Institutional Inaction As The Passive Inverse Of Bullshit

In “The Death of Honesty,” William Damon raises the concern that current apathy towards increasing dishonesty threatens democracy. In this essay taken from the online volume “Endangered Virtues ” published by the Hoover Institute in 2012, Damon initially concedes that there are situations where lying could be considered acceptable. However, with that being acknowledged, he transitions to his main premise that honesty is losing its importance in society and will lead to its downfall, and he cites examples in politics, law, journalism, and business in contemporary society where dishonesty is expected, and even, condoned. Damon finally directs his remarks pointedly at teachers and current students who accept cheating in schools. To persuade

An example would be during the Nazi’s reign in World War Two where the Jews were persecuted by Nazi Germany. Benevolent and intrepid neighbours would often choose to protect their Jewish friends through weaving elaborate webs of falsehood and truth. They had to live under the constant threat of death hanging over their heads, wondering if today was the day that the Gestapo would come banging on the door, carrying loaded guns at the ready. They must live the lies that they tell day and night; their truths buried deep underneath layers of deceit. Yet without these cozenage, more Jews would have been found and killed and the goal of Hitler to eradicate this race may have succeeded. Deception during times such as these are

In the world of politics, courtrooms, banks, hospitals, and even at mechanic shops some amount of doublespeak is lingering. Lutz’s article proves how frequent the use of double speak is and manipulative and decisive the people who use it actually are. After reading this essay, it has become obvious to me that Doublespeak has been used on me throughout my entire life. This article has taught me to analyze and investigate phrases that are convoluted or meaninglessly complicated. His paper teaches the reader to ignore the useless information and strip down a phrase to what it really means. Through Lutz’s use of numerous personal and historical examples, he is able to effectively argue his opinion of the negative uses of doublespeak. Audiences who are often confused or misled by speakers various tactics of doublespeak would highly benefit from this article. In order to understand doublespeak one must first understand why speakers use it and what effects it has on the public. Professionals use doublespeak to deceive because it distorts reality in favor of the speaker, it confuses and corrupts the audiences’ thinking, and it avoids responsibility.

For this assignment, I will describe the main international institutions by giving a description of what they are and how they operate. I will then explain how they are structured and governed and I will give some details about how they form and evolved. In my assignment, I will also include some case studies operated by these institutions and their consequences. Finally, I will explain the impact of these institutions on UK Public Services.

In Cross’s opinion, she believes people are bamboozled by propaganda because they fail to recognize when they experience it (248). The thirteen propaganda methods Cross describes in this essay include the following: Name-Calling, Glittering Generalities, Plain-Folks Appeal, Arguementum Ad Populum (Stroking),

As a society we are guided by false veneers and deceit. Artifice is unfortunately a prominent tactic used in hope of gaining the respect of the public. Politicians and celebrities who we look up to utilize artifice on a daily basis to gain our recognition and approval. Even teenagers are being taught how to use artifice to their advantage. Chris Hedges believes that the use of artifice is a necessary device to achieve success. In his book, The Empire of Illusion, he discusses the appeal of artifice and how individuals become “unreal” and “ignored” if they do not utilize it. His viewpoint is immensely untrue because this “strategy” causes a never-ending cycle of conflict. If we continue to feign our true appearances, we will become unable to fix societal issues we face to today.

Trickery can be useful for companies wanting to sell products or entertainment. It helps actors, and especially politicians who need to gain support. To be able to make others believe in something that may not be true is an amazing skill to have but not the most essential as Hedge claims. A reason why artifice is not the most essential skill to have is because of the side effects that comes with it. In the end it is better if you are honest about things and try to find more positive things to gain support or money. It may be tempting to trick others especially if they are stubborn or strongly opposed you and your values but all together it will not work out and will not last. The most essential skill is not artifice because there are leaders that actually follow through with giving support

Pressure group strategy and influence are “determined largely by factors such as size…financial resources, prestige position of the organization, quality of leadership and staff, and relations with the political parties…” (Turner, 1958, p. 64). It is these factors that make pressure groups, to some extent, incompatible with representative democracy as some groups are able to make their views heard ‘louder’ due to factors which can be difficult for them to change, such as the prestigious position of an interest group.

The Stages of Deception used as a way of Persuasion and the thought of Hope

Issues from the linkage institutions do not always make it to the policymaking system because if it did not get much attention from the people it would not be considered. Because interest groups and political parties sometimes are based off particular issues, they are not always apart of the government’s agenda.

Deception is most successful when there is a grain of truth blended into the lie. The liar’s perversion of the truth is blinding to many people. Science writer Maria Konnikova notes “We con ourselves as much as [con artists] con us, because we supply the

The multigovernmental nature of the European Union and the national governments of its member states also helps to decrease the democratic deficit, not only on a supranational level, but on a national level as well (Eising 2011). Because there is a division of powers and sovereignty between these two levels of governance, citizens have the capacity, through interest group activity, to represent their interests to two different legislative bodies that could pursue legislation in their favour (Kohler-Koch 1997; Eising 2011). Similarly, due to the relatively nascent state of European Union interest group activity, many groups with similar interests are combining and coordinating efforts in order to have a bigger influence over policy decisions (Greenwood 2003, Eising 2011). Because of this unique phenomenon, smaller groups may work in tandem with

Frankfurt begins his search for the meaning of bullshit by comparing it to the word “humbug,” and referencing the work The Prevalence of Humbug by Max Black. Black gives the definition of humbug: “deceptive misrepresentation, short of lying, especially by pretentious word or deed, of somebody’s own thoughts, feelings, or attitudes.” (118). By examining the definition of a related term, Frankfurt begins his argument

IGOs are voluntary associations of sovereign states established to pursue many objectives for which states want to cooperate through sort of formal structure and to which states are unable to realize by themselves (Miller, 1994). There are hundreds of IGOs in today's world which are significant in their respective fields. They are created by treaties and negotiations which mainly reflect preferences of stronger states. Especially stronger states create IGOs because they need them to protect their interests. By and large, decisions made by IGOs are the product of negotiations among the governmental representatives assigned to them. In general, it is not idealism, but the need of states which tend them to cooperate with other states in the context of IGOs. Therefore, they are part of the Westphalia state system in which IGOs are instruments of nation-states (Miller, 1994: 67). Regarding to the function and the purpose of IGOs, the influence of state as an actor in international relation still remains strong but in a different way, IGOs replace the original ideas of individual states but to identify states which have the same normative behavior and same ambitions to form a cooperate with each other so as to achieve the same goal. Even said so, powerful states are less constrained by the principle of IGOs than those who are relatively weak (Ataman, 2000: 152-167). This suggests that state is the key element in

Revisionist states are seen as “challengers” who wants a “new place or share for themselves in global society” proportionate with their power. Revisionist states are generally unsatisfied with their position in the international society. They have a wish to modify the rules by which affairs among countries work. Robert Gilpin who is amid pragmatist scholars, offers possibly the most precise discussion of revisionist and status quo positioning. He simplifies by breaking down the rules of the game into rather more operationalizable components: the distribution of power, the chain of command of status, rights and norms that oversee relations among states.