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You know how there are those words that – even though they’ve been around a while — suddenly become ubiquitous? We see them in news articles, hear them on the radio; they get hashtags on social media. It’s like a weird, distorted, adult-sized version of the Telephone Game we used to play as kids.

“Gaslighting” is one of those words that has enjoyed widespread usage in recent years, along with “narrative.” They tend to go hand-in-hand, as much of our public discourse these days is driven by a media focused on presenting a particular narrative…frequently by gaslighting us. Up is down, blue is red, and if you dare question this, you’re a terrorist extremist.

Another word we hear a lot these days is “accountability,” though we seldom see it in practice, particularly when it comes to governmental actors. Whether they’re elected officials, appointed cabinet members, or bureaucrats, too often, we see misdeeds and corrupt behavior given a pass in deference to political expediency.

The problem with accountability is when it’s lacking. Without it, the only guardrails are conscience and morality — both of which are in woefully short supply. The blessing of accountability is that the prospect of it acts as an added incentive to keep people honest. And we could certainly stand for a lot more of that.

Note: This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Friday, January 13th. Audio included below.