I hate being lied to. I rarely use the word hate, but I do feel that strongly about honesty or the lack thereof.
If my history is any indication though, I have to caveat that statement because there were times in the past that I wanted to believe a lie, because it was easier and meant I wouldn’t have to change my life. Now I want all the BAND-AIDs ripped off.
This weekend I watched a documentary, called The Devil We Know. The description said it is about: “Dupont’s alleged decades-long cover-up of the potential harm caused by chemicals used to make popular Teflon products.” I learned that PFOAs or C-8 has been linked to cancers, high cholesterol/ heart disease, and birth defects, but I’m still unclear if this relates to me and my family’s health.
I remember a media blip, years back, about concerns over using Teflon pans. I remember throwing one pan out since it had scratches in it. I don’t remember the media also saying that the chemical is in certain fabrics like Gore-Tex, Scotch-guard (that we used to spray our furniture and outdoor jackets with), food packaging containers and wrappers, including microwave popcorn, as well as some dental floss. I’m confused, even dismayed. I feel betrayed.
In typical human behaviour to distressing information like this, I can use selective attention, retention, or distortion to decide if I will act or ignore this new information. If I act, I have to do a bunch of research and potentially rid my house of problem products. Or I can ignore what I learned, with the assumption that corporations can’t actually willfully be selling us products that will slowly kill us … can they? (Asbestos was banned in 2018, but is still allowed in certain industries, and still exists in many homes and workplaces right here.)
Considering the harm of PFOAs were not disclosed, can we trust that the new PFAs that are now being used are any safer? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?
I’m becoming more and more jaded as we’re being lied to on the daily. Fake news is now a common term, and it’s becoming harder to know what is real. Politicians are known for spin, but Trump took lying to a new level. Is it no wonder though when there is no accountability, and appears to be reward, for lying? Case in point, we had a global recession due to mortgage schemes created by lying, greedy people– but they still got their multi-million-dollar payouts while the rest of the world licked our collective financial wounds.
I’m losing faith in democracy and our government as I am not sure what is and isn’t a lie anymore and who has been bought. Everything seems to be for sale. We have extended rights and limited liability to artificial ‘persons under the law’ called corporations that now ubiquitously impact our economic, political, social, and environmental landscapes.
One more example that is driving me mad: What is healthy for us? Is sugar bad? Should we switch to Aspartame? Wait no, that’s bad. How about Sucralose? High Fructose Corn Syrup? Stevia? What about butter? Margarine? Oil? Healthy fats? Trans fats? Gluten? Meat? Salt? Alcohol? Eggs? Dairy? My head is spinning watching friends on diet crazes, cleanses, and different doctor-recommended diets all with contradictory “science” supporting their claims.
I hate lies because they undermine our most fundamental and foundational systems of trust and faith. They are disrespectful, confusing, distressing, and unnecessary. I can deal with almost any truth, even really ugly ones, but not even mundane lies. Liars should be held accountable in society. I truly hope we can find our way back to universal truths, where everything we do is based on respecting people and our planet, ahead of profits.