There have been two significant news stories this week related to lying by public figures; one is that NBC News Anchor, Brian Williams embellished a story about riding in a helicopter that was fired on in Iraq; the other lying account was about our President saying he embraced the traditional view of marriage while campaigning when he in fact did not. These stories follow close on the heels of the allegations that the New England Patriots broke the NFL rules by deflating footballs and subsequently denying it.
What is strange about all this is the amount of outrage and demand for consequences on the celebrities and the wink that political deception is being given. Yes, I know staunch conservatives are outraged at Barak Obama but in my opinion it’s only a little more than background noise. 65 thousand people signed a petition to ban the Patriots from the Super Bowl; now that’s a passionate reaction. This is not the first time that political lying has been given a pass. President George H. W. Bush said, “Read my lips, no new taxes.” The Sr. Bush proceeded to introduce new taxes. President Bill Clinton said, “I did not have sex with that woman.” Not even the most liberal person believes the intimate contact he had with Monica Lewinsky was something other than “sex.” What is behind this shift in differentiating politician’s lies from the lies of celebrities and talking heads.
First, it’s surprising that in the era which has bought into “moral relativism” hook line and sinker, that there’s any outrage over lying and cheating at all (Moral Relativism = the belief that morality is personal and that no one has a right to impose their ethics on another). Secondly, it would seem that political leaders would be seen much more in the role of moral leaders than football players and News Anchors. I am not attacking politicians; instead I think all of this might say some unflattering things about “we the people.” Here are 3 guesses on my part.
#1. We like bringing down those we envy.
Brian Williams’s annual salary is 13 million dollars and his net worth is 40 million. Every one of us believes we could do his job and we all make considerably less. Even the lowly undrafted rookie Super Bowl hero made NFL minimum wage, which is 420 thousand dollars plus 95K, a pick up truck and instant celebrity for playing in the Super Bowl. On the other hand, we think politicians have a lousy job and few of us could stomach it. The President of the United States makes less money than an NFL undrafted rookie; go figure.
#2. We tend to be more interested in people who entertain and engage us than those who actually affect our lives.
“Our culture, or at least our nation, is becoming more trivial, less concerned with what matters, by the hour,” says Gary Hardcastle, a philosophy professor at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. This is nothing new by the way, Hesiod, a Greek poet, railed against the devaluation of values in society in 750 B.C. I am not trying to make a case that it’s worse than it’s ever been; I just think this comfort with lying for the greater good is a sign of our fallen nature. Remember, Eve embellished God’s command not to eat of the forbidden fruit to include, “neither shall you touch it.” Since the goal was to move herself into a position of greater control over creation and to correct a perceived injustice, it was okay to make God look as petty as possible. I continue…
#3. We find it harder to be upset with deception that is committed for the greater good.
I heard David Axelrod being interviewed on NPR this week. Axelrod is the political strategist who advised President Obama that if he told the truth about his views on marriage he would not win the state of North Carolina. He is not at all ashamed of his counsel; he views it as political strategy and so evidently do a lot of us. Apparently even many who embrace traditional marriage are going, “oh well, that’s politics for you.” I think we have come to a place where we believe that if lying serves the perceived common good then it is justifiable. So we’re outraged if we think a talking head or an athlete lies about something that has no impact on us for exactly that reason; it has no impact on us. Evidently it’s acceptable to deceive if you can prove you believed the truth was bad for the country.
We must flee this kind of stinking thinking as if it were the plague. I am not so concerned that we try to fix the problems of society at large. Christ’s disciple, Dr. Luke published this excerpt from that famous first sermon by Apostle Peter; “Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Acts 2:40 This passage is not preached enough today because so many cherish the notion that humans are these basically wonderful creatures who just need to hear the plan of salvation to want in on it.
It’s not easy to prove that lying for the greater good is bad for us, especially in a sound bite, but it’s actually the most dangerous form of lying. It is weakening our families, churches and places of work just as it is tearing at the fabric of our country. So, I have no problem with condemning celebrity lying, but just consider that deception for “the greater good,” by those of us leading governments, families, churches and companies is far more impactful on reality. Basically we are throwing a robe of self righteousness over treachery and once we do that we become delusional. Every religious cult and every evil dictatorship has crossed this line, where evil is justified in order to accomplish something “good.” When we have power over others, only a tenacious commitment to truth can keep any of us from becoming monsters.
