Deny deny deny

Posted on February 21, 2004 in Accountability The Orange

Costa Mesa attorney Joe Weber wonders if the acquittal of O.J. Simpson and the falsehoods implanted concerning WMDs by George W. Bush have “somehow plant[ed] the suggestion in the public consciousness that a complete denial is the only way to go?” In an article in The Orange County Weekly, Weber cites three incidents which suggest to him a disturbing trend. Here is one of them:

The other day, another friend of mine was driving down the road behind an SUV that had a pile of lumber sticking out of the back. All of a sudden, some of the wood flew out and hit my friend’s car, causing $1,300 worth of damage. The driver of the SUV pulled over only after my friend followed him while incessantly beeping her horn. He denied that any of his wood had gotten loose, telling my friend that the damage to her car had already been there, and threatening to sue her for making a false claim.

She went back to the scene of the original incident, gathered up a half dozen pieces of wood and took them to the local police station. There, the desk officer declined to take a report, saying that since no impact between vehicles had occurred, she should just go through her insurance company.

The Orange is the heart of Bush Country, alive with the throb of denial. Here we have a prosecutor who squanders the public money on booze parties and is protected from exposure by our infamous local news and disinformation source. Here we have developers who want to chuck environmental plans made long ago which protect open space and coastal habitats. Here we live among people for whom the blatantly anti-responsibility line of the wealthy and the powerful have trickled down to the merely self-important.

I live here, in the land of road rage, and, knowing the people as I do, I believe in Weber’s veracity. I have heard my neighbors scheme, I have heard them defend the Lie, and I have heard them talk tough on crime. Is it mere coincidence that those most inclined to lie about their own cupability are also people who stand for the harshest penalties? I don’t think so.

For those who want to think deeper on these issues, two books by philosopher Sissela Bok might offer them insights and challenges:

• Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life
• Secrets : On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation