Dishonesty as a virtue.
Under the cover of “just kidding”, dishonesty has become a virtue in these times.
When you call somebody who is popular out on their dishonesty, a myriad of people will come out of the woodwork and defend it as “Just a joke”.
The thing about this is: It’s become commonplace. It’s not edgy or revolutionary. It’s not shocking. It’s not pointing out the gullibility of media or of people anymore.
It’s just … common now.
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“Like Poe’s Law?”
Yeah, just magnified. Now it’s considered an art form. It’s crossed over the line into becoming a virtue
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This thing called “honesty” has been around a long time before “politically correct simplified language”.
You’ve given a good example of a defense of “dishonesty as a virtue” though.
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Perhaps. I can’t really say. I’ve been aware that TV is BS since I was a kid as well as school. As a teenager is when I first noticed that news doesn’t always tell the truth and so I had to watch for journalistic integrity.
But the danger I see now is the rise of people taking this mistrust of institutions and leading people into their OWN ideas and theories. I’m seeing what seems to be a variety of cults, for lack of a better word. It’s not just personality cult but something a little more than that. I feel like I’m watching history unfold slowly and it’s strange.
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Can’t take people at their surface words, of course. There’s more than just words in communication.
There’s also Starbucks communication: every single thing said is sarcasm (opposite of what is meant), so to communicate, you just have to flip what you hear around and if you want to be understood, you have to say the opposite of what you mean. That’s simple enough.
What I’m referring to is something different than that.
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I like metaphors (and related forms under other names like analogies, allegories, parables and such) – for this reason. I find them to be very powerful vessels to communicate truths with.
They’re also dangerous and can be used to mislead people intentionally (or unintentionally) so I try to master them. It’s an ongoing process.
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ooooh, I’d have been livid. I think that’s the age where we all get our first real slap in the face of: ADULTS LIE. We knew other kids lied but not adults. Still surprises me from time to time, and I know better.
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