A Lying Fibbertigibbet

A Lying Flibbertigibbet

As a parent and grandparent who always stresses truth to them, I’ve been upset about constant lies, half-truths, and obviously distorted facts from politicians….most of them, it sadly seems. After watching the State of The Union Address and listening to the champion of liars, I decided to do a dive into habitual/pathological liars and what makes them tick. Here’s some of what I found… with some definitions:

Pathological liar – an individual who engages in chronic, habitual patterns of telling falsehoods, often without an obvious external motive or personal gain. They sometimes believe their own lies. It may be a symptom of underlying personality disorders. (West Georgia Wellness Center)

Overly confident people, who are often driven by biases, are more likely to lie. (Nature.com) Our President is an overly confident flibbertigibbet (it really is a word) and may be the poster child for what’s called Cognitive Bias.

Flibbertigibbet – a frivolous, flighty, excessively talkative person. (Oxford Languages)

Cognitive Bias – a systematic, often unconscious, error in thinking that deviates from rational judgment, causing individuals to distort reality, misinterpret information, and make irrational decisions. These are mental shortcuts that enable fast thinking but often lead to poor decisions. (Blanco, F. et al 2017 – Cognitive)

This stuff is kind of heavy, but after I read and re-read it, I found it so telling. Trump intentionally lies to us, driven by his cognitive biases. He doesn’t invite debate; he short-circuits it, thus undermining the possibility of our reasonable thinking. He’s keeping us off balance. And that’s what he wants! What do we do?

Here’s the answer: We insist on good habits of thinking – humility before decisions, respect for shared definitions, and a willingness to revise and compromise. That is what makes a disagreement productive rather than insurmountable. Clear thinkers. And that’s what we want!

So don’t believe what is said without checking it out. Don’t repeat what you hear until it’s verified. Be humble and respectful in discussions. Be a clear thinker yourself and insist on it from our leaders. Resist & insist!!

And DO NOT be a lying flibbertigibbet!

Janet Jeffery, Gold Beach