The Years of Lying Dangerously
Most everyone is aware of the expression: liar, liar, pants on fire. We have entered the age, starting 6 years ago, with perhaps a 15 year lead up, of liar, liar, world on fire.
The years of lying dangerously.
Behavior of all kinds set the stage for more of the same. If they can do it, so can I, mentality. The Big Lie is a lie generated by a major political party in the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world. Ofcourse others will emulate this behavior. The fact that the Lie is generated and believed and supported by so many apologists and enablers, and it is somehow now accepted by many. That people in the highest positions of authority in the country can be obvious liars and yet be successful...Surrounded by a coterie of sycophants hoping for political favor and success by being a party-member, like so many remora fish, picking food scraps off the teeth of the shark, but these humans are vicious suckerfish. it gives license to lying as a natural form of politics and ruling, without apologies, and somehow it is accepted as business as usual. All of this is deeply troubling. I am utterly opposed to liars of any stripe.
The big lie provided license and guidance to the Monstrous lie, about Ukraine.
The features of these monumental lies are: constant repetition of the lie, like a mantra; sycophancy; hypocrisy; enablers; mob-enraging rule; treating the opposition like the enemy; and accusing the opposition of doing what you are doing 100 fold worse. There is a vicious character to this systemic lying.
The spread of the cult of lying among organizations is like a cancer, it has metastasized laterally to other nations, with incredible horrific results. It has spread downwards to states, attorney generals, corporations, cities, universities, school boards. We are drowning in a cess pool of dishonesty amongst leaderships and organizations, where the most air-filled turds rise to the surface. I myself have fallen victim to a Little Big Lie, which I will describe more later. Lying has become the currency of running organizations.
What is frightening is it is not clear how long periods of conduct last, how long will the years of lying be the status quo?
A similar mass hysteria of dishonesty existed from 1850-1865 in the US, the party of the No-Nothings. The Nazi Party lasted from 1930- 1945. It is likely that mass bad behavior lasts for atleast a generation, till the next generation finally realizes enough is enough. Or until it is brought to an end by the Nuremberg trials. This latter probably one of the few times in human history that an outside force brought true justice to a nation that could not help itself. Probably none can on their own, despite the modern thinking in the US that nations can on their own. Ironically after centuries of negative interference by the US in other countries. But the successful return to normalcy with the Nuremberg trial, required an educated, secular public.
The other difference now as we are seeing, is that unlike even as recent as the Nazis, never before in the history of humanity has a crazed dictator been able to destroy the entire planet, based on his self-indulgent need to be the new Czar. We may be living in the end days. All because of the wide public acceptance of lying as a political tool.
I try to live by the motto of Gandhi: be the change you want to see in the world. I intend that by bringing to justice the liars I have to deal with, and the great medical misconduct, that this will be a spark to return, actually probably create, more honest university environments.
Richard Semelka, MD