OPINION } from Images May Disturb You, the Blog of Georgia Mason, entry #2

[choosetruth]

If there's one thing I've learned about Wonderland in the weeks that I've been forced to start calling it home: it's that it lies to you.

But so do lots of people, right? Everyone has a reason to lie. Some people lie to hurt other people, but some people lie out of kindness. Some people try to protect you with comforting falsehoods. How do we know that Wonderland isn't lying for our own good?

I can't tell you that. I don't know Wonderland's motivations, if there even is any sort of guiding intelligence behind it and not just pure chance.

What I can tell you is this: it doesn't matter. Lying out of kindness is just as bad as lying out of cruelty. Possibly even worse. Comforting falsehoods might be nicer in the moment than cruel truths, but I'll take the truth every time. Is it better to spare a family by telling them their dying child might get better? Or to allow them to cherish the time they have left? Is it better to tell someone their writing is good? Or send them an honest critique that could let them actually improve until you could say so without it being a lie?

Is it better to lose the memories that have hurt you and spend a weekend in blissful ignorance? Or hold onto every iota of the pain that has built you and remember exactly why you fight? Lies won't take the time to heal you. Only the truth can do that.

Wonderland is the biggest lie I've ever seen. I cannot promise a way out of this gilded, wonderful cage. That would be a lie, even if it's one I'd like to believe. I can only promise that I'll do everything I can to find the truth all of those lies are working at concealing. I won't quit until I uncover all the secrets Wonderland is hiding.

Or until Wonderland gets tired of all the prodding and sends me home. Here's hoping, right?

Comments

[punful]

[He kind of had a feeling she was like this. One of those people with rigid morals, with their own code that they keep to no matter what. A person with real, heh, integrity. He can respect that at least.]

nah i'm not much of a writer

my fingers would get tired like fifty words in

plus "feel strongly" is kinda putting it strongly lol

[choosetruth]

I see. [Honestly, kind of disappointing.] If you're going to insult me, the least you could do is commit to it.

[punful]

anyone who knows me can tell you i don't commit to anything

so why do you hate liars so much?

[choosetruth]

I don't hate liars, I hate lies.

[An important distinction, mostly because she's aware that everyone lies sometimes. She doesn't hate everyone. Usually.]

I hate lies because my readers count on me to tell them the truth. I can't be bought, and I don't twist things for the sake of telling a story. The facts and nothing but, outside of the occasional clearly marked opinion piece. The Rising was partially caused by a journalist taking a story and twisting it until it was unrecognizable garbage, and the actions certain groups took on that misinformation. And then the Rising got worse while the mainstream media lied to the public rather than gave them the tools they needed to fight. My blog will never be used for either purpose. Lies hurt people. Is that reason enough for you?

[punful]

[Hate the sin, love the sinner, apparently.]

so it's personal. okay.

[Fair enough. So lies brought her world to its knees. Or rather, lies helped. It's not like he's gonna judge her for hating lies.]

[He's just kinda judging her for being arrogant about it.]

so since this is an op-ed

what about half-truths or lies by omission?

or secrets? you're a journalist, you must love secrets.

[choosetruth]

I should make it clear: I'm well aware the world is messy and complicated and there isn't one rule that will fit every situation, especially when you get into not-quite-lies like that.

In general, though, half-truths are usually as damaging as lies, and as for lies by omission and secrets...

[She has her own. But they're nothing anyone would need to know.]

There's a difference between keeping something hidden because it affects no one but yourself and keeping something hidden that other people need to know. It's a judgment call.

[punful]

of course. didn't think you were naive.

[She's not naive, no. Just fiercely idealistic.]

[It's also nice to know just what she would think of him if she had any idea or context about his world and situation.]

not everyone's good at judgment calls like that. or maybe the truth is so wild that no one would believe it.

[choosetruth]

That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Failure's always a possibility, but that's always going to be a risk. Not trying at all is an automatic failure.

[....fiercely idealistic is not wrong.]

[punful]

[He has to actually set his phone down and just laugh about that for a minute.]

not trying is also an automatic win. it's like schrodinger's cat. if you give no effort whatsoever then you're in a temporary state of both winning and losing.

[choosetruth]

[.......those words don't even begin to compute.]

That makes no sense at all. You don't get anything from not trying. You're not even in the game. It's not an automatic win, it's an automatic nothing.

[punful]

and nothing is better than winning.

[BA.]

[DUM.]

[TISH.]

[choosetruth]

Wordplay doesn't make you right, you know. Anything is better than nothing.

[punful]

but how could i resist that setup?

[choosetruth]

You're not interested in having a serious conversation at all, are you?

[punful]

i'm rarely serious. it's kinda my thing.

[choosetruth]

[George is always serious. It's kind of her thing. She presses her lips together. Boy, this'll be fun.]

That explains a lot about your outlook.

[punful]

doesn't it just? no one can ever accuse me of false advertising.