mendacity.
BIG DADDY: If I give you a drink, will you tell me what it is you're disgusted with, Brick?
BRICK: Yes, sir, I will try to. Have you ever heard the word "mendacity"?
BIG DADDY: Sure. Mendacity is one of them five dollar words that cheap politicians throw back and forth at eath other.
BRICK: You know what it means?
BIG DADDY: Don't it mean lying and liars?
BRICK: Yes, sir, lying and liars.
~Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams
If there is one aspect of humanity that I despise above all others, it is probably mendacity. People who are two-faced. I simply cannot stand it. I don't understand why we can't just say what we mean or what we really think or how we really feel about a person, situation, etc. There have been tons of examples of this in my everyday life and the lives of those close to me (not to mention in high-profile figures around the world) in recent weeks. What makes us think that it's a good idea to lie? Why can't we just tell the truth? Part of this is rooted in our culture--we tell people what we think they want to hear. We say, "Oh I love your hair!" when we are thinking, Wow--your hair looks terrible. Why can't we just keep our mouths shut? Because then the person will think we didn't notice, and may ask, "Do you like my hair?" THEN WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO SAY? You're presented with two options--tell the person you don't like it and risk hurting their feelings, or lie! I do not like either of these options. It's pretty impossible to change, though. I suppose my problem is that I am too trusting of other people. Some people would insert the word *gullible* (I know it's not written on the ceiling, and no they didn't take it out of the dictionary....thanks). I think that when a person says he/she will do something, that the person will honor his/her word and actually do what they said they would do. This has gotten me into a lot of trouble lately. On one hand, I like that I trust people--I believe them and I let them into my life, even if it means that I get hurt later on down the road. On the other hand, I wish I wasn't this way because I would save myself a lot of heartache. But you can't have it both ways. So I choose to go on believing and trusting (and getting hurt) and moving on. What else is there to do? Mendacity is a part of life.
BRICK: Yes, sir, I will try to. Have you ever heard the word "mendacity"?
BIG DADDY: Sure. Mendacity is one of them five dollar words that cheap politicians throw back and forth at eath other.
BRICK: You know what it means?
BIG DADDY: Don't it mean lying and liars?
BRICK: Yes, sir, lying and liars.
~Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams
If there is one aspect of humanity that I despise above all others, it is probably mendacity. People who are two-faced. I simply cannot stand it. I don't understand why we can't just say what we mean or what we really think or how we really feel about a person, situation, etc. There have been tons of examples of this in my everyday life and the lives of those close to me (not to mention in high-profile figures around the world) in recent weeks. What makes us think that it's a good idea to lie? Why can't we just tell the truth? Part of this is rooted in our culture--we tell people what we think they want to hear. We say, "Oh I love your hair!" when we are thinking, Wow--your hair looks terrible. Why can't we just keep our mouths shut? Because then the person will think we didn't notice, and may ask, "Do you like my hair?" THEN WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO SAY? You're presented with two options--tell the person you don't like it and risk hurting their feelings, or lie! I do not like either of these options. It's pretty impossible to change, though. I suppose my problem is that I am too trusting of other people. Some people would insert the word *gullible* (I know it's not written on the ceiling, and no they didn't take it out of the dictionary....thanks). I think that when a person says he/she will do something, that the person will honor his/her word and actually do what they said they would do. This has gotten me into a lot of trouble lately. On one hand, I like that I trust people--I believe them and I let them into my life, even if it means that I get hurt later on down the road. On the other hand, I wish I wasn't this way because I would save myself a lot of heartache. But you can't have it both ways. So I choose to go on believing and trusting (and getting hurt) and moving on. What else is there to do? Mendacity is a part of life.
posted by Ashley at 4:14 PM
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