The Art of Deception in the Social Imagination...

 

What is deception and is there an art to it? Well, according to online sources, deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight of hand as well as distraction, camouflage or concealment. There is also self-deception, as in bad faith. It can also be called, with varying subjective implications, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, ruse, or subterfuge.

Deception is a major relational transgression that often leads to feelings of betrayal and distrust between relational partners. Deception violates relational rules and is considered to be a negative violation of expectations. 

Most people expect friends, relational partners, and even strangers to be truthful most of the time. If people expected most conversations to be untruthful, talking and communicating with others would require distraction and misdirection to acquire reliable information. 

Most deception occurs between romantic and relational partners; which means that they know or know of each other.

Buller and Burgoon (1996) have proposed three taxonomies to distinguish motivations for deception based on their Interpersonal Deception Theory:

• Instrumental: to avoid punishment or to protect resources.
• Relational: to maintain relationships or bonds.
• Identity: to preserve "face" or the self-image.

Do you know that the law protects deceit by government officials whereby they are not held liable for the lies they tell regardless of the real harm such lies may cause. While not all lies by government officials result in harm, when they do, it is nearly impossible to hold those officials responsible for such deceit. This approach differs drastically from how the law treats lies by citizens both to the government and to each other.

The result is a double standard in the law of deception that governs interactions between private citizens and government officials. In most areas of the law that govern deceptive acts, a deceived individual must show an actual harm arising from the deceptive act to recover. Indeed, the law that governs deceit between citizens and government officials is a strange double standard.

Mmm, makes (or should make) you wonder about what's really going on these days. Who is trying to avoid being discovered and punished, what do they have to lose? Who is trying to maintain relations or pledges or treaties, and who is trying to renege on them due to broken promises, debt and or foreseen inability to keep future promises? 

Lastly, who is trying to save face and or self image?  A lot of people, global players and competitors, pitted against each other and innocent/ignorant people get caught up in it and are harmed but who can you blame? FYI, there are seven effective tips for deceiving someone. I would bone up on them if I were you... so you can't be deceived!

 Online sources~ 

 https://www.law.georgetown.edu/american-criminal-law-review/in-print/volume-55-number-2-spring-2018/a-double-standard-in-the-law-of-deception-when-lies-to-the-government-are-penalized-and-lies-by-the-government-are-protected/

Buller, D. B.; Burgoon, J. K. (1996). "Interpersonal Deception Theory". Communication Theory. 6 (3): 203–24

 

Social Justice Issues in the Social Imagination...

    

    According to Dr. Ashish Joshi, the number one biggest problem with social justice solutions is the gross lack of evidence for social justice issues. Un-researched social justice solutions are destined to fail. Again, when it comes to social justice issues being solved... if there is a gross lack evidence, they will not be solved... ~ Dr. Ashish Joshi is an Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and founder of an Applied Research based organization.

~ I Agree 

~ Commentary

Solutions cannot be found and certainly not agreed on if there is a lack of evidence for a social 'justice' issue. Social justice issues are basically social pitfalls that arise or pop up now and then when society at large becomes more or less of a drain on a significant number of individuals in a given society. 

So, if there is a drain, it has to be statistically proven to exist within a given society and determined whether or not anyone is actually suffering or just unhappy. This requires in-depth research over a period of time. Now, interestingly, by the time the pitfall or 'issue' is proven or dismissed, another pitfall can pop up or the one that was being investigated  disappears as it might 'fix' or upright itself.

 

    Here is another take on social justice issues and possible solutions. According to Robin Hamilton, social justice as a thing in itself needs to be an all-encompassing idea that unifies us in the achievement of common goals. These goals include equality, freedom from discrimination, fair access to opportunities (social, educational, political, economic, etc.), participation, and the same rights and liberties regardless of race, origin, and socioeconomic status. The main idea behind social justice is the belief that all human beings have innate value, and that no one is more or less valuable in the eyes of society, and the law.

~ I Disagree

~ My Commentary

What is wrong with the above statement about social justice without considering the so-called given solutions or concepts suggested that are supposed to make social justice issues go away as in never appear again? To begin, let's take a closer look at the underlined rhetoric in the paragraph: all encompassing idea for starters. 

What does that mean? Exactly. Who knows what an all encompassing idea is? There are lots of ideas out there today and so who gets to pick the 'all encompassing one'? Especially... the one that this author says will unify us. And, who is 'us'. Does this person mean all of humanity as the 'us'. I am not entirely convinced that all humans are on the same page in terms of their 'humanity'. 

The same rights and liberties regardless of race... not sure all people of on earth, being of different races, will agree that anyone outside of their own race knows anything about the rights and liberties in the context of their racial makeup and how to make that 'idea' of sameness possible for them and everyone else... let alone totally equal considering that race is real or worse if its really an illusion conjured up by elites and by the way... every society has their own elites.  

This person has a belief... which is that all human beings have an innate value. In the meaning that no one is more or less valuable in the eyes of society, and the law. What is an innate value? Some say that innate value is what it always is irrespective of its external interactions. And, if we are talking about the sun... I agree. But what exactly is the innate value of all human beings? Yes, all human beings. Mmm

Well, I guess we could point to the film 'the Matrix'. In that film, human beings have been harnessed or imprisoned (unknowingly) in order to generate energy that can be used to power the world of the machines. Aside of that, not sure what the innate value of all human beings is that we could all appreciate. Of course, if you ask me as a Christian I will tell you that its only based on the fact that we were all created in the image of God. 

The last underlined statement by this person RH is the most troubling; especially, for those who now live or will be living in a communist society. Why? Because, the State, is over and above all people, all human beings and the State decides your worth... not you, not your loving parents, or your pride-filled grandparents, or your best friends. Your value is determined by the State for its practical purpose... the reason you should be allowed to exist in the State is determined by the State.  

Sure, you think like RH most probably that some really nice benevolent dictator or president or even AI will be all loving and inclusive and know what everyone's strengths are and how they will fit in perfectly. WRONG!

This is a fallen world having a fallen social imagination and man can't make it better...

 

 

 

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 *online info link ~ https://www.aroundrobin.com/social-justice-issues/