POST-TRUTH AMERICA

Oxford Dictionaries has selected “post-truth” as 2016's international word of the year, after the contentious “Brexit” referendum and an equally divisive U.S. presidential election caused usage of the adjective to skyrocket, according to the Oxford University Press.
The dictionary defines “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/16/post-truth-named-2016-word-of-the-year-by-oxford-dictionaries/?utm_term=.9ab5da5ad0fb

Any allegation that people find makes them uncomfortable or is contrary to their interests or closed mind is deemed to be false automatically, without waiting for the evidence or fact-checking it.  Facts that are disliked are labelled media bias or a conspiracy.  Pres.-elect Trump has already declared that there was no Russian involvement in hacking during the last election.  The CIA and FBI concluded otherwise. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-russia-hacking-twitter-232727
Trump did not wait  the reports to be analyzed.  Trump has declared that the advocacy of the problem of global warming is a conspiracy.  Most scientists don't think so.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/us/politics/donald-trump-climate-change.html?_r=0

The non-partisan fact-checking website "Politifact"' found that Trump spread much more misinformation than Clinton.  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/lists/people/comparing-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-truth-o-met/
(This is not the liberal media or the next of conspiracy theorists,  Politifact is one of the most highly respected and trusted fact-checkers.  Breitbart is not one of these.)

This is the individual we elected Pres. of the U.S. 

Talking to people on all sides before the last election, I got few rational responses and lots of illogical, emotional responses.  Fake news seems to becoming an even worse problem.  The echo chamber has helped create this.  Delusions are now becoming facts.  You think political polarization is bad now.  Just wait.  Results from the Pew Research Center tend to confirm much of this problem. http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/

The future of democracy, Freedom of speech and press and the rule of law may be in jeopardy.