What Kind Of Person Do You Need to Be To Fabricate a History of Lies?
Lies are dangerous; missing them is like ignoring the warning sign about a cyclone ahead
Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Lately, we’ve heard a great deal about the newly elected Long Island Republican George Santos (R-N.Y.), who faces numerous investigations about fabricating critical details of his personal and professional life. But he is not the first candidate running for office charged with lying. Yet, many appear to act as if he is.
The question is, are we residing in a dishonest era, or are people less trustworthy now than they were a century ago?
NO
Human nature is what it is.
It is crucial to note that people lie all the time, and some studies show that the average person fibs about twice a day.
This is not without its advantages. Brutally honest people can be socially awkward (“You look terrible in that dress, dear”).
Most lies are innocuous and prevent awkward moments or make others feel good (“Of course, I remember your name!”).
But lies, of course, can also be unsettling. For example, I can mislead you to make you do what I want. (“Can you pay for dinner? I forgot my wallet…”)
Some lies can have adverse outcomes
From the Trojan horse to Bill Clinton, “I did not have sex with that woman; From Bernard Madoff, and the latest, House GOP George Santos, it’s easy to find historical and legendary lies.
At each turn, cultural producers pounced on stories of deception and greed, detailing the rise and fall of brazen characters. January 2022 began with the conviction of ex-Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and the year ended with the arrest of FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
Human beings crave stories, and when immersed in a story, we let down our guard. Politics and journalism cater to that desire. It’s like observing a car wreck in slow motion: You can’t look away. Yet through it all, I wonder how much American cultural and economic life has become saturated with deception. What makes us so easily succumb to promises of a better future, whether through love, riches, or power? In what ways are we all susceptible to becoming marks?
Liars lie for a particular reason: personal gain, financial or otherwise. They lie to set the play in motion to earn your trust and then lead you down the truth of their making.
Politicians who lie
Here’s the rub. Santos (R-N.Y.), facing several investigations, is not the first candidate for office suspected of lying, yet many seem to act surprised.
Almost all politicians — left and right — lie. For instance, Biden has claimed to have graduated top of his class, hoping his brilliance will wow the public.
We should be shocked, and we should be incensed. But we fail to remember about the lies in an hour or a day, numbed by the sheer volume of fibbery that enters our weary brains.
But Santos took lying to a different level. Why did he feel that New Yorkers would admire someone whose mother died on 9/11 and later said she had cancer in 2016? Or that he’s Jewish and Catholic, claiming that his maternal family had a Jewish background. A falsehood, for sure, and later corrected himself by saying that he didn’t say he was Jewish, but rather that he was Jew-ish. WHAT?
What kind of person do you need to be to make up a history of where he went to high school, college, a job on Wall Street, founding an animal charity, or where his money came from? Each story stank to high heaven and proved to be big fat lies.
And by the way, this is the most mockery ever: His grandmother was not a Holocaust victim, as he claimed. His grandparents did not “survive the Holocaust,” and they did not flee “persecution during WWII.”
What has Santos stated about his life that is true?
Santos is a 34-year-old Republican born in Queens who will represent New York’s wealthiest congressional district. Other than that, pretty much everything is under inquiry.
That’s it!
Officeholders shroud themselves in a blanket of citizen cynicism they have woven. The veil remains intact because our standards are so shallow. We figure, eh, they are politicians. What more can we expect?
Why do politicians lie?
They lie for the same reasons that all of us lie. To create a positive impression and win the admiration of others, and to exercise power over others. They see lying as valuable, and thus they can accept the potential adverse outcomes of lying, and any internal feelings of shame or guilt don’t appear to be enough to stop them.
The second truth is that politicians want attention, and some of us develop symbiotic relationships with them. Partially because we are drawn to lies, and we love to believe in gossip. Secondly, in the political world, lying works.
How does the saying go? “A lie travels halfway around the world before the truth has put its pants on.”
But lying is hard work. A lot of thinking has to go into it: avoiding contradicting themselves and remembering not to look nervous while trying to remember not to make any mistakes. As in the case of Santos, is it any wonder that he can’t always pull off his fibs?
Morally wrong?
Lying is supposed to be wrong, right? The principle of truthfulness is moral because it tells you not to lie even when you could get away with it.
We were all schooled to believe that. But where is the boundary between lying and embellishing? Moralists have never deemed all deception wrong, but some have claimed that all lying is immoral — and even if we disagree with their claim, we can feel its force.
Almost half of the job resumes have at least one misrepresentation because people pad their work history and achievements to impress prospective employers. Advertisers stretch the truth to encourage us to purchase products.
Dr. Bok, the moral philosopher, aids us in thinking through more clearly what’s at risk with Facebook’s plan to permit political lying. In her contemporary classic, lying, she contends that the “principle of veracity” is a minimally necessary basis for a functioning society.
To clarify, Dr. Bok is opposed to lying. However, she recognizes that an absolutist position on exclusions against lying is not tenable.
Moralists have never considered all deception wrong, but some have argued that all lying is wrong — and even if we disagree with their assertion, we can feel its force.
Loss of trust
Let’s face it, living in a world where truth-telling is not the standard practice; you could never trust anything you were told or read. We never know when we’ll wake up to yet one more disclosure of deception in government. In a steady stream of daily information and misinformation, the bond of trust between the government and the governed seems threadbare to the breaking point.
This loss of trust has many roots. In some areas — dietary advice, for example — experts seem to contradict each other more than they used to. Remember the flip-flops of Dr. Fauci? Governments get things spectacularly wrong, as with their assurances about the wisdom of invading Iraq, trusting in the world financial system.
Given the decaying faith in traditional media and our susceptibility to lies on social media, we ought not to be shocked that politicians on both ends of the aisle try to manipulate voters into believing lies. After all, the incentive for politicians is to get elected, not tell the truth.
Most liars lie (excluding white lies) deliberately, often venturing into an area so rife with emotion that to lie about it betrays our trust in humanity.
Tolerating habitual lying by your favorite politicians is identical to participating in it. Complain not when your moral blindness leads you to get the government you deserve.
Thank you sincerely for reading and sticking with me to the end.
Q: How do you know a politician is lying?
A: His lips move!
I THINK THAT LIARS ARE THE WORST TYPE OF PEOPLE. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY LIE.LIARS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THEN MISUNDERSTOOD PEOPLE, THOSE PEOPLE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING AND THEREFORE MISUNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID, THE WORST PART OF THIS IS THAT THE OTHER PERSON ALSO MISUNDERTANDS WHAT IS BEING SAID AND THEREFORE GHOSTS THE FIRST PERSON, INSTEAD OF HAVING A CONVERSTION ABOUT THE MISUNDERSTANDMENT THEY CHOOSE TO GHOST THE PERSON WHO HAS MISUNDERSTOOD.THAT IS THE WORST PART OF IT ALL. THE CONVERSATION IS NEVER HAD TO CLEAR UP THE MISUNDERSTANDMENT AND THEREFORE THE FRIENDSHIP IS OVER, GHOSTING IS REALLY BAD. I HATE IT