Introduction
In his book "Bunk", Kevin Young takes readers on a fascinating journey through the history of hoaxes in America. From the earliest days of the nation to our current "post-truth" era, Young examines how deception, trickery, and "fake news" have shaped American culture and politics.
At a time when terms like "alternative facts" dominate headlines, Young's exploration of the origins and evolution of hoaxes is particularly timely and relevant. He argues that understanding the long history of hoaxes in America can help us better navigate our current landscape of misinformation and deliberate deception.
Young traces how hoaxes have been intertwined with issues of race, identity, and power throughout American history. He makes a compelling case that many hoaxes have served to reinforce racist ideologies and white supremacy. By unpacking famous and lesser-known hoaxes, Young reveals uncomfortable truths about American society and culture.
This eye-opening book challenges readers to think critically about the information we consume and the stories we choose to believe. It's an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the roots of our "fake news" era and how we arrived at this moment in American history.
The American Tradition of Hoaxing
Young argues that hoaxes and deception are deeply embedded in American culture, dating back to the early days of the nation. He identifies the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 as one of the earliest examples of "fake news" in America.
In 1835, the New York Sun newspaper published a series of articles claiming that an astronomer had discovered evidence of life on the moon, including bat-like winged humanoids. The stories were completely fabricated, but they captivated readers and boosted the paper's circulation.
Young sees this as a pivotal moment that established hoaxing as part of the American narrative. The young nation was still struggling to define its identity and traditions. The Moon Hoax tapped into a desire for exciting news and a willingness to believe fantastic claims.
This set the stage for hoaxes to become a recurring feature of American culture. Young argues that hoaxes aligned with the American ethos that you can reinvent yourself and be whatever you want to be. Just as individuals could craft new identities, so too could newspapers and other media craft exciting but false stories.
Over time, hoaxes became more widespread and accepted. Young points to the Washington Post's decision in 2015 to stop tracking online hoaxes as evidence of how normalized fake stories had become. Many readers no longer seemed to care if what they were reading was true or not.
This trend reached new heights with the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Young sees Trump as the embodiment of the American hoaxing tradition - a man with a loose relationship to facts who reinvented his own biography. Trump's success showed how deeply ingrained the acceptance of deception had become in American culture.
The Appeal of Hoaxes
Young examines why hoaxes have such enduring appeal and power to captivate audiences. He argues that successful hoaxes tap into people's desires and give them what they want to believe, rather than adhering to facts.
The case of P.T. Barnum's exhibition of Joice Heth in 1835 illustrates this dynamic. Barnum presented Heth, an elderly enslaved Black woman, as the 161-year-old former nursemaid of George Washington. This hoax played on several desires of the audience:
- It fed into the growing cult of George Washington and Americans' hunger for connections to their new national history.
- It allowed abolitionists to feel they were supporting a good cause by viewing Heth.
- It gave spectators the thrill of judging for themselves if the claim was true by seeing and touching Heth.
When Heth died and an autopsy revealed she was only 79, Barnum spun this as part of his abolitionist efforts - showing how hoaxers adapt their stories to maintain appeal.
Young points to spirit photography in the 1860s as another example of hoaxes giving people what they desperately wanted. William Mumler claimed his camera could capture images of ghosts, tapping into the Spiritualist movement and people's desire to contact dead loved ones. Even Mary Todd Lincoln sat for a spirit photograph, hoping to see her deceased son.
These cases show how hoaxes often succeed by emotional appeal rather than factual credibility. They allow people to believe comforting or exciting things, regardless of truth. This insight helps explain the persistent power of hoaxes throughout American history.
The Racist Roots of Hoaxes
One of Young's key arguments is that many hoaxes in American history have been rooted in racism and efforts to reinforce white supremacy. He traces how the rise of hoaxes coincided with the development of racial categorization in the mid-18th century.
Young examines how P.T. Barnum's human exhibitions perpetuated racist ideologies under the guise of entertainment. In addition to Joice Heth, Barnum displayed a Black man covered in animal hides as the "missing link" between apes and humans. This played on racist pseudo-science of the time that tried to categorize races in a hierarchy.
These types of hoaxes allowed white audiences to reaffirm their supposed racial superiority while being entertained. Even as the abolitionist movement grew, racist hoaxes provided a way for whites to maintain their sense of supremacy.
Young argues that many hoaxes reveal more about racism and white privilege than their creators intended. He points to the case of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended to be Black and became a local NAACP chapter president. Her belief that she could simply choose to identify as Black exemplifies the privilege of whiteness.
By unpacking the racial elements of famous hoaxes, Young demonstrates how deeply intertwined deception and racism have been throughout American history. He argues we must confront this uncomfortable legacy to understand the full impact of hoaxes.
Erasing Cultural History
Young highlights how hoaxes can have the dangerous effect of erasing or rewriting the cultural history of minority groups. By creating false narratives, hoaxes can crowd out authentic voices and experiences.
He examines the case of the fabricated poems of "Araki Yasusada," supposedly a Hiroshima survivor, published in the 1990s. These poems reinforced stereotypical Western views of Japan while implying there were no avant-garde artistic movements in the country. This hoax effectively erased real Japanese cultural history and poetry.
Young also looks at the "Navahoax" of Tim Barrus, who wrote memoirs under a fake Navajo identity in the early 2000s. By inventing a false Navajo name and story, Barrus overwrote authentic Navajo history and culture. His fabricated tale took up space that could have gone to real Native American voices.
These types of hoaxes are especially damaging because they can eliminate the need for important conversations about minority cultures and communities. By providing a fabricated version of cultural experiences, they allow the public to feel they understand a group without engaging with authentic perspectives.
Young argues we must be aware of how hoaxes can erase cultural histories, especially of marginalized groups. Recognizing this danger is crucial for preserving diverse voices and experiences in the cultural landscape.
From Wonder to Horror
Young traces how the nature of hoaxes shifted in the 20th century from inspiring wonder to evoking horror and fear. Earlier hoaxes like P.T. Barnum's exhibitions aimed to amaze and delight audiences with supposedly marvelous sights. But over time, hoaxes took on a darker tone.
The turning point came with Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. By presenting a fictional alien invasion as breaking news, Welles tapped into deeper anxieties in American society. The widespread panic it caused showed how hoaxes could now play on people's fears.
Young sees this as the beginning of hoaxes shifting to reflect society's horrors rather than its marvels. He points to Janet Cooke's fabricated 1980 Washington Post story about an 8-year-old heroin addict as an example. This hoax presented a nightmarish vision of urban decay and addiction.
Cooke's story also perpetuated racist stereotypes about inner-city African American communities. Young argues this reflects how modern hoaxes often contain society's darkest fears and prejudices.
This evolution shows how hoaxes have come to traffic in the horrific rather than the wondrous. They now often present distorted funhouse mirror versions of society's problems and anxieties. Understanding this shift is key to recognizing how modern hoaxes operate.
The Age of Euphemism
Young argues that we are currently living in what he calls the "Age of Euphemism" - an era where people rarely say what they actually mean. This creates fertile ground for hoaxes and misinformation to flourish.
He traces the roots of this age to the 1990s, when the rise of the internet allowed for the rapid spread of both information and disinformation. The line between fact and fiction became increasingly blurred in what Young calls the age of "faction."
Young points to the New York Times' uncritical reporting on claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as an example. By failing to scrutinize government claims, respected media inadvertently supported false narratives that led to war.
The internet has supercharged the spread of hoaxes and misinformation. Young examines cases like the "Gay Girl in Damascus" blog, purportedly written by a Syrian lesbian but actually created by a straight American man. The online world allows people to easily assume false identities and spread fabricated stories.
Young argues that underlying this trend is a "narrative crisis" in American society. Many people now value spectacle and entertainment over truth. This mirrors earlier eras when audiences were more concerned with being amazed than with factual accuracy.
He sees the election of Donald Trump as the culmination of this trend. Trump's cavalier relationship with facts and penchant for making outrageous claims did not seem to bother many supporters. His success showed how the values of entertainment and spectacle had overtaken concern for truth in American politics.
Young contends that this Age of Euphemism poses serious dangers for society. When truth becomes subjective and facts are seen as malleable, it becomes difficult to have substantive debates or make informed decisions. He argues we must confront this crisis to move toward a healthier relationship with information and truth.
The Danger of Hoaxes
While some may dismiss hoaxes as harmless tricks, Young emphasizes the very real dangers they pose to society. Beyond simply spreading misinformation, hoaxes can have profound negative impacts:
- Perpetuating harmful stereotypes and racist ideologies
- Erasing authentic cultural histories and voices
- Distracting from real issues and stifling important conversations
- Undermining trust in institutions and factual information
- Fueling conspiracy theories and extremist beliefs
Young argues that hoaxes are particularly dangerous in how they can reinforce existing prejudices and biases. Many hoaxes throughout history have played on racist stereotypes or fears about minority groups. This serves to further entrench discriminatory attitudes in society.
The erasure of cultural history through hoaxes is another major concern. When false narratives crowd out authentic voices and experiences, it becomes harder for marginalized groups to tell their own stories. This can have long-lasting impacts on how cultures and communities are perceived.
Young also highlights how hoaxes can derail public discourse and distract from pressing issues. Time and energy spent debunking false claims takes away from addressing real problems in society. Additionally, the proliferation of hoaxes can make people cynical about all information, making it harder to have productive debates.
The undermining of trust in institutions and expertise is another insidious effect of hoaxes. As people are repeatedly fooled by false information, they may start to doubt all sources of knowledge. This erosion of trust makes society more vulnerable to manipulation and conspiracy theories.
Young argues we must take these dangers seriously and work to combat the spread of hoaxes and misinformation. Critical thinking skills and media literacy are crucial tools for navigating our current information landscape.
Confronting the Legacy of Hoaxes
Young concludes by emphasizing the need to directly confront America's long history of hoaxes and misinformation. He argues that understanding this legacy is crucial for addressing our current "post-truth" era.
He encourages readers to:
- Develop stronger critical thinking skills to evaluate information
- Be aware of how hoaxes often play on existing biases and prejudices
- Seek out authentic voices and perspectives, especially from marginalized groups
- Support quality journalism and fact-checking efforts
- Have difficult conversations about the role of truth in society
Young contends that simply ignoring or dismissing hoaxes is not enough. We must actively work to create a culture that values truth and accuracy over sensationalism and spectacle.
He sees cause for hope in growing efforts to combat misinformation and increase media literacy. But he cautions that overcoming centuries of hoaxing tradition will require sustained effort and cultural change.
Ultimately, Young argues that how we deal with hoaxes and "fake news" will shape the future of American democracy and society. By understanding their history and impact, we can work toward a healthier relationship with information and truth.
Final Thoughts
"Bunk" offers a compelling and concerning look at the long history of hoaxes in American culture. Kevin Young's exploration reveals how deeply intertwined deception has been with issues of race, power, and identity throughout the nation's history.
By tracing hoaxes from the earliest days of the republic to our current "fake news" era, Young provides crucial context for understanding our present information crisis. He demonstrates that many of the dynamics at play today have deep historical roots.
Young's analysis of how hoaxes often reinforce racist ideologies and erase minority voices is particularly powerful. He challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about American society and culture.
While the book paints a sometimes bleak picture, Young also offers hope that by understanding this history, we can work toward positive change. He argues for the importance of critical thinking, media literacy, and amplifying authentic voices.
"Bunk" is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand how America arrived at its current relationship with truth and facts. It provides valuable tools for navigating our complex information landscape and working toward a society that values accuracy over sensationalism.
In an era when the line between fact and fiction often seems blurred, Young's thorough examination of hoaxes throughout American history provides much-needed perspective and insight. This book challenges us to think critically about the stories we encounter and to actively work toward a culture that prizes truth.