If citizens can be so easily deceived by their leaders, at a certain point do they deserve to be lied to?

Answer 1

Excellent question! I like your thinking. And I think I agree.

Let's fall back on some classical wisdom for this. First of all, you know the old expression...."Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME." And you know what Abraham Lincoln said....You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time......

There comes a point when the people need to open their own eyes and look at the truth. If you don't have the courage to do that, you're going to be deceived, period. It may be that someone else will lie to you, or it may be that you'll lie to yourself. But at any rate, you have to be willing to step up and take the inititiative. If you want to really know what the truth is, you have to be willing to go out and find it for yourself. It's not going to be spoon-fed to you or served up to you on the 6 O'Clock news.

If you sit with your hands in your lap, waiting to be told the truth, you'll be told whatever you want to hear, and you'll convince yourself that it's the truth because that's what you want to believe. This, I think, is the case with many (or maybe most) people today.

So to answer your question, it doesn't really matter whether you DESERVE it or not. If you are easily deceived, you WILL be lied to, regardless of what you deserve.

Answer 2

If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner.
Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956)

CAPITAL, n. The seat of misgovernment. That which provides the fire, the pot, the dinner, the table and the knife and fork for the anarchist; the part of the repast that himself supplies is the disgrace before meat.
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice : Robert H. Parker

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson

Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
George Orwell

The government is merely a servant — merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.
Mark Twain

Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
George Washington

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Theodore Roosevelt

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.
Abraham Lincoln

Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.
Mark Twain

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke 1729-1797

Answer 3

Of course not.
I take issue with your use of the word 'easily' here. Unless a person has first hand knowledge of a situation or event, all they can do is read, see, or hear other peoples accounts - then form an opinion. From that point on, what a person accepts as fact and what they believe to be 'lies' or 'deceptions' has more to with their own biases.

Answer 4

Look at history books or the History Channel - Americans have been being lied to for all administrations by their leaders. The Communist and other parties with dictators are lied to about us too.

Answer 5

We deserve whatever ....and whomever.....we get. After all, we elected them: the few who tell the truth, and the many who lie. We need to stop believing all the BS in those TV commercials, and the slanted crap in the newspapers, etc. We need to become better judges of candidates, and their character.

Answer 6

no. no one DESERVES to be lied to. although i wouldnt exactly blame the people who take andvantage of them.

if people choose to be stupid should we really punish those who exploit their stupidity? no. if you dont want to be exploited then stand up for yourself and dont allow it.

of course eve nthat is easier said than done.

Answer 7

They all lie. BUT, you have the option to vote them out next time around.