April 14, 2007
How to Identify a Purveyor of Truthiness
Joseph T. Wells, CPA, founder and chairman of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, has a number of savvy techniques for identifying a liar, which he has published in an article entitled "A Fish Story -- Or Not?" We might find this information useful as we watch the Congressional inquires proceed.
.....lying is innate to the human species and comes about for two genetically programmed reasons: to receive rewards and/or to avoid punishment. Whether we lie depends on our calculation of the reward/punishment equation. This is called “situational honesty.” Because most of us are conditioned to believe lying is wrong, it creates stress. (That’s not true with very young children and pathological liars.)....An experienced interviewer begins by asking easy, nonthreatening questions (“Where did you go to college?”) while discreetly observing the person’s behavior. Then, when the questions get tough (“Is there any reason someone would say you have been cooking the books?”), the interviewer will look for telltale behavioral changes. This process is known as “calibration” and is a vital part of detecting deception.
Wells outlines specific suspicious behaviors like:
Overuse of respectQ: Delbert, I’m not accusing you of anything; I’m just trying to find the truth.
A: Sir, you obviously have a difficult job here. I greatly admire what you’re trying to do.
The real truth is that truthful people are rarely overly polite when they believe they’re being accused of something they didn’t do. More likely, they will be offended and let you know it.
Hopefully this morsel will tempt you to read the whole article, it's not that long.
Sady, in order to fall into these traps, the liar needs to be a person of some conscience. When a sociopath lies it's just part of the game, S/he feels satisfaction rather than guilt, and, therefore, doesn't display the telltale signs. I'm hoping that a few of those Christian staffers who graduated from Regent University School of Law are silly sheep rather than hardcore sociopaths, and will be flustered when questioned.
Speaking of truthiness, check out Wikiality a most clever and complex parody of Wikipedia, The creators, whoever they are, tell us "Wikiality.com is in no way affiliated with Comedy Central, The Colbert Report, or Stephen Colbert, but we'd like to be." This will take some exploration, but will serve to boost your immune system. For instance, check out American elephant, Bears in submarine or under Foodie - DNL's Salsa Explosion.
Photo note: You never quite know what you shot until you examine your kill on the computer screen. This is Hong Kong at the cusp of the Year of the Pig where a Pig Decorating Contest yielded this metaphorophoto. Notice the origin of the propulsion of the performer (in this rather famous painting which I cannot identify for the life of me). I even like the off kilter red bar on the left -- looks like our firend might have something to grab onto as he takes to the air. If it weren't for the dyed hair and the black mustache, he bears a distinct resemblance to Karl Rove.