August 8, 2026

2026.08.08
Maher's comments and Wikipedia's philosophy challenge the authoritative and fascistic model of truthtelling preferred by Musk and his army of right wing and "Libertarian" followers. To an authoritarian, truth is a matter of prescription. Truth descends from authority and its perspective on objectivity. Authoritarians demand that there is a single truth and that there is a single source of truth: themselves. Maher's insightful commentary on truth challenges this idea, as do her later comments that Wikipedia's model encourages shared power, that Wikipedia editors have to "let go of power... you have to trust in their ability to manage the areas of their own expertise and interests." For the American right, this represents a grave threat to their worldview, a worldview dependent on the manufacture of controversy, enemies, and the convenient truths necessary to sustain their authority.