Why do people in the United States think lying is okay?

Question

When did lying become so popular that it is impossible to believe any thing coming out of Washington or the Media? Why has there been a decay in morality throughout the 90's, leading to a nation caught up in a web of deception, in personal lives and political lives?

Answer 1

Lying is so common throughout the political world that people believe they can say or do any thing they want.

Answer 2

Abu is right.


You hit the nail on the head though when you said lying in the 90's took on a new life. When you have the President of the United States lying under oath and 50% of the country trying to justify his lie then there is a real problem. A lie is a lie and a liar is a liar.

Back to Abu though... If you were to do a bit of research on the different generations than you will see that moral decay really set in during the 60's. It started with what is known as The Consciousness Revolution .

Check out the following link and check out the American Generations Map to the right of the page. Very insightful and disturbing to the direction our country has taken over the years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness_Revolution

Answer 3

People do not believe lying is ok as a general rule. In fact there is constant bellyaching about it on Yahoo Answers. I think there are a fair amount of lies and sins of omission, but it is not limited to the United States and it is not a product of any recent history. Duplicitous deceit has been around since the beginning of time and will continue to the end of time. My problem with the whole equation is people's selective view of lying. Politically too many people are willing to indict the other side while giving an absolute pass to people on their own side. The simple fact is that the truth is out there if you choose to look for it and in the end we usually get the government we vote for. Where media is concerned I really don't believe they lie so much as spin the truth based on personal biases and ratings concerns. This bias is evidenced by the stories they choose to report and how they report them.

Answer 4

Really? The 90s? The 60s? McCarthyism seemed like a classic case of lying and rationalizing that the ends justified the means. The nation certainly was swept up along with him. I'm not saying it started then. . .just suggesting that this has been a problem for both sides of the political spectrum for a long time.

Answer 5

It really took hold in the 1960's when people began deciding that the ends justifies the means.

However, it's far from an American problem. Every country has media and politicians that tries to twist the truth to get public opinion to sway in their direction.

I also blame lawyers. Who else but a lawyer could possibly ask for the definition of the word "is?" (Clinton was a lawyer before he was disbarred, you know.)

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Answer 6

Well this land was built on lies so what can you expect. Ask the indians, ask blacks! Manifest destiny is a lie 40 acres and a mule was a lie, Indentured servants a lie! The list goes on!

Answer 7

I think the "moral decay" actually started with the hippies in the late 1960's.

Answer 8

The decay began in the 1960s, and I wouldn't say it is "popular" as much as it is pervasive. Why? "You can't handle the truth."

Answer 9

part of freedom of speech, babe. i can say the sky is orange if i want, no one stopping me. if your stupid enough to actually believe a word that comes out of any politician's mouth, well that's your prerogative.

Answer 10

One word, liberalism