Tell me lies tell me sweet little lies

Regina Spektor: Fidelity
http://www.radioblogclub.com/open/106621/regina/Regina%20Spektor%20-%20Fidelity

Did you ever ask yourself why adults always tell you, you should not lie as a child? They try and beat lying out of you, punish you until you own up to your lies and catch you out at any chance. Much like Pavlov’s dog they condition you to feel guilty about your half truths and creative recollection of reality (the word lie is so awful, I prefer these synonyms). Now this would be justified if you where a bad liar, and let’s face it most kids are, but why punish a good liar? Why gun down the Picasso of fibs? The Stradivari of bullshit? It makes no sense, particularly considering that humans are incapable of dealing with reality all the time.

Lincoln once said “you can lie to everyone a few times, you can lie to someone all the time but you can not lie to everyone all the time”- now Lincoln was a clever man (not clever enough to save his ass in the long run, but nevertheless clever). Though Honest Abe recommends not ling to everyone all the time (keeping track of the stories would be far too complicated) he accepts the necessity of fibbing once in a while.

So why not toss a few little happy lies- lies that make other people happy and that avoid causing pain. Why should we be compelled to tell someone a truth they do not want to hear, even if beckoned? Are we so foolish to think that when a friend asks us what we think of her half witted new squeeze- she is not fully aware of his shortcoming? If she did think he was a Steven Hawking in the body of Daniel Craig and with the face of James McAvoy and manners or George Clooney (I digress)- she would not ASK. She would just sit there with the world’s largest grin and an air that says “look at what I landed myself! Behold Mr. Perfect”. At most she would give you the condescending “your boyfriend seems Nice…”- which translates into “so… is that spineless, flabby being, with the idiot smile actually the person you shag every so often? Ohh poor you”
This very much applies for men’s need to state the obvious, even when not called upon. Now why do you always feel the need to say, what is as crystal clear as the waters of Tonga, “this is just casual.” Do you seriously think that one night equate to a lifetime together in our heads? Do you think all women incapable of understanding a mood? In most cases we have not even thought about the possibility of going steady, because if we had we would not be so blaze’ about your lack of hygiene, messy room and revolting eating habits. Nevertheless pointing it out is just… well un- gentlemanly and frankly patronising. It makes you look like the merciless sperminator and makes us feel like the sucker which has been taken for a ride. Why kill the possibility and along with it the poetry?

Yes, because often when we ask a friend for an opinion all they want, really, is reassurance. When a lover does not ask for anything all she wants is not to know…So bring on the little white lies and the untold truths and let’s be blissfully ignorant and happy, albeit for a few moments, before it all ends in tears.

Remember – reality sometimes SUCKS!