A Hopeful Story About a Sad Little Fact

06.12.2019

Source: Open Society Foundations
By: Sarah Margon

Sometimes the most pointed social commentary is best delivered by an adorable, giant-eyed, blue-bodied, and huggable cartoon character.

In just over two minutes, A Sad Little Fact asks tough questions about the future of honesty and truth in an “alternative facts” world. How can we “save” facts when they are relentlessly under attack? Do facts matter in a world where some politicians and pundits lie so regularly and without any accountability? If facts matter, why, and to whom?

One person, unnamed in this animation, looms large off-screen. Since assuming office, U.S. President Donald Trump has made more than 13,000 false or misleading claims, according to the Washington Post, which has been tracking his lies. In an interview on Fox and Friends in late November, Trump made 18 false claims in a 53-minute interview, according to CNN (that’s one lie every 176 seconds). Read further…

  • For those with a mind to think and a need to know the truth, facts can’t be denied.

  • A fact is a fact.

  • There will always be people who try to pass off lies as facts. But for those with a mind to think, the facts can’t be denied.

  • A world without facts is a dark place. What can we do to save them?

  • We stand with the facts and the fact-finders who refuse to leave them buried.

  • From a uniquely family-friendly angle, this animated short takes on one of the most important questions of our time.