[February 11, 2014]It seems like in
the last few years there has been a new invention (or perhaps a
re-dressing of an age-old practice) of a new language in America. I
will call it "politi-speak," as in saying words that have had
traditional meanings recognizable to most people, but at the very
moment the speaker begins to speak, a different meaning is applied.
This presumably gives the speaker "plausible deniability" cover for
not intentionally misleading anyone when the politi-speak is
discovered to be false and the speaker is finally called on it. Of
course this contaminated speech is recognizable to many as simply
another lie.
This speech has become typical in American politics and business at
all levels, including simple conversations between individuals. We
see it in written form in advertisements through all levels of
media. The airwaves transmit signals with politi-speak on a regular
basis. Of course people who use it are very familiar with how it
works at deceiving the people who read or hear it. A preferred item
in the store is being drastically marked down with "price
rollbacks," without mentioning that the price may have been
artificially raised just before the "sale" so the speaker for the
store could say a 60 percent "savings" will result in purchasing the item.
Sometimes when a person arrives to take advantage of the sale, they
find there was only a "limited" supply of that item, but other
similar items are available for a slightly higher price.
On the political scene we have seen the effects of the politi-speak
type of lying in this most recent government health insurance
debacle. Millions of people across the country are learning they
cannot keep their policies even if they liked them; they are unable
to keep their same doctor; and they are being cut back in work hours
even when the cost of their insurance is sometimes tripling in cost.
Make no mistake; there is a great impact on the lives of each and
every person as a result of the pervasive lifestyle lying in our
world. It seems we have exchanged the wisdom of telling the truth
for the folly of making life decisions based on pervasive lies.
The Apostle James gave us the path to true wisdom: "Who is wise and
understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his
works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. But if you have
bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and
tell lies against the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above
but is earthly, natural, and demonic. For where there is jealousy
and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. But the
wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not
hypocritical. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is
planted in peace among those who make peace." — James 3:13-18
We can see by this passage in the Bible that the origin of this type
of lying, all lying for that matter, is "earthly, natural, and
demonic." When we engage in constant lying, we are actually following
the will of the underworld of darkness. It will wreck our lives as
we make decisions on the basis of what we hear from those who tell
lies against the truth.
The effects of this lying were presented to mankind several thousand
years ago and written in Proverbs by the wisest king of Israel,
Solomon: "The evil person is ensnared by the transgression of his
speech, but the righteous person escapes out of trouble. A person
will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words, and the
work of his hands will be rendered to him." — Proverbs 12:13-14
Each person who engages in the perversion of speech by this lie
"is ensnared" or tangled up in the faultiness of the lie. It
transforms the individual from being truthful to purposely becoming
a liar. It is not just a "situational" untruth to protect the
innocent, but a remaking of the person into practicing the
lifestyle of a person who constantly lies. All trust and
credibility is lost relative to all future dealings and interactions
with that person who speaks in politi-speak language. It becomes
evident to everyone who listens to that person that he or she has been
"ensnared" or trapped in consciously choosing to misrepresent
himself or herself to others. We have been sufficiently warned to be on the
lookout for that individual because it is evident the individual has
fallen for the lure that was laid and has fallen into that trap.
The person who continues to live the lifestyle of speaking in such
language and practicing the lifestyle of the liar is actually "sinning" or transgressing with his
or her speech. It becomes evident
the individual premeditates the lie by trying to ensnare innocent
people to become complicit with the lie. The individual tries to "teach" others the habit of speaking in politi-speak by associating
with the innocent and pairing his or her speech alongside the speech of
those speaking truth.
When the pervasive politi-speaker tries to ensnare the innocent into
the same trap, the testimony of the liar is soon discovered by the
contradictions he has with himself. The "cover-up" of the original
lie becomes exposed through the transparency of the repeated lies
during the attempt to justify the original lie in the first place.
When the lie becomes so evident by the stripping away all
credibility of it, the innocent "escapes out of trouble" because the
lies cannot stand beside the truth without being seen for what they
are. So the pervasive liar is again trapped within his own snare by
the very words he speaks.
Finally, the speech of a truthful person will avoid the entrapment
laid. As he chooses wisely to use wholesome speech and speaking the
truth, he will be rewarded from the truth that will lead to his
working a productive life as well. The value of the truth will be a
wholesome reputation that yields credibility, respect and trust from
others. A person's reputation for being truthful results in the
rewards of life. People who interact with him will reward him, and
he will be rewarded for choosing the righteousness of truth over the
ensnaring effects of the lie.
This speech has become typical in American politics and business at
all levels, including simple conversations between individuals. We
see it in written form in advertisements through all levels of
media. The airwaves transmit signals with politi-speak on a regular
basis. Of course people who use it are very familiar with how it
works at deceiving the people who read or hear it. A preferred item
in the store is being drastically marked down with "price
rollbacks," without mentioning that the price may have been
artificially raised just before the "sale" so the speaker for the
store could say a 60 percent "savings" will result in purchasing the item.
Sometimes when a person arrives to take advantage of the sale, they
find there was only a "limited" supply of that item, but other
similar items are available for a slightly higher price.
