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Published On: Jan 14, 2007 05:40 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 14, 2007 05:40 PM
BS Detection
So I'm watching a 20/20 report on the American
Forces Network; I'm assuming it aired fairly recently, because you can still
view the video on the 20/20 Homepage, under the link titled "Searching
for Tony." Apparently there was a book, allegedly written by a teenage boy,
dying of AIDS after years of being abused as a child prostitute. Apparently,
there's some question about the existence of the author, or if it's just the
creation of his "mother."
People lie, and often for no apparent reason other than attention. The author of "A Million Tiny Pieces," for example, rewrote his own history in his autobiography, and although one could argue that his motivation was money rather than attention, I'm not so sure. Over the years, I've been lied to by some really amazing purveyors of the untruth, and I like to think that my bullshit meter has become fairly sharp. In the majority of those cases, the over-riding desire was attention. These people didn't want anything other than to be appreciated, and if they couldn't be appreciated for what they were, they were content to be appreciated for something they weren't.
Lies grow in the telling, and if the wisdom of soap operas can be believed, it gets harder and harder to extract yourself from them. Once someone creates a false impression of himself, that story becomes, in essence, a part of their reality, and the fear of being exposed grows as time passes. I once had a roommate who claimed he had been in the military, as part of Special Forces. It's not at all an uncommon story, but in fact his military time had been very short, and was ended by a discharge for mental instability (once referred to as a "Section Eight"). I was much younger and infinitely dumber about all things military at that point. Nowadays, of course, there's the Stolen Valor Act, but that only applies to those who wear fake medals. I never really knew with that person what to do (once I began to have doubts), since his mental well-being was in issue, so I ignored it.
Taking advantage of the naivety of others is a poor reflection on one's personal honor. It reflects not at all poorly on those who choose to believe, but rather only on the audacious dishonesty of the storyteller. While I try nowadays not to be taken in for my own personal self-esteem, there's no doubt who the loser is in such a situation.
People lie, and often for no apparent reason other than attention. The author of "A Million Tiny Pieces," for example, rewrote his own history in his autobiography, and although one could argue that his motivation was money rather than attention, I'm not so sure. Over the years, I've been lied to by some really amazing purveyors of the untruth, and I like to think that my bullshit meter has become fairly sharp. In the majority of those cases, the over-riding desire was attention. These people didn't want anything other than to be appreciated, and if they couldn't be appreciated for what they were, they were content to be appreciated for something they weren't.
Lies grow in the telling, and if the wisdom of soap operas can be believed, it gets harder and harder to extract yourself from them. Once someone creates a false impression of himself, that story becomes, in essence, a part of their reality, and the fear of being exposed grows as time passes. I once had a roommate who claimed he had been in the military, as part of Special Forces. It's not at all an uncommon story, but in fact his military time had been very short, and was ended by a discharge for mental instability (once referred to as a "Section Eight"). I was much younger and infinitely dumber about all things military at that point. Nowadays, of course, there's the Stolen Valor Act, but that only applies to those who wear fake medals. I never really knew with that person what to do (once I began to have doubts), since his mental well-being was in issue, so I ignored it.
Taking advantage of the naivety of others is a poor reflection on one's personal honor. It reflects not at all poorly on those who choose to believe, but rather only on the audacious dishonesty of the storyteller. While I try nowadays not to be taken in for my own personal self-esteem, there's no doubt who the loser is in such a situation.
Posted: Sun - January 14, 2007 at 03:45 PM |
