The attacks on truth are real and deeply dangerous so how do we stop this scourge?
“Truth decay” is a phrase President Obama used to describe the current state of truth in this country, saying “not only do we not have to tell the truth but the truth doesn’t even matter.” This growing scourge is fueled by social media and other disreputable entities. Mick West is the founder of Metabunk.org, which investigates a cross-section of conspiracy theories. He is also the author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, in which he outlines the ways that he helps people see actual facts more clearly and that starts with communication. We Have Reached the Moment is a short documentary, directed by Christi Cooper, about an ongoing conversation between Vic Barrett who is a 21 year-old climate activist and plaintiff in the landmark legal case Juliana vs. United States and his father who is not convinced climate change is happening. Nonny de la Peña has been a pioneer of VR and will share her concern about Deep Fakes and how they will affect our future (or even current) understanding of truth. This isn’t an easy conversation yet one that seems ever more essential as the assault on truth is real and deeply problematic.
Film: We Have Reached the Moment, directed by Christi Cooper
Speakers: Mick West, Vic Barrett, Nonny de la Peña
In-Person •Saturday, Oct 2 | 2:40 - 4:30pm | Sheridan Opera House
Virtual •Oct 6 - 31
We Have Reached the Moment
Vic Barrett was just 12 years old when Hurricane Sandy devastated neighborhoods in his native New York City. Since then, he has used his voice to combat the climate crisis, including speaking in front of the United Nations, testifying before Congress, and joining fellow youth plaintiffs on Juliana v United States, the landmark U.S. constitutional climate change lawsuit.
His message has traveled far, but perhaps his most important audience remains: his own father.
We Have Reached the Moment follows Vic’s journey as he shares the impacts of the climate crisis with his climate-denying father. Adding to this deeply-emotional challenge is Vic’s concurrent gender transition, which simultaneously shifts their relationship from father-daughter to father-son.
Vic, like any one of us, desires acceptance, love, and support from his parent, but how do you connect with loved ones when their belief systems undermine your very identity and right to a safe future?
Mick West (he/him)
Mick West is a British-American science writer, “debunker” of pseudoscientific claims and conspiracy theories and creator of Metabunk.com and Contrail Science websites. Mick mostly recently published his first book, Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect, and he is currently focused on conspiracy theories surrounding chemtrails and UFOs. In the show Truth Decay, Mick will lay out his framework for personally connecting with people who have gone down that proverbial rabbit hole in order to foster open and respectful dialogues, hopefully resulting in stronger relationships.
Vic Barrett (he/him)
Twenty-one year old, first generation Honduran-American Vic Barrett is on the frontlines of the global climate change movement. He is one of the twenty-one youth plaintiffs who took the United States to court in the landmark case Juliana Vs. United States on allowing harmful, carbon-emitting climate activities. Vic is a climate change organizer, fellow with the Alliance for Climate Education and has spoken at the 2016 UN General Assembly, the COP21 UN Conference on Climate Change and many climate strikes. He will speak at our Truth Decay show, which will also showcase the short documentary We Have Reached the Moment –– a film focused on a deeply-emotional and honest dialogue between him and his climate-denying father.
Nonny de la Peña (she/her)
Nonny de la Peña is an American journalist, documentary filmmaker, and entrepreneur who is considered the Godmother of VR. She is the founder and CEO of Emblematic Group, a digital media company focused on immersive virtual, mixed and augmented reality, which continues to innovate and understand this relatively new technology in unique ways. Nonny is also largely credited with helping create the genre of immersive journalism. She will speak in Truth Decay about deep fakes and what that means to our sense of veracity.