While I’m no expert on lying, I think I know the basic ground rules, and if there is one rule that is the most important of all it must be that lying will not work if the other person knows you are lying. Pretty basic, right? Well, apparently not, as we see countless examples from governments, corporations, unions, agencies and the media itself where this rule is not being followed.
I think a few examples might help to explain.
From an international point of view, the selection of examples is virtually infinite, but my favourite has to be Japan and its whaling industry. Each year Japan sends out its whaling fleet to capture and kill minke whales. Minke whales are more numerous than their more famous cousins, however, most civilized nations will not permit the slaughter of any whales, including minkes.
Japanese officials respond by noting that this program is for scientific research purposes only. This research has been going on for years, and my estimate of the total number of minke whales killed to date is roughly 467,000. Now, there is only so much one can learn from a dead whale, and at the risk of being rude, I would suggest that Japan take a long look at the researchers they are employing. If this is truly a research program, then Japan appears to have the most incompetent researchers in the history of mankind.
When we narrow our focus to more national issues, Canada provides a wealth of similarly outrageous examples, but if I were to choose, I think our major banking companies would be my first choice. For those of you who are not involved, daily, in the process of moving money around, let me explain.
While most intelligent individuals would agree that the whole process of communicating, over the last century, has gone from painfully slow to lightning fast, our banks would tell us that their experience is the opposite: never has communications been so slow. For example, if one makes a transfer of money from your account(s), you’ll discover that it can take two to three days for the transfer being credited to the party intended to receive the funds. Since the funds are instantly taken out of your account when the transfer occurs, one would assume these same funds, give or take a second or two, would show up at the receiving organization. Apparently, however, money can be taken out instantly, but takes a staggering two to three days to reach the receiver.
This can only be explained if we assume that banks have dropped electronic delivery systems and switched to using a vast herd of turtles as their primary carrier of funds. Again, lying doesn’t work, Mr. Banker, when the other guy knows you are lying.
Our third and final example is a local one, and involves signage rules applicable in St. Albert. Our officials have designed some of the world’s most draconian rules when it comes to displaying a sign, in order to improve the appearance of our city.
However, during our recent political campaign, it appears that political candidates were not bound by any rules, as candidate signs seemed to litter every square inch of St. Albert. Telling citizens to follow one rule, while the people who make the rules feel no obligation to follow the same rules smacks of a hypocritical double standard, to say the least.
Again, the number one rule in lying applies equally well, whether we are talking about local, national, or international issues. However, when one watches the political circus being played out by Toronto’s mayor, and media, it seems that our eastern cousins have managed to elevate bare-face lying to a whole new art form.
Brian McLeod is a St. Albert resident.
