Lying forms an integral part of our society.
In politics, business, sport, religion and our personal lives.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the English language, I will define it simply:
‘A statement of deliberate untruth’
So to elaborate further, it means quite simply to intentionally deceive the listener in believing something that is wrong.
Why do we do it?
Fear of being punished for the consequences, especially if you are a child.
Intention of gaining a reward that is not merited.
Humour
Political aims (usually with the intention of self-aggrandizement or gaining power)
Types of lies?
Lies of commission – where we ‘make’ the lie
Lies of omission – where we use “silence” instead of making a clarifying statement and allow a person to believe a false situation. For example, when a person says “I am really glad that you have done your homework”. Then we do not say, “actually I have not completed it”; rather we just smile and leave the questioner under the misconception of the task having been completed.
The WHITE lie. This lie is used to keep things pleasant between parties, especially a husband and his wife. The famous question that is loaded with great danger and threatens the survival of the male; “Honey, does this dress make me look fat?” or “Honey, do these jeans make my butt look big?”. Those males who want to live long and happily KNOW that the white lie MAY be required.
The professional lie. Primarily used by marketers (heh heh), but also used by lawyers. However, I believe the higher your qualification, the greater your skill needs to be in using the lie.
My profession is that of an accountant. I have spent a great deal of time studying ethics in accounting. Volumes and volumes have been written about how to give assurances to the client of the auditor. These assurances need to be impartial and technically of a high standard. Would the profession of the auditor be needed if the lie was not an integral part of business?
The political lie. This needs a separate category. In South African politics, when do you know a politician is lying? The answer “when they open their mouths”. We have just lost our President Zuma and now have a new President. Everyone is very excited. I hope the new man does the job. I hope that we have not just exchanged a stupid crook for a clever crook. Only time will tell. But lying and corruption is colour-blind.
The current catch phrase is “fake news”. The old phrase was “propaganda”. Why the new word? Can’t Donald spell the old word? Anyway the man is a leader alright, is has become in vogue.
So anything you don’t like is fake news. In South Africa, anything the current government doesn’t like is “racist”; if you criticise a Black Man you are racist! While there are strong undertones of racism in South Africa, all corruption and dishonesty are protected from investigation by this threat “racist”!
There are so many aspects to lying in politics and government. No longer do we have terrorist attacks when it does not suit us, the fellow was “mentally unstable”, he “didn’t know” what he was doing. When some people are killed it is a “massacre”, even when the numbers are less than ten. To my English, the word denotes a large number. So I guess Donald Trump is right, fake news abounds. I suppose it is inevitable when one sees the massive impact social media has. So truth must be a necessary casualty to “sway the masses”. The big billionaires know that media is key in our modern society and control is vital to their interests. Media can cause the toppling of governments and anarchy, behind the lies is POWER.
The Nuance lie. This is the lie that experts use, slight inflections of the face and the voice. The mingling of some lies with truth. Slight distortions and the STRAIGHT face with the EARNEST voice. Here you find spokesmen, lawyers, salesmen and politicians (being naughty I know, I even may be lying!?)
So lies abound.
In religion we see it all the time, personal gain seems to be a big motive, exploitation of the believer and their hopes. Bucks to me for your salvation. We had a tragedy here in South Africa recently. It all started when the media reported unknown gunmen entering a police station and gunning down all the police officers. Two of the police men were taken away and shot execution style in the back of the head. A total of 5 police officers and a retired soldier were killed. I remember thinking at the time, “who would hunt down and kill poor cops?”. The media has revealed an amazing story. The Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry is a church with a difference. Please look it up on the internet. It is more strange than fiction. Anyway these seven brothers are regarded as “angels” by their congregation. The congregation cashed up all policies, pensions, sold all their belongings and gave it to the church. These brothers bought expensive cars and never worked. It was also uncovered that they had more than 100 young and prepubescent girls locked up in ten tin shacks as sex slaves. These fellows believed that the cops were demons so they went to the Engcobo police station and killed them. Well needless to say the Police found the perpetrators and a massive gunfight ensued where seven cultists were killed and ten arrested. The congregation and the young girls are undergoing therapy to recover.
The greatest danger of lies is that the liar ends up believing their own lies. So the liar becomes a victim of their own dishonesty.
One of the greatest experts at propaganda was Josef Goebbels of the Nazi Party in Germany during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Hitler and his henchmen skilfully turned the resentment of post-World War One Germany into a war machine and commit genocide against millions of defenceless people. Hitler was a great believer in Darwinism and used its philosophy to exterminate and castrate all the mentally handicapped people whenever they were found. The purity of the Aryan race was to be maintained. Ironically the leaders of the Third Reich never looked at all like the perfect Aryan.
In our modern times, I am concerned as I see lies used as a justification for military industrialisation to expand in the big and powerful nations of the world. All armies are now titled “Defence Forces”. Their countries must be “defended” against the “enemy”. But the defence is taking place in foreign lands far from the homeland. The misery of countless defenceless civilians is shown on televisions across the globe. The numbers of refugees continue to multiply as the big nations “defend” themselves. There may be some truth to their claims but the majority of what is said is just a lie.
Lies lead to so much death and misery.
The poor continue to be exploited. The poor are those who are unskilled, untutored, ignorant and hungry. Yet their desires are no different to ours. They want to feed the families, have peace and stability, have opportunities to work and to education themselves and their children. Sadly, for the majority, all that life has to offer is an endless struggle to just live. Opportunities for improvement are as remote as the moon.
I like to lie with a straight face. My goals are humour, only humour. The quirking of the corners of my mouth tends to give me away, but I am working on it. I must be careful though, it is a dangerous path to follow.
Integrity and not expediency should be the objectives that we aim for. Our word should be our bond. I have caused financial hardship for my family when I have stuck to what I have promised, even when it seems stupid. I don’t have much else apart from my word though.
So where do we fit in?
Not easy to be different in a world such as ours.
