An Antidote for Lies and Liars

Lies have significantly influenced the course of human history – sometimes for the better, but very often only for personal/political advantage.  In fact, lying is not even a uniquely human trait, although we are the masters and the most prolific practitioners. Here is a review, and a suggested “antidote.”

Lying in Insects, Birds and Animals
As always (almost), evolution got there before we did.  The animal kingdom is replete with examples of how living organisms have evolved various ways of deceiving or misleading other organisms, sometimes to fool a potential predator, sometimes to protect their progeny from harm, or sometimes to outwit their next meal.  For instance, there are birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other species, tricking  the recipients into hatching and feeding their offspring; there are the pack-hunting predators that depend on “policing” to deter the potential ”free riders” among them; and there are the insects whose color patterns “mimic” those of other insect species that are poisonous or distasteful to predatory birds.

In these and many other examples, such practices evolved because they conferred an advantage in relation to survival and reproduction. They are not always deliberate deceptions (lies), but they work. A classic example is the English moth, Biston betularia, where the once predominant peppered form, which matched the cryptic background color of the local trees, was replaced by a dark, melanic form that was better suited to the trees that were now being darkened by factory soot from the industrial revolution.

“The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth…”
This famous oath, a routine event in our courts of law, with sometimes severe penalties for perjury, is a testament to how important the truth is to the adjudication of justice in our society. And also, to how much a lie can influence – even determine – the outcome. Likewise, there are innumerable novels, stage plays and movie plots that involve lies and liars.  

We sometimes forget the many historical cases where the outcomes were shaped if not determined by lies. Here is just a short list:

The Roman politician, Octavio, lied about the love affair between his chief rival, Mark Antony, and Egypt’s queen, Cleopatra, claiming that he was no longer loyal to Rome. Mark Antony lost out and ultimately committed suicide.

There was the case of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose relationship to King Henry VIII gave her a claim to the English throne but whose Catholicism was seen as a threat to an insecure Protestant country. She was unjustly tied to a Catholic plot against the throne and found guilty by the Protestant queen, Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry.  Queen Mary was executed as a traitor in 1587.

Marie Antoinette, the young Austrian royal who was married off to the Dauphin who became King Louis XVI of France, was falsely accused of adultery and of making the famously cavalier statement about the starving peasants, “let them eat cake” before the French revolutionaries sent her to the guillotine in 1792.

Adolph Hitler was, of course, a master of what became known as “The Big Lie” – from his promise of “peace in our time” just before he invaded Poland (and set off World War Two) to his many claims about a concerted Jewish conspiracy, which led to the Holocaust and to genocide.   

Now we have Donald Trump, one of the world’s great liars. First, there were the “bone spurs” to avoid being drafted into the army, then there were the many contractors’ bills that were unpaid, the repeated lies about Barack Obama’s birth certificate and nationality, his phony/pilfered coat of arms, (as Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has pointed out), his numerous failed business ventures, and, of course, his many Presidential campaign lies.

The Scarlet Letter Model     
What to do? Liars and deceivers, like other common criminals, should be subject to being punished, as a deterrent.  A model for what could be done can be found in a famous American novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. It is the story of a woman, Hester Prynne, living in Puritan Boston, who is found guilty of having an adulterous affair (with the minister of a local church) and of producing an illegitimate child. She must publicly repent her shame by wearing a scarlet letter “A” for the rest of her life. (The minister’s guilt remains hidden).

Borrowing a leaf from that classic tale, any condemned liar could be compelled to wear a black “liar” scarf for a month (if he/she confessed) or more.  Failure to do so could lead to having a permanent “Liar” tattoo placed on the forehead, or maybe having “Liar” painted on one’s front door.  Punishments might be decided by juries composed of law students. (It could be extra-curricular training in law schools.)

Would this solve the ever-growing problem of lying in our society? Maybe not, but something should be done about it.  And it can be.