Lying & Cheating
LYING
When I was a young Catholic schoolgirl, I was taught that it was a sin to tell a lie.
Although I am no longer Catholic nor a schoolgirl, truthfulness is still a part of my personal value system. Therefore, regarding the 'young' part of the previous statement: I decline to offer any comment other than the following Chinese proverb - 'The woman who tells her age is either too young to have anything to lose or too old to have anything to gain.'
Erm, what was the subject of this post? Ah, yes: lying. It seems that truthfulness does not hold as high a ranking in the value system of others as it does for me. Why does polite society encourage lying?
On more than one of the lists I've posted to over the years, posters have been castigated when they (rightly) criticize someone else's poorly written posts. There is always someone who stands up and says, "You can't say something like that! You'll discourage that poor writer from ever posting again."
Among my many collected quotes, there is one which states: "Anyone who *can* be discouraged from writing, *should* be." To that, I say, "Amen, Sister!"
When I reflect upon the few television programs I watch regularly, two main fictional characters stand out: Rodney McKay, from 'Stargate Atlantis;' and 'House.' Besides having a bit of rough-edged cuteness going for them, both characters as currently written feel free to speak plainly and truthfully, without shame or regret. Both characters are criticized by others for doing so.
[Beth holds her chin up haughtily and states: "But Dears, it's just not *done!*]
The inner Beth, who values the truth, wonders why lying is encouraged over the telling of truth?
A case in point: my current job which I've held for nearly seven years, is probably the best job I've ever had. The hours are good, the coworkers and working conditions are generally pleasant, and my boss is not a complete asshole. That being said, in order to perform my job to meet the expectations of The Powers That Be
(TPTB), I occasionally have to lie.
When I was first counseled early on in my employment regarding the necessity of lying, the reason for doing so was presented to me in such a way that I was convinced to go along with this contravention of my value system.
I deal with the general public on a daily basis. Needless to say, the unwashed masses can make my job difficult at times. My supervisors have advised me that in order to keep our customers satisfied, I should tell them what they want to hear, even if it's not true.
Over the years, I've managed to assuage my guilt by offering a bit of truth (when I can) along with the lies. Unfortunately, my acting talent is limited, and my lies are not always believed. ("There has been a recent change in policy;" "I don't understand the message on your account;" "I don't currently have what you've requested;" etc.)
In a bit of self-analysis, I recently came to realize that, even after seven years, my conscience bothers me every time I lie. I sometimes wish that I could lie with a clear conscience. Perhaps then my lies would be more believable.
On the other hand, if I were a successful liar, a career in politics would have been my obvious career path.
I suppose that my ethics will continue to keep my income hovering around the lower middle class level. Such is my life.
*****
CHEATERS NEVER WIN
The saying, 'Cheaters never win,' was proved false to me back in high school. One of the smartest girls I knew, Gloria S., was able to cheat on a test without getting caught. Not only was she able to maintain her 4.0 GPA, but she was able to accumulate enough credits to allow her to graduate early, without having to toil away for four full years in high school. I'm sure wherever she is today, she is wealthy and successful.
The only time I really remember being a successful cheat myself was when I was in college. I had performed an experiment during my allotted lab time and jotted down my notes, without taking the time to write up my report until right before it was due. To my dismay, when it came time to write up the report, I discovered that I had botched the experiment. There I was, stuck with useless data and a potential grade drop if I could not find a way to salvage something from the wreckage.
Fortunately, I am a very good researcher. I've said more than once when confronted with an unknown, "I may not know the answer, but I know how to find out."
I hied myself over to the Science Library and started searching. Way off in a dark corner, deep in the stacks, I found the resource I needed. Buried within the pristine pages of a seldom-used tome, I found the experiment written up in precise detail. I carefully cribbed the information, making sure to put enough error in the figures that I allegedly obtained from my experiment to make it appear as if I'd actually done it (correctly) myself.
I got my 'A,' and surprisingly felt little guilt about it. The lesson that I came away with from this situation was how disturbingly easy it is to fudge data. It makes me wonder how much well-funded research is based on fabricated data.
*****
I guess that the moral of the story is, if you lie and cheat well, some day you may find yourself elected President of the United States.
*****
When I was a young Catholic schoolgirl, I was taught that it was a sin to tell a lie.
Although I am no longer Catholic nor a schoolgirl, truthfulness is still a part of my personal value system. Therefore, regarding the 'young' part of the previous statement: I decline to offer any comment other than the following Chinese proverb - 'The woman who tells her age is either too young to have anything to lose or too old to have anything to gain.'
Erm, what was the subject of this post? Ah, yes: lying. It seems that truthfulness does not hold as high a ranking in the value system of others as it does for me. Why does polite society encourage lying?
On more than one of the lists I've posted to over the years, posters have been castigated when they (rightly) criticize someone else's poorly written posts. There is always someone who stands up and says, "You can't say something like that! You'll discourage that poor writer from ever posting again."
Among my many collected quotes, there is one which states: "Anyone who *can* be discouraged from writing, *should* be." To that, I say, "Amen, Sister!"
When I reflect upon the few television programs I watch regularly, two main fictional characters stand out: Rodney McKay, from 'Stargate Atlantis;' and 'House.' Besides having a bit of rough-edged cuteness going for them, both characters as currently written feel free to speak plainly and truthfully, without shame or regret. Both characters are criticized by others for doing so.
[Beth holds her chin up haughtily and states: "But Dears, it's just not *done!*]
The inner Beth, who values the truth, wonders why lying is encouraged over the telling of truth?
A case in point: my current job which I've held for nearly seven years, is probably the best job I've ever had. The hours are good, the coworkers and working conditions are generally pleasant, and my boss is not a complete asshole. That being said, in order to perform my job to meet the expectations of The Powers That Be
(TPTB), I occasionally have to lie.
When I was first counseled early on in my employment regarding the necessity of lying, the reason for doing so was presented to me in such a way that I was convinced to go along with this contravention of my value system.
I deal with the general public on a daily basis. Needless to say, the unwashed masses can make my job difficult at times. My supervisors have advised me that in order to keep our customers satisfied, I should tell them what they want to hear, even if it's not true.
Over the years, I've managed to assuage my guilt by offering a bit of truth (when I can) along with the lies. Unfortunately, my acting talent is limited, and my lies are not always believed. ("There has been a recent change in policy;" "I don't understand the message on your account;" "I don't currently have what you've requested;" etc.)
In a bit of self-analysis, I recently came to realize that, even after seven years, my conscience bothers me every time I lie. I sometimes wish that I could lie with a clear conscience. Perhaps then my lies would be more believable.
On the other hand, if I were a successful liar, a career in politics would have been my obvious career path.
I suppose that my ethics will continue to keep my income hovering around the lower middle class level. Such is my life.
*****
CHEATERS NEVER WIN
The saying, 'Cheaters never win,' was proved false to me back in high school. One of the smartest girls I knew, Gloria S., was able to cheat on a test without getting caught. Not only was she able to maintain her 4.0 GPA, but she was able to accumulate enough credits to allow her to graduate early, without having to toil away for four full years in high school. I'm sure wherever she is today, she is wealthy and successful.
The only time I really remember being a successful cheat myself was when I was in college. I had performed an experiment during my allotted lab time and jotted down my notes, without taking the time to write up my report until right before it was due. To my dismay, when it came time to write up the report, I discovered that I had botched the experiment. There I was, stuck with useless data and a potential grade drop if I could not find a way to salvage something from the wreckage.
Fortunately, I am a very good researcher. I've said more than once when confronted with an unknown, "I may not know the answer, but I know how to find out."
I hied myself over to the Science Library and started searching. Way off in a dark corner, deep in the stacks, I found the resource I needed. Buried within the pristine pages of a seldom-used tome, I found the experiment written up in precise detail. I carefully cribbed the information, making sure to put enough error in the figures that I allegedly obtained from my experiment to make it appear as if I'd actually done it (correctly) myself.
I got my 'A,' and surprisingly felt little guilt about it. The lesson that I came away with from this situation was how disturbingly easy it is to fudge data. It makes me wonder how much well-funded research is based on fabricated data.
*****
I guess that the moral of the story is, if you lie and cheat well, some day you may find yourself elected President of the United States.
*****
posted by Beth G. at 4:53 PM
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