WHY CORPORATE ED REFORMER'S LIES ARE BETTER THAN THE TRUTH
(A SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON TEST)
I. Credibility
All Lies are designed to seem true. The expert liar carefully
uses elements that seem probable and logical and are therefore
easy to believe. On the other hand, The Truth is often illogical,
wildly improbable and hard to explain.
uses elements that seem probable and logical and are therefore
easy to believe. On the other hand, The Truth is often illogical,
wildly improbable and hard to explain.
Lies are more believable than The Truth.
II. Reliability
The Truth is spontaneous, accidental and unpredictable. Lies,
however, can be planned in detail long in advance and are thus
guaranteed to turn out as predicted.
however, can be planned in detail long in advance and are thus
guaranteed to turn out as predicted.
Lies are more dependable than The Truth.
III. Economy
To be The Truth, an account of a given event must be com-
pletely accurate. This requires painstaking resourcefulness, expen-
sive research, time-consuming attention to detail, complex logis-
pletely accurate. This requires painstaking resourcefulness, expen-
sive research, time-consuming attention to detail, complex logis-
tics and thoroughness. In
spite of all that, some people will believe
it and others will not. A Lie will produce identical results without
all the fuss and bother.
it and others will not. A Lie will produce identical results without
all the fuss and bother.
Lies are simpler than Truth; Lies cost less
than Truth in time, money
and effort.
and effort.
IV. Value
The Truth can be found anywhere; it belongs to anybody who
finds it, absolutely free. Lies are custom-made! often by experts,
and the best ones are highly polished works of art.
finds it, absolutely free. Lies are custom-made! often by experts,
and the best ones are highly polished works of art.
Lies are worth more money than Truth. Have
you ever heard of anybody
bribing a witness to tell The Truth?
bribing a witness to tell The Truth?
V. Respectability
A. Great fortunes have been made by selling Lies to the pub-
lic. The people who sell these Lies are often grateful to the gullible
consumers, so they endow libraries and universities and cultural
centers.
lic. The people who sell these Lies are often grateful to the gullible
consumers, so they endow libraries and universities and cultural
centers.
B. Nobody ever made a fortune selling The Truth. First of all,
as already stated, The Truth is free. The only people who will pay
money for The Truth are people who are being blackmailed-and
they are only buying The Truth so they can hide it before anybody
else sees it.
as already stated, The Truth is free. The only people who will pay
money for The Truth are people who are being blackmailed-and
they are only buying The Truth so they can hide it before anybody
else sees it.
Lies lead to libraries and universities,
while The Truth leads to black-
mail.
mail.
VI. Stability
A. Take one thousand parts Truth, add one
part Lie. Result:
a Lie.
a Lie.
B. Take one-thousandth part Lie, add one part Truth. Result:
again, a Lie.
again, a Lie.
C. Note that you can make a Lie out of The Truth, but you
can't make The Truth out of a Lie.
can't make The Truth out of a Lie.
Lies are stronger and last longer than The
Truth.
VII. Imagination
In reporting The Truth, a person must
research the precise
facts and stick to them exactly as they occurred. The liar can report
the same incident without doing any research, merely saying what-
ever comes to his mind and filling in "details" according to his
fancy.
facts and stick to them exactly as they occurred. The liar can report
the same incident without doing any research, merely saying what-
ever comes to his mind and filling in "details" according to his
fancy.
Lies are more creative than Truth.
VIII. Recognizability
People are accustomed to
hearing Lies all the time.
If you tell The Truth, people will think you
are lying. If you
convince
them you are telling The Truth, they will become suspicious. Why is he
suddenly telling The Truth? What's going on? ,
them you are telling The Truth, they will become suspicious. Why is he
suddenly telling The Truth? What's going on? ,
IX. Supply and Demand
A. In describing any given incident, only one version can
possibly be The Truth, whereas the number of Lies possible is
unlimited. Obviously Lies are in far greater supply than Truth.
possibly be The Truth, whereas the number of Lies possible is
unlimited. Obviously Lies are in far greater supply than Truth.
B. There is a great demand for Lies, if they are flattering, if
they
build up one's hopes, if they help one escape reality or if they
promise health, wealth, power or potency. Nobody is very anxious
to hear The Truth. The only people who demand The Truth are
those who are investigating something (lawyers, etc.)-and they
only want The Truth to prove somebody is lying.
build up one's hopes, if they help one escape reality or if they
promise health, wealth, power or potency. Nobody is very anxious
to hear The Truth. The only people who demand The Truth are
those who are investigating something (lawyers, etc.)-and they
only want The Truth to prove somebody is lying.
Lies are the acceptable medium of exchange in
our society. They are in
good supply and the demand for them remains strong. The Truth is in
extremely short supply, but even this tiny supply far exceeds the demand.
Thus, in our society, Truth occupies a position identical to that of
dinosaur shit.
good supply and the demand for them remains strong. The Truth is in
extremely short supply, but even this tiny supply far exceeds the demand.
Thus, in our society, Truth occupies a position identical to that of
dinosaur shit.
Conclusions: Lies are
superior to Truth in numerous ways.
Lies are more ingenious;
Lies make the world seem more pleasant;
Lies are less embarrassing than Truth, and less frightening. Fur-
Lies are less embarrassing than Truth, and less frightening. Fur-
thermore, in fields such as diplomacy,
statesmanship, merchandis-
ing, advertising, public relations and
bookeeping, The Truth is an
out-and-out handicap. In friendship, Truth is harmful; in love, it
is disastrous.
out-and-out handicap. In friendship, Truth is harmful; in love, it
is disastrous.
My prediction is that The
Truth will be phased out of our
society, almost unnoticed, in less than a generation. It will become
a curio like the two-dollar bill. Probably there will be museums
where samples of The Truth will be displayed for the benefit of
curious children who want to know what it was like. One can only
hope that the curators of these Truth Museums will have the good
taste not to fake the exhibits.
society, almost unnoticed, in less than a generation. It will become
a curio like the two-dollar bill. Probably there will be museums
where samples of The Truth will be displayed for the benefit of
curious children who want to know what it was like. One can only
hope that the curators of these Truth Museums will have the good
taste not to fake the exhibits.
The Truth is that The
Truth has become old-fashioned. It's
full of odd-shaped little nooks and crannies, like so many old-
fashioned things, some people find them fascinating, but most
people find them a pain in the neck. For those who care, it is a
wonderful feeling to hold The Truth in your possession, to keep
it and cherish it, never to misuse it, then to pass it along freely to
anyone who wants it, giving it to them undamaged, unpainted,
un added to and unsubstracted from and every bit as glowingly
alive as ever. To find all those joys in the handling of The Truth
is a labor of love, but most of us in today's society have no time
for such things.
full of odd-shaped little nooks and crannies, like so many old-
fashioned things, some people find them fascinating, but most
people find them a pain in the neck. For those who care, it is a
wonderful feeling to hold The Truth in your possession, to keep
it and cherish it, never to misuse it, then to pass it along freely to
anyone who wants it, giving it to them undamaged, unpainted,
un added to and unsubstracted from and every bit as glowingly
alive as ever. To find all those joys in the handling of The Truth
is a labor of love, but most of us in today's society have no time
for such things.
Excerpts from:
The Rape of the A*P*E* is a book by Allan Sherman, published in September 1973 by the Putnam Publishing Group,[1] regarding sex and its historical repression and resurgence in the United States.[2][3] The "A.P.E." on the title is a play on the words "ape" and the "American Puritan Ethic".
The book was the subject of much publicity, when it appeared, due to both its subject and author. Despite his ill health at the time, Sherman went on a two-week media tour to promote The Rape and appeared on many radio shows.[3] He died on November 20, 1973, just two months after the book was published.
