The winner of the “Best euphemism for lying” award goes to...

Kellyanne Conway, who coined the term, “alternative facts.”

This was in reference to yesterday, when the White House press secretary’s lied, stating that the recent American presidential inauguration had, “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”

Coincidentally enough, 40 years before Kellyanne Conway coined the term “alternative facts,” Doctor Who broadcast “The Face of Evil,” which contained one of my all-time favourite quotes from a show loaded with great quotes:

You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.

The Doctor, “The Face of Evil”, Part 4, Doctor Who Season 14 (Production code 4Q). Written by Chris Boucher, directed by Pennant Roberts, originally broadcast on the BBC on 22 January 1977

Powerful and stupid makes a particularly nasty combination.

At least, unlike back in 2011, when Senator John Kyl’s office said the Senator’s lie about Planned Parenthood was “not intended to be a factual statement,” Conway got called on it much more strongly:

Kellyanne Conway on @MeetThePress: Spicer offered “alternative facts.” @chucktodd: “Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods.”

Never let yourself become a fact that needs altering.

Update, 23 January 2017: io9 also wrote a story about the Doctor Who quote. Unfortunately, it left out the important last line that served as a warning.

External links

Trump's inauguration crowd: Sean Spicer's claims versus the evidence
Doctor Who quote about 'alternative facts' sounds awfully relatable 40 years later