"You Can't Handle the Truth!"

One of the Socratic Seminar questions from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest drama asked about the theme of "dishonesty" in both society and the individual. This reminded me of the quote used in the title, taken from the movie A Few Good Men. In Wilde's play, various individuals were dishonest in order to make their identities appear more attractive. (Actually, only male characters were dishonest :/ hmmm.) Jack and Algernon both claimed to be named Earnest while courting. They did this not to be deceiving or hurtful, but to become the ideal man and win their ladies hearts. In society, being dishonest was also commonly practiced. Young Cecily was 18 years of age, but admitted to being 20 at parties. Lady Bracknell listened and nodded approvingly to this statement. Most people lie because they think the truth to be unsuitable, so they cover it up with a fallacy that seems more acceptable. It must have been pure coincidence that our english class took a psychology survey on Wednesday on the topic of lying. I think that lying or stretching the truth is never morally right. This does not mean that dishonesty can be deemed excusable by those who choose to waive the transgression, minor as it may be. In Algernon's case, it would have been easier just to tell the truth, a lie was not necessary, and he was not trying to protect her from anything. Later, his dishonesty came back around to bite him in the butt. The worst part about lying is when the truth becomes uncovered, and the whole trust factor is lost, sometimes forever. Algernon should have revealed his true name in the first place, and if it was not to little Cecily's liking, oh well, her loss. In our society, people; particularly the government of the people, tend to lie in order to protect our innocence from the harsh truth. The media fills the minds of thousands with news that is usually impartial or sugar-coated. Maintaining order is crucial, and sometimes the general public is better left in the dark on certain issues; we cannot always handle the truth.