hand, told the “post-truth.” He said, “This country has unfortunately accepted black death for a very long time. We had an opportunity 60 years ago to get to the root causes. And they mocked President Johnson, and we ended up with Richard Nixon.” In other words, if LBJ’s “war on poverty” had been successful in the last decades of the twentieth century, Chicago would not be dealing with gang violence in 2024.
Mayor Johnson also warned, “There will be consequences for the violence. We will not let criminal activity ruin and harm our city.”
But that’s not a “post-truth” political statement, so the mayor doesn’t mean it.