TEST: It's simple math

Here’s a proposal. Whatever your political persuasion, set out these three comparisons for your school-age children to look at (in blind trust fashion).

Two photographs showing two different inauguration crowds (Obama 2009, Trump 2017) taken from the same perspective; two bar graphs showing total subway ridership (Obama 2009, Trump 2017) for two different inaugurations; and two numbers that represent television viewership (Obama 2009, Trump 2017) for two different inaugurations. Tell your children that President Trump said his inauguration crowd was the largest in the history of inaugurations and ask your children to choose which of the photos, graphs and numbers show that the president is speaking the truth.

Next, explain to your intelligent children that they are wrong. Most likely your children will immediately respond with something along the lines of, “Why are you lying to me?” or, “That doesn’t make any sense.” Next, explain to your inquisitive children why truth does not matter to our president in this case because ____________ (fill in the blank) is more important than the truth.

“Why won’t the people that are close to President Trump help him understand the truth?” your children then ask empathetically.

My response is that for all I know they are trying to help him, but have not yet been successful. To which my children respond with, “Can we go back to playing our PS4 game?”

ANTHONY SEMAN

Coeur d’Alene