Lying has become an endemic component of the American character. And the worst part of it is not the lies themselves; ironically, since so many people consistently lie, nobody believes them anyway, so that the lies become almost irrelevant.
No, the worst part is that we EXPECT people to lie, we ASSUME that they lie, we are SURPRISED when people actually tell an occasional truth.
What, exactly, am I talking about?
First, let's take The Law. For better or for worse, The Law is a constant part of our public conversation. People are suing one another and threatening suits over harms real and imagined, people are being tried for crimes and misdemeanors, people are opining about laws and constitutions. The news media quote the parties and their attorneys, and "legal" experts abound. Legal talk is everywhere.
And they are all lying their figurative asses off. "My client has never owned a gun in his life!" "He struck me so hard I was unable to see straight for six months, and was unable to work!" "I was so offended my his remark that I went into a fit of depression for three years!"
These comments should include a laugh track like situation comedies on television. They are absurd, sometimes preposterous lies and on the one hand we are expected to take them seriously, but in reality, most of us know that it is all self-serving bullshit.
Politics: Most of our national politicians are so full of shit, so removed from reality, and so full of themselves that they don't even seem to realize that they are constantly lying. I'd give examples, but those would belong in another forum. You all know what I mean.
Advertising. Mostly, it is a pack of lies and half truths, and we all know it. I hope.
And the common thread here is "advocacy." If someone is an advocate of someone or some "cause," then their lies are somehow not only forgivable, but COMMENDABLE! When a lawyer goes on and on about the horrific injuries suffered by his client in a minor traffic accident, we say that he is doing a great job. When a union boss waxes oratorical about how "oppressed" the "hard working janitors" are, we commend him for making a convincing case. When an advertiser cleverly is able to describe his product - the same fucking thing that all his competitors are selling - in a way that makes it seem superior we applaud them for their creativity.
Lying is not OK. It is IMMORAL and UNACCEPTABLE. I don't care if you are a lawyer or a senator or a "pitchman" for a hospital system, lying is lying, and if you are lying you are a scumbag.
Character: what's that?
No, the worst part is that we EXPECT people to lie, we ASSUME that they lie, we are SURPRISED when people actually tell an occasional truth.
What, exactly, am I talking about?
First, let's take The Law. For better or for worse, The Law is a constant part of our public conversation. People are suing one another and threatening suits over harms real and imagined, people are being tried for crimes and misdemeanors, people are opining about laws and constitutions. The news media quote the parties and their attorneys, and "legal" experts abound. Legal talk is everywhere.
And they are all lying their figurative asses off. "My client has never owned a gun in his life!" "He struck me so hard I was unable to see straight for six months, and was unable to work!" "I was so offended my his remark that I went into a fit of depression for three years!"
These comments should include a laugh track like situation comedies on television. They are absurd, sometimes preposterous lies and on the one hand we are expected to take them seriously, but in reality, most of us know that it is all self-serving bullshit.
Politics: Most of our national politicians are so full of shit, so removed from reality, and so full of themselves that they don't even seem to realize that they are constantly lying. I'd give examples, but those would belong in another forum. You all know what I mean.
Advertising. Mostly, it is a pack of lies and half truths, and we all know it. I hope.
And the common thread here is "advocacy." If someone is an advocate of someone or some "cause," then their lies are somehow not only forgivable, but COMMENDABLE! When a lawyer goes on and on about the horrific injuries suffered by his client in a minor traffic accident, we say that he is doing a great job. When a union boss waxes oratorical about how "oppressed" the "hard working janitors" are, we commend him for making a convincing case. When an advertiser cleverly is able to describe his product - the same fucking thing that all his competitors are selling - in a way that makes it seem superior we applaud them for their creativity.
Lying is not OK. It is IMMORAL and UNACCEPTABLE. I don't care if you are a lawyer or a senator or a "pitchman" for a hospital system, lying is lying, and if you are lying you are a scumbag.
Character: what's that?
