Little Black Lies

In 1986, about a decade before Alberta's oil sands exploded onto the international energy scene, Harry G Frankfurt wrote a provocative essay on an unlikely subject: the insidious influence of the half-truths, misinformation and propaganda that make up the "bullshit" that is so prevalent in our society. Frankfurt, professor emeritus at Princeton University and one of the world's most influential moral philosophers, concluded that "bullshit is a greater enemy of the truth than lies are". Over roughly the same period, the controversial and unprecedented growth of the Alberta tar sands has escalated the amount of disinformation in the air almost as quickly as it has greenhouse gases. To either demonise or promote the most controversial energy source since nuclear power, environmental groups, Big Oil and government officials have assaulted us with an endless array of hype that has not been seen since the great tobacco wars. In his second RMB Manifesto, Jeff Gailus explores two of the most salient features of the early 21st century: the explosion of oil sands development and the ubiquity of hogwash. The two, he suggests, are engaged in a symbiotic dance that allows them both to thrive -- to the detriment of our moral and social well-being.