No, we’re not asking whether the message of Al Gore’s global warming movie has crossed the threshold of mainstream acceptance. (It has.)

We’re wondering about the term itself: Like “perfect storm” and “tipping point,” has the phrase “inconvenient truth” become the new way to describe any set of facts that is getting short shrift in the public arena?

  • We’re wondering because we’ve seen it around a lot, most recently in George Lakoff’s column on the Huffington Post, “Occupation: The Inconvenient Truth About Iraq.”
  • Are there other examples? Have Al Gore’s publicity efforts, the public’s growing unease about climate change, and a piece of evocative language combined in a perfect storm that has pushed past the tipping point the term “inconvenient truth”??>
  • I want to hear from you, Truthdig readers….

    Blair Golson is Truthdig’s managing editor.

    Your support matters…

    Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.

    You can help level the playing field. Become a member.

    Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.

    Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.

    SUPPORT TRUTHDIG