In ending a phone conversation with a longtime buddy the other day, he suggested we meet in a couple of weeks for … “a beer and (to) swap some lies.” Swapping lies is a pretty common term that’s defined as a lighthearted, playful conversation of some fact, fiction, exaggeration and stories that people tell each other. Swapping lies is an innocent version of a serious problem that we’re inflicting on ourselves with the growing normalization of non-facts, untruths, and fraud.

Lies and bull$hit are now the standard operating procedure of the current White House and cabinet, and the longer it continues, the more normalized it becomes and the more immune people will become to it. This culture and value shift didn’t happen overnight, but we need to recognize it and value the truth to save ourselves.