# Is Lying Endemic in American Culture?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-endemic-in-american-culture/477478>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [December 16, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-endemic-in-american-culture/477478 "2008-12-16T23:23:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-endemic-in-american-culture/477478/21 "2008-12-19T00:48:04Z")

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> [@ralph124c](#):
>
> As I say, from menus to advertising, everything is borderline. Last week, I went to a “seafood” restaurant, and ordered seafood Newburgh. Guess what the “crabmeat” in it was? It was “surimi”.:smack:

I recall an entry from the old _National Lampoon’s_ “Letters from the Editors” column (from memory):

> [@](#):
>
> Dear Editors:
> 
> You remember _Alien,_ the scene where that thing burst out of the guy’s chest? Think about it. If it was there, it must have found some really sneaky way to get _in_ there, mustn’t it?
> 
> Signed,
> 
> Surimi  
> That fake crabmeat stuff nobody can identify in seafood salads

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-endemic-in-american-culture/477478/22 "2008-12-19T00:51:33Z")

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I think the issue is we lost the concept of shame. Shame and ostracism are the best way to change people’s behaviour. People are pack animals they don’t like to be shunned. You know have a bottom line mentality.

Let me give an example. Read the book _A Tree Grows In Brooklin_ or watch _Good Times_, about a family in an Irish Ghetto in NYC and a Black Ghetto in Chicago.

Back then the Ghetto was nothing to be proud of. Now did you read what I said, I didn’t say it was something to be ashamed of, but there’s a whole lot of area between pride and shame. If that is what you got, fine, but the Ghetto was nothing to be proud of, it was something to be gotten out of.

Jail and prison were shameful, now they are glorified on TV. Many African-American males see it as part of their ritual and manhood (See the book “Makes you wanna holler”).

Americans are so politically correct, we teach our kids, it’s OK because you do something wrong we’ll just punish then forget.

People go to prison and get out and say “I did my time it should be like I never was in jail.”

That’s simply wrong. That teaches people you can do bad things as long as you can pay the cost.

We have raised now, two generations who don’t understand the idea “OTHER people count.”

Look at cell phones, sorry you’re bugging everyone around you. You aren’t that important that you need to talk to someone constantly.

But thanks to cell phones and the culture around them, we now see ourselves as the center of the world. Look at the ad, I MUST have a cell and me and the only my “fav” five should matter.

We raised two generations of kids that can’t cope. They can’t be alone one second and they see themselves as victims.

So why is it any surprise that no one cares about lying. Because I’ll say I’m sorry (Sorry I got caught not sorry I was wrong) and if I lose a friend, I’ll make another one."

We don’t give any value to non-tangible values.

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