THE AWFUL TRUTH
Mar. 3rd, 2008 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogITEM [via Schneier]: Fascinating article from Po Bronson on some studies about how kids learn to lie – how early, what about, and how it affects them later in life.
Which is relevant for a couple of reasons.
One is that I’ve actually been thinking lately about the ideal of honesty and how we value it over deceit, yet we all tell lies all the time, or intentionally withhold information from people. At a bare minimum, we lie to stay out of trouble, spare people’s feelings, impress our friends and maintain a certain level of privacy. If we were all 100% honest all the time, we’d all be unemployed and divorced – at least until we learned to live with the awful truth about ourselves.
So we lie. Whether this is good or bad probably depends on the consequences – only the hardcore would argue that there’s no moral difference between lying about the quality of yr spouse’s home-cooked anniversary dinner and lying about, oh, WMDs to start a war. But then what is truth? We all have our own biases and filters, which is why people on the left and right wings can look at the same issue and see it two entirely different ways to the point of creating alternate realities. It’s also why we can choose not to believe people when they do tell the truth if it’s something we don’t want to hear.
The bottom line (and I know I’m hardly the first person to think of this): truth is too complex to regulate with simplistic polemics about honesty.
Which brings us to the other point: I think this is what’s been bugging me about the Moment Of Truth TV show.
Basically, it takes “truth” and strips it of the social context that usually shapes it, and simplifies it as something that can be broken down into simple yes or no answers – which it can’t. That’s why polygraphs can be defeated or even rigged in favor of the operator – who, in this case, isn’t interested in the “truth” but in good dramatic trainwreck television.
Which is why the ratings are through the roof, of course.
So, to sum up, Moment Of Truth is a lie in itself. It’s fiction disguised as reality. Like most reality shows.
Which is fine, but I think if you really wanted to make it more compelling – more “real”, if you like – dispense with the lie detector and have the contestant be tied to a chair and interviewed by Vincent Coccotti (played by Christopher Walken). Because as VInce will tell you, Sicilians are the best lie detectors on Earth.
You’d get some truth then, by God.
Then at the end, if they lose, Vince kisses them on the forehead and then shoots them.
Click here for concept video.
The heavyweight champion of liars,
This is dF
Which is relevant for a couple of reasons.
One is that I’ve actually been thinking lately about the ideal of honesty and how we value it over deceit, yet we all tell lies all the time, or intentionally withhold information from people. At a bare minimum, we lie to stay out of trouble, spare people’s feelings, impress our friends and maintain a certain level of privacy. If we were all 100% honest all the time, we’d all be unemployed and divorced – at least until we learned to live with the awful truth about ourselves.
So we lie. Whether this is good or bad probably depends on the consequences – only the hardcore would argue that there’s no moral difference between lying about the quality of yr spouse’s home-cooked anniversary dinner and lying about, oh, WMDs to start a war. But then what is truth? We all have our own biases and filters, which is why people on the left and right wings can look at the same issue and see it two entirely different ways to the point of creating alternate realities. It’s also why we can choose not to believe people when they do tell the truth if it’s something we don’t want to hear.
The bottom line (and I know I’m hardly the first person to think of this): truth is too complex to regulate with simplistic polemics about honesty.
Which brings us to the other point: I think this is what’s been bugging me about the Moment Of Truth TV show.
Basically, it takes “truth” and strips it of the social context that usually shapes it, and simplifies it as something that can be broken down into simple yes or no answers – which it can’t. That’s why polygraphs can be defeated or even rigged in favor of the operator – who, in this case, isn’t interested in the “truth” but in good dramatic trainwreck television.
Which is why the ratings are through the roof, of course.
So, to sum up, Moment Of Truth is a lie in itself. It’s fiction disguised as reality. Like most reality shows.
Which is fine, but I think if you really wanted to make it more compelling – more “real”, if you like – dispense with the lie detector and have the contestant be tied to a chair and interviewed by Vincent Coccotti (played by Christopher Walken). Because as VInce will tell you, Sicilians are the best lie detectors on Earth.
You’d get some truth then, by God.
Then at the end, if they lose, Vince kisses them on the forehead and then shoots them.
Click here for concept video.
The heavyweight champion of liars,
This is dF
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no subject
on 2008-03-03 09:25 am (UTC)no subject
on 2008-03-04 04:38 pm (UTC)It pains me that people watch that crap.
puff