I am very worried about the current climate of accepting lies as just idle chatter. “He was just trying to make a point” is a common retort when some folks are confronted with an outright lie. The constant barrage of lies harms us all.
I suspect that all of us have told lies at some point in our lives. I think the difference is in the magnitude of the lies and the willingness to correct the wrongs that ensued from our lies.
If we err and are untruthful, we can correct our errors with sincerity and humility and move forward. Trust in others totally depends on truth-telling. Without it, we cannot trust others (our mates, our family, our employers, our government, or our [fill in the blank]) to have our best interests at heart or to have the best interests of others at heart.
A political spokesperson in 2017 famously coined the term “alternative facts” to justify a series of untruths told by the administration. There is no such thing as alternative facts. They are lies or untrue statements meant to deceive. The use of such terms to justify false statements is corrupt at its core and should be called out as such.
I am also worried about myths that sometimes float through our society as given facts. These myths have gained traction usually because they seem to make sense and therefore fall into the category of commonsense or represent an inconvenience that we would rather ignore. These myths are sometimes the basis of public policy. Yet when examined carefully with appropriate scrutiny, these myths can often be debunked and replaced by more reasonable actions and policy.
Now, why the concern about lies and myths? Apart from the obvious degradation of a society that allows lies and myths to guide the policies, the actions and the social discourse for adults, I am most concerned about the effects on children. The role of adults is to provide a healthy and nurturing path for children as they progress through childhood and adolescence to become our next generation. Adult acceptance of lies and myths is more often than not off base in terms of providing guidance or being the desired role model.
Below, I will address some lies and myths that I consider having a profound impact on our children now and in the years (even generations) to come. This list is not prioritized nor is it all-inclusive. To accomplish the latter, an extensive treatise would be necessary.
- Myth – children are just little adults. This myth, perpetuated for a long time by too many people, ignores the biology of growth and development of children. The prenatal period and the early years are particularly vulnerable times for environmental influences that harm adults but even more so for children in the short term and long term. For example, a recent article by Stephen Hall makes a dramatic point by stating that “It’s a cliché to say children are the most vulnerable members of society, but over the past three decades, scientists have established this as a physiological fact. Children eat more food and drink more water per unit of body weight than adults. They breathe more rapidly (and tend to breathe that air close to the ground). Those facts alone make children particularly susceptible when they are exposed to chemicals and pollutants. But that is especially true in the prenatal period and during early childhood, when the brain undergoes tremendous development.” 1 The physical and mental state of children is so radically different than adults that this myth which I have heard throughout my lifetime and particularly in adult medical circles comes close to being a malicious lie when we consider the care and well-being of our children. Children deserve specialized care.
- Lie – the election in 2020 was stolen. Now I know it is controversial for me to state out loud that this is a lie, but no alternative fact will make it true.2 The toxicity of this lie has been to create a group of people accepting that lie and spreading it. The toxicity has been to polarize our society into us vs. them instead of a society with differences of opinion yet still willing to work together for the betterment of all. Children are forced into this fray (they hear what adults and their parents are saying), and they are often confused and out of necessity forced to choose sides. But choosing the side of untruth further divides us going forward. Following the lead of adults who are not acting like adults confuses children and our leaders of tomorrow.
- Lie – racism does not exist. Again, some readers will take exception to this statement, but I firmly stand by the fact that racism still exists in our country.3,4 Is it better than it was? Certainly, but to ignore that its presence currently in our midst is to whitewash (pun intended) reality and set us back decades.5
- Myth – vaccines shouldn’t be mandatory. This idea is so dangerous that I get very upset when I think about it. Having seen vaccines play a prominent role in saving lives and decreasing disease burdens over the course of my career (now over 50 years), it is frightening to see a complacent attitude settle in over the populace. The risks of disease and possible death far outweigh the minimal potential side effects of vaccines. In my state of South Carolina, far too many families are seeking religious exemptions to vaccines for their children. They have not been at the bedside of dying children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Science is not antithetical to faith and actually complements it.6 The only way to protect our children and our population is for everyone (with rare medical exception) to get vaccinated.
- Lie – the water in Flint Michigan was okay for children. Thanks to the tenacious and courageous detective work of Dr. Mona Hannah-Attisha, the horribly toxic levels of lead in Flint water affecting thousands of children were eventually detected and measures taken for correction.7 But the corrective measures only occurred after the lies about water safety and the effects of lead could be overcome with hard facts. Too many children were exposed and will likely suffer some effects (some maybe not so subtle) in the years ahead. The developing brain is at higher risk for injury from lead than the adult brain. Children are not little adults.
- Myth – climate change, even if real, doesn’t really harm children. The science behind climate change/global warming is really indisputable. And to ignore its effect on children now (greater likelihood of respiratory diseases, for example) and its effect on the children of our children (ocean warming, melting polar regions, increased likelihood of extreme weather events [tornadoes, hurricanes, fires and more]) makes us unlikely to take needed measures. If we care for our children and their future progeny, we will heed the warnings and take appropriate action.
- Myth – poverty is on the way out and anyway minimum wage takes care of it. Nothing could be farther from the truth.8 Many families on salaries with minimum wage are still below the federal poverty level and struggle mightily. A whole host of injustices (housing, hunger, health care, transportation, climate change, environment, education, legal representation, voting) due to poverty cannot be addressed if the myth persists. Bryan Stevenson cogently reminds us the opposite of poverty is not wealth—the opposite of poverty is justice. Our children deserve justice.
Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative
Lies are costly. As the opening scene from the mini-series Chernobyl notes, “What is the cost of lies? People will mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies then we no longer recognize the truth at all. What can we do then?” This is the crux of the problem.
So, my concern for children is that lies and myths that are perpetrated or sustained by adults cause significant harm to children. Folks might argue that only adults are affected but that is not true. Any deterioration in our social fabric due to alternative facts or unfounded myths has broad effects on all citizens, but its most detrimental effects are on our children. We must be honest with each other and with our children. Lies and myths are even more harmful than predicted. The continued use of lies and myths to manipulate people is loathsome at best and evil at worst.
- Hall S. The Lost Generation: Trump’s environmental policies are putting the health of American children at risk. New York Magazine February 2019.
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-cost-of-lies-2/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/civil-rights-struggles-and-2020-election-denials/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/birmingham-al-1963-children-at-play/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/racial-inequity-it-cannot-be-whitewashed/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/science-and-faith-a-wondrous-mix/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/a-pediatric-profile-in-courage/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/the-injustices-of-poverty/