Why Lie? Well, Why Not?

Saw a meme this morning about how the actress Helen Hunt won the Academy Award for best actress in 1989 and thanked a former teacher of hers for believing in her. In the meme, it was related that the teacher was fired for refusing to fail young Helen and opting instead to tutor her for her dyslexia. Helen gave the then-retail worker the $3million earned for being chosen best actress, and the woman opened up a school to tutor other kids like Helen. 

Red flags all over the field for this one. I think the only true thing was that Helen Hunt won best actress that year. (I'm not even sure of that!) It's not true that winning that award comes with a cash prize of any amount. Somebody Snopes'd it, but Snopes is one of those sites that DEMANDS you take your Adblocker out back and kill it before you can read. You can't just pause it and enjoy the ads with the story. Many sites that DEMAND such violence go on to require you to subscribe for a low, low fee to spare you from having to commit future heinous acts. One senseless scam leads to another these days. 

So, why does someone make up a story about Helen Hunt? Clicks and likes, I reckon. Can you really make a living manufacturing bullshit, feel-good stories or their evil twin, maga tales of democratic debauchery? Fuck if I know. Maybe. Probably. I think some people just enjoy lying. The first Mrs. Ferrerman did, and she left me for a guy who was her mendacious equal. My mom always said, "The first liar doesn't have a chance in that relationship". I think mom knows best.

I just don't respect lying for fun or profit. At some point, you are lying to yourself and that is the point of no return. Once you believe your own bullshit, insanity follows. Politics is chock full o' liars. The worst might be Speaker Mike Johnson who openly lies about everything Trump says or does. He covers his lies with the cloak of religion, which would really seem to compound things with his Lord & Savior- the Jesus Christ one, not Trump. Many people readily see through his lies, but politicians are such frequent liars that they often get a pass because their lying is accepted practice. With professional and amateur maga, I always wonder if the person is lying or they really believe what crap they are saying. Talk about a double-edged sword! Are you a liar or a stupid, fucking idiot? Which is it? Is one really better than the other? Why give yourself those two options in life? 

These are unbelievable times. They always were, but now we have the internet and AI to complicate reality. It's hard to believe anything these days. I didn't believe the Helen Hunt story at all, for several reasons. Who fires a teacher for failing to fail a dyslexic student? Who gives an actress $3 million when a gold-plated statue is all they want? Just glaring red flags. 

It's a safe bet that Trump never tells the truth about anything. His lies are easy to dismiss. OK. But what about every other schmo on and off the internet? Why would they lie to me, to you, and to other randos, presumably just for jollies? Why, indeed. 🤷 If it sounds too good- or too bad- to be true, it probably is. If the source is Trump or Johnson, they most likely are lying. Those two clowns are easy. Less compulsive liars are harder, in everyday life. There isn't always a profit motive with more pedestrian liars who just seek to fellate themselves with self-aggrandizing tales where they might be the main character. At my age, I've seen, heard and read most all of it. Just roll with it. Let them push the boulder up hill. No need to help the hapless! Speak softly and carry a grain of salt.