Why do Conservatives lie so easily and often?

[salinen]

And I mean politicians and regular walking around conservatives. For me, telling the truth is the only option. But I can remember when I did lie frequently, as a child. Now, I despise the idea of falsifying information for personal gain.

Whenever I catch a conservative lying, they go silent. What the hell is that?

Maybe I already answered my own question. Children lie. Not because they are bad people, but we all experimented with lying. Also, it seems to be somewhat natural for children to be selfish. Ever been to a kids birthday party? Everyone's crying. So, maybe one answer is is that conservatives are immature adults.

Whatever the reason, they suck.

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. Practice - nm

[gratuitous]

2. A couple of reasons

First, it works, and you don't want to mess with success. Second, if it wasn't for lying, they'd have to shut up entirely. Facts and reality have a well-known liberal bias, and they have to overcome that somehow.

[Tippy]

5. Ur right on..........

[liberal N proud]

3. The truth never supports their agenda

[emulatorloo]

6. Yes, Republican honesty would mean that nobody would vote for them

That is why they lie and use hateful demonizing rhetoric.

[rfranklin]

4. They are constantly trying to reconcile their world view...

When the reality hits them in the face, they have to bend the facts to fit their thinking.

Epistemic Closure, Technology, and the End of Distance
April 7th, 2010 · 81 Comments
I’ve written a bit lately about what I see as a systematic trend toward “epistemic closure” in the modern conservative movement. As commenters have been quick to point out, of course, groupthink and confirmation bias are cognitive failings that we’re all susceptible to as human beings, and scarcely the exclusive province of the right. I try to acknowledge as much, and I’m often tempted to pluck some instances from the left just to show how very fair-minded and above the fray I am. (For instance, I find myself increasingly sympathetic to complaints about the coverage of the Tea Parties: Obviously there are both subtle and not-so-subtle bigots in the pack, but I doubt they’re representative, and it’s a huge leap to the dismissive suggestion that the phenomenon is nothing but a manifestation of racial anxiety.) Yet I can’t pretend that, on net, I really see an equivalence at present: As of 2010, the right really does seem to be substantially further down the rabbit hole.

http://www.juliansanchez.com/2010/04/07/epistemic-closure-technology-and-the-end-of-distance/

[deutsey]

7. Right...I think anyone who puts an ideologically pure "reality"

above actuality will be prone to lie in defense of their preferred reality.

[HughBeaumont]

8. Because all they get is away with it. Pretty easy to do if your media looks like this:

[ladjf]

9. I believe that their tendency to lie is due to the fact that their

connections to reality are not solid. Their culture has trained them to disregard the natural and focus on the artificial, i.e. conclusions that have been fabricated for certain mind control reasons.
In reality, they live sad existences as they are shielded from the bulk of the beautiful connections that make life so worth living.

[salinen]

14. Yes

that's what I wanted to know. So, is it an affliction, or, learned behavior?

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. learned behavior.

Comes from being raised in an autocratic family and seeing your daddy lie, and lie a lot.

[ladjf]

33. I am convinced that it is learned behavior. However, that doesn't

mean that it is easily reversed. Quite the contrary. After a lifetime of ignoring real connections,living by artificial ones, it is next to impossible to alter their deductive processes.

[mrcheerful]

10. No it is a learned behavior that conservatives refuse to address because it calls for

an honest look at themselves. It started the very first time that a parent or adult believed the lie they told to get out of trouble, remember these are the ones who grew up tattling on siblings to cover up their bad behavior or blaming a classmate for whatever wrong they did. They learned the art of manipulation and over the years they perfected and honed it to increase their odds of getting better grades and wages.

I had a cousin like that, he constantly bitched and bragged about turning in co workers for theft from the work place then in the next breath bragged about all the power tools he was able to get out of the work place. He was one of those self made people who ignored that it was family members who spoke for him to land him a job. He also complained about alcoholic co workers wasting company time by not showing up for work yet he was reprimanded time after time for being drunk on the job. These type of people learned that to lie, steal and cheat was ok as long as it was them guilty of it everyone else belonged in prison.

[rfranklin]

12. Well, give him credit for showing up...

despite his affliction.

[salinen]

17. Yes

I also think it's a pattern adopted since childhood, especially since it resembles childhood behavior. Without the leap into adulthood, these sub adults repeat the same behavior.

[underseasurveyor]

18. And it's that exact disconnect you mention,

between what 'I' do and what 'you' do despite the fact the behaviour is exactly the same, that COMPLETELY boggles my mind. How are they so unaware of their own actions? My older brother was like that for decades. Today he is embarrassed to have been so "brainwashed" for so many years.

[old mark]

11. K&R- If they told the truth, no one would support them and they would have to get honest jobs...nt

[Zephie]

13. You might be interested in this

I think it's because the conservative ideology lends itself to making both it's politicians and voters think that they are in a constant "position of power". Conservativism is a power trip in that it forces the idea that you (the conservative) are the most important person and you come first, vs. liberalsim which supports the idea that we are all equally important and must take care of everyone.

Take a look at this cracked.com article, 5 Scientific Reasons Powerful People Will Always Suck. It cites studies where people who were no different than you or I were put in a position of "power" for a few minutes and then studies their responses. The people in power, while they were normal people one minute, turned into massive douchebags the second they thought they were in control. It's a very interesting read.

Edit: would help if I included the link. http://www.cracked.com/article_18777_5-scientific-reasons-powerful-people-will-always-suck.html

[salinen]

19. That's right

Conservatives must dehumanize in order to gain power. They hate everyone but themselves.

[pipi_k]

15. Not that I'm sticking up for Conservatives or anything...

but they don't all lie.

I know plenty of Conservatives who tell the truth.


I have a problem with the whole concept of people accusing others of "lying" in general anyway.

One man's "lie" is often another man's "truth as he sees it".


Perhaps the worst we can say is that many of them suffer from misinformation syndrome, and perhaps that's why many of them go silent when challenged because their perception of reality has been questioned.

[salinen]

20. So they aren't liars

but rather retarded? Not able to understand multiple possibilities?

[Kablooie]

31. No they aren't liars. They are DUTT

Deliberate UnTruth Tellers.

[KansDem]

16. Because they've been told for decades that "real 'Murikans" possessed conservative values.

...and "real 'Murikans" were good and wholesome and feared God.

And "real 'Murikans" beat the Germans and the Japanese and Communists (sort of) worked hard and were self-reliant and were good and wholesome and feared God.

"Real 'Murikans" were conservative...and always right because they were good and wholesome and feared God...

"Real 'Murikans" don't lie because they're always right...and how could you be lying if you're always right?

...and "real 'Murikans" were good and wholesome and feared God...

[salinen]

22. 'Murikan' exceptionalism

that's probably true.

[elleng]

21. They think it suits them at the moment, and they are sociopaths.

[fadedrose]

23. Viewpoints of Corporations color their voting because of their funding them eom

[wiggs]

24. Bernie Sanders has talked often of the outright lies told even by elected

officials on the floors of congress. How that stands is beyond me.

[mmonk]

25. Easily and often is related to the lack of anyone calling them out.

[DCKit]

26. All of the above ^ nt

[WinkyDink]

27. I have often wondered this. And how do they communicate with each other, being liars?

[ladjf]

34. They just assume that everyone is lying just as they do and so they

live with it.

[ladjf]

35. This has turned out to be a very constructive thread. It was an

excellent idea to pose the questions about conservatives and their propensity for lying.

[salinen]

38. Some really great responses

to a complicated question.

[ladjf]

40. I agree and a very important question that could throw some light

on the entire subject of the right wing behavior.

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. I know why.

They are self-interested first, then they are bonded by relationships, then there is everyone outside their inside circle, and lastly, there's the guvmint.

It's like they're on a mission and must remain true to their tribe. Lying is okay if it protects their way of life.

[Blue Meany]

36. If they told the truth, they would never win an election.

For the most part, they only represent the interests of large corporations and the super-rich, and take measures that damage the poor, workng, and middlle-classes. Naturally, if they were honest about this they would be a permanent minority party, so they have to lie, reframe issues in deceptive ways, and cheat, if they are going to acquire power.

[Urban Prairie]

30. Why do conservatives lie so easily and often?

Many, if not most conservatives consider the left to be thoroughly evil and godless, so their lies are completely justified in the process of taking back THEIR country.

THEIR country, of course, being primarily comprised of Christians, and ummm...Jews, who unfortunately are necessary to fulfill biblical prophesy. None on the left should be able to achieve or continue to hold positions of political office, authority, and leadership.

In addition to being thoroughly evil and godless, most conservatives agree that only those on the left are unproductive, unemployed, socialist, and soul-less tax-sucking anti-Americans, and many will need to ultimately be imprisoned if not eradicated, if they cannot be converted to Christianity or rehabilitated, if they "previously" considered themselves as Christians, since it is impossible to be both left ideologically and claim to be Christian religiously. Second amendment remedies may need to be utilized as well, if it becomes absolutely necessary.

[salinen]

32. I disagree

They're ready and willing to use Second amendment remedies.

[moondust]

37. They have to.

They're little more than used car salesmen with nothing but a few clunkers on the lot. There are real limits to their standard policies of tax cuts and deregulation and war.

I also suspect there is a pathological condition that develops in a person who has told so many lies that they can no longer instinctively differentiate between the lies and the truth--what is made up and what is real. I've known a couple real people like that who weren't even in politics. I dismissed them as compulsive liars. They were only trying to impress people with gross exaggeration and lies, not gain power and wealth.

[Sheepshank]

39. They don't always realize that people can look up facts

So many are in the old school thinking that they can just simply spout fear rhetoric. They keep forgetting their info can be cross checked. I think at some point, they will actually have to get a little more creative than just making shit up.

[edhopper]

41. They are never

ever challenged or held accountable for them.
Until then they will continue to lie.