My interview this week on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show started me thinking about public figures and deception.

Question:  How many celebrity scandals involve deception?  

Answer:  All of ‘em!

Scandals can be limited to a household, or they can be known to the whole world.  And whether it’s Bill Clinton, Bernie Madoff, Jesse James, or the person living next door to you who’s at the heart of controversy, the whole thing always unfolds like this: 

Phase 1—The Act:  Somebody tried to fool somebody else (spouse, business partner, investors, the public…). 

Phase 2—The Cover-up:  After their short term wants are satisfied, they have to conceal what they’ve done (the gun of choice for this mission:  Deception, of course).

Phase 3—Discovery and fallout:  Ask Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, or Jesse James about this one.  Of the three stages, it’s the least fun and the longest lasting.  In fact, sometimes it never ends. 

So like it or not, here’s a little rule of human nature that no one will tell you but me:  People do what they want, and they use deception to avoid the consequences. 

Does deception come naturally to people?  Yes.  It’s basic animal defense, as natural—and necessary—as eating and breathing.

Are people naturally good at lying?  Scary answer:  Yes. 

The little caveat:  Part of what makes them good at deception is that most people are very bad at knowing how to tell if someone is lying.  (Hey, if you don’t have a copy of Conquering Deception, you might be one of ‘em:  Click on the cover up top now to get your signed copy)

So in the wake of the Richard Blumenthal deception that recently popped up and the Jesse James thing, I ran across this article about the Columbia Business School study that suggests public figures are better liars.

A co-author of the study said it didn’t show that power leads to lying, but that people in power find it easier to be dishonest.

What the researchers apparently failed to understand: 

1—Deception is typically used to fix a problem:  Contrary to the study findings, it’s been my experience that power (which leads to more opportunities, good and bad) presents more temptations for “missteps”, and so more possible needs for deception. 

2—Public figures are better at getting CAUGHT:  Notoriety brings attention, scrutiny, snooping photographers, tell-all housekeepers… even lawsuits.  The average plumber can get away with far more than Brad Pitt can. 

Oh, and Joe Lunchbox doesn’t have to fight a tape recorder, either.  Richard Blumenthal is instinctually dismissing his lies as something less, failing to understanding he doesn’t have the latitude normal people enjoy:  There’s video and audio of his handy-work. 

3—Public figures aren’t better liars; they’re just public liars:  They have to be… because what’s the alternative?  Admitting the truth. 

And who ever does that?  Only those who are stone-cold caught and have nowhere to hide.  

Richard Blumenthal admitted nothing when he admitted uttering “a few misspoken words”—just more deception, isn’t it?  And even as they report on his lying, the media goes squeamish and follows his example with headlines like this one:  “Candidate’s Words on Vietnam Service Differ From History”. 

And then as Jesse James—who has been an uncommonly blunt and honest celebrity—came clean in the Nightline interview, his motives were attacked, and he was accused of acting. 

Why is Jesse treated more harshly than the politician Blumenthal?  Of the two, who stands to affect our lives more, a welder from Long Beach or a would-be US Senator?  

In the end, public scandals aren’t always bad for the public figure.  Laid out, but not out:  Jesse James (the bike builder, not the outlaw) will still be a public figure in 10 years, and on the long chance someone mentions Richard Blumenthal in a conversation, you’ll have explain who that was.

-jef

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Tags: bill clinton, scandals

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 1:53 pm and is filed under Deception. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.