Even When I Lie
November 28, 2018·28 comments
We've sorted ourselves into two camps, each convinced their cause is so righteous that lying becomes not a sin but a necessity. The left lies to tear down unjust institutions. The right lies to counter media bias. Both frame dishonesty as service to a Greater Truth. And we've all decided that we can tolerate this. What happens when every faction believes it's telling the truth even as it lies?
- Three types of liars exist, and we've learned to tolerate two of them. We forgive those forced to lie under duress and those who stretch truth in small social exchanges. But a third category has emerged: people who lie because they believe their cause justifies it.
- Both sides have adopted the same logic: our Greater Truth is so important that dishonesty becomes acceptable.The left redefines language and shapes media narratives. The right justifies brazenly dishonest leaders. Each side sees the other as irredeemably biased, not merely wrong.
- The mechanism isn't crude propaganda anymore. It's the quiet decision by millions to accept lies from people on their side because the stakes feel existential. We're not being forced or deceived. We're choosing to look away.
- What makes this different from earlier political dishonesty is the scale and symmetry of it. When 40 percent of the country views the other 40 percent as hateful, and that hatred is mutual, the country itself becomes unsustainable.
- The real question isn't who's worse or who started it. It's whether enough people are willing to do the harder thing: lose elections, lose cultural battles, and renounce the lies told on their behalf, even if it means strategic defeat.
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