by J. Lee

LIE AND CHEAT YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

It seems the message of today is the more dishonest you are, the more success you have. That is not how it used to be. In the past, society rewarded good and punished bad. Now the opposite is true and people who lie and cheat gain status. Often success and fame is gained for the wrong reasons.

Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Wikipedia – Cult of personality – A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods to create an idealized, heroic, and at times worshipful image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

AMY FISHER/JOEY BUTTAFUOCO

I believe the downward spiral began when Amy Fisher shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Amy was dubbed the Long Island Lolita. Amy was guilty of her crime, but she was vulnerable and influenced by an older man. She was met Joey when she was 16 years old. He was 36 years old.

Joey Buttafuoco’s was rewarded with fame after his wife Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot. There were books and movies. His wife defended him blaming the underage girl he manipulated. Joey became a celebrity. He appeared on late night TV shows, on celebrity boxing and he made other media appearances.

Wikipedia: Media appearances – The significant coverage of the shooting incident made Buttafuoco a minor celebrity. During Fisher’s trial, Buttafuoco appeared frequently on mainstream and tabloid news programs and talk shows and gave multiple interviews to all forms of media. 

 

REALITY TELEVISION

The next downfall came from ‘Reality TV’. The reality is there is nothing real about it. Examples are The Real World, Survivor, The Kardashians, the Apprentice, Big Brother and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. They flourish from the mob mentality and slander. Profanity, dishonesty and immorality are common themes.

They encourage school yard bullies and cliques to reject loners making them outcasts. Jealousy reigns when those on the show feel threatened. Shows offer temptations, power grabs and immunity to those willing to play the game of hurting others.

Wikipedia: Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents supposedly unscripted real-life situations, and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors, although in some shows celebrities may participate.

In competition-based reality shows, a notable subset, there are other common elements such as one participant being eliminated per episode, a panel of judges, and the concept of “immunity from elimination.”

SHOCK TELEVISION

Many TV shows sprang up such as Jerry Springer, Maury Povich and Geraldo Rivera. All of them relied on scandals and drama. Due to their show content they usually provided a disclaimer ‘inappropriate for children’. It was a common theme for those shows to have bleeped profanity and fighting. The live audience and TV audience thrived on it.

POLITICIANS LIE AND CHEAT

Politicians are more corrupt than ever. They have become exempt from laws they impose on us. In politics there is a two-tiered justice system. When caught, politicians regularly plead the 5th. Their modus operandi is to ‘do as I say, not as I do’. They have forgotten that they work for us. Sadly, the majority of ‘We the People’ have forgotten that too. At what point will the masses stand up to tyranny?

The Free Dictonary: I take/plead the Fifth (Amendment) – something that you say in order to tell someone you are not going to answer a question

Usage notes: The Fifth Amendment is the part of American law that says someone does not have to answer questions about themselves in a law court.

THE WORKPLACE

Not all, but many employees do as little as possible while demanding to be paid for work they have not done. They demand pay for work that is above their skill level. Unions and tenure can reward the laziest employees. Hard workers are singled out by the lazy and jealous. They are seen as a threat. Malicious co-workers lie about them. It becomes a fight or flight mentality. Many choose to quit their job versus facing daily harassment.

Wikipedia: The fight-or-flight response (also called hyperarousal, or the acute stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

NEIGHBORHOODS/HOMEOWNER ASSOCIATIONS

Neighbor’s and homeowner associations become cliques that seek out the most vulnerable. Lying is not given a second thought when the mob mentality reigns against those it does not like. It becomes a goal to chase a person away in the most underhanded ways imagined. Board of Directors are legally protected with the knowledge that those they have harassed cannot afford to fight back.

FINAL THOUGHTS

To turn civilization around we need to once again instill honesty, ethics, and putting others first.

Many prefer to put themselves first with no regard to those they hurt along the way. Lying comes as naturally to them as breathing is to the rest of us. Their priority is to climb the ladder any way possible.

1 Timothy 4:2 (KJV) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron

Got Questions: If the conscience is “seared”—literally “cauterized”—then it has been rendered insensitive. Such a conscience does not work properly; it’s as if “spiritual scar tissue” has dulled the sense of right and wrong. 

Truth or Dishonesty, which do you choose?

Bible Verses About the Tongue – God tells us in His Word that the tongue has incredible power. We can use our tongue to bring blessings and life or curses and death. The saying “sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me” is simply not true. Our tongues can be the most difficult thing to control and leave us with great regret if we use our words to hurt. There is hope! The Bible tells us that with the help of the Holy Spirit we can have power and control over our tongue. Read the below Bible verses about the tongue and be encouraged to start speaking words of life and healing today!

Bible Verses About the Tongue

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