This is just…worth the read

WE’VE LOST THE PLOT

Our constant need for entertainment has blurred the line between fiction and reality—on television, in American politics, and in our everyday lives.

…

In late 2022, The New York Times revealed that George Santos, a newly elected Republican representative from Long Island, had invented or wildly inflated not just his résumé (a familiar political sin) but his entire biography. Santos had, in essence, run as a fictional character and won.

It's from The Atlantic, and it's not a short piece. So set aside a little time.