Truthiness Is Real: How Feeling Shapes Truth In The Age of Doubt

By Michael Kelman Portney

Stephen Colbert coined the term truthiness as satire—a clever jab at the way people trust their gut over facts, how they believe what feels true rather than what can be proven true. It was a joke, a skewering of our collective cognitive laziness. But here’s the twist: Colbert’s satire wasn’t just funny. It was prophetic.

Because truthiness isn’t just a concept for comedy. It’s real. It’s how humans process the world. And it’s the reason you’re reading this right now.

Truthiness: Satire Turned Reality

Let’s break this down. Truthiness is when something resonates as true, not because it’s backed by hard evidence but because it feels true. It’s the kind of truth that hits you in the gut, the kind you can’t explain but can’t deny.

Colbert presented it as a flaw—a symptom of our willingness to reject intellectual rigor in favor of emotional shortcuts. And sure, in the wrong hands, truthiness can be dangerous. It’s the cornerstone of propaganda, fake news, and manipulation.

But here’s what I’ve realized: truthiness isn’t inherently a bad thing. In fact, it’s fucking essential. It’s how we connect. It’s how we build narratives. It’s how we navigate a world where the lines between fact and fiction are increasingly blurred.

Truthiness isn’t satire anymore. It’s survival.

The Power of Truthiness in Storytelling

When I started this series, I wasn’t thinking about truthiness. I was thinking about anger, transparency, and process. I was thinking about how to jam with my audience in real time, turning raw emotion into a narrative framework anyone could use.

But looking back, I realize what I’ve been doing all along: leaning into truthiness. Not the manipulative kind, but the kind that resonates as real because it feels real.

Here’s what truthiness does:

1. It Makes People Listen
   People don’t tune in to perfectly polished truths. They tune in to what hits them in the gut. When you share something raw and unfiltered—when you let people feel your anger, your vulnerability, your process—they don’t just hear you. They feel you.

2. It Builds Connection
   Truthiness bridges the gap between facts and emotions. It’s the reason someone who doesn’t even agree with you might still say, “Damn, this feels like truth.” That feeling creates a connection deeper than logic ever could.

3. It Cuts Through the Noise
   We live in a world drowning in information, and facts alone aren’t enough to get attention. Truthiness slices through the chaos. It grabs people by the heart, the gut, the soul, and forces them to pay attention.

Why This Matters

Here’s the thing: I’m not saying truthiness should replace facts. I’m saying it’s a tool—a fucking powerful one. The danger comes when truthiness is untethered from reality, used to manipulate rather than illuminate. But when used authentically, it’s a force for good.

What I’ve done in this series—and what you can do, too—is harness the power of truthiness without compromising integrity. Here’s how:

1. Be Transparent
   Show your process. Share your emotions. Don’t hide the messy parts. Truthiness thrives on authenticity, and people can feel when you’re being real.

2. Trust Your Gut
   If something feels true, there’s a reason. Dig into that feeling. Explore it. Truthiness starts with intuition but grows into something deeper when you connect it to a larger narrative.

3. Empower Others
   Truthiness isn’t about imposing your truth on others—it’s about creating a space where they can feel their own truths. Give them a framework, a process, a way to take control of their narratives.

The Truthiness of This Moment

If you’ve been following this series, you’ve seen me take raw anger, turn it into reflection, explain my process in real time, and offer a framework for others to follow. And now, we’ve landed here—at the intersection of truth and feeling.

What I’ve realized is that truth isn’t just a matter of facts. It’s a matter of resonance. When something feels like truth, it becomes truth in the minds of those who experience it. That’s not satire. That’s reality.

So here’s my final challenge to you: embrace the power of truthiness. Not as a shortcut or a manipulation, but as a way to connect, resonate, and lead. Because the truth isn’t just something you say. It’s something you feel.

And if you feel it, so will they.

This has been the final jam in this series. Now it’s your turn to pick up the groove and run with it. Let’s see what fucking truths you can create.