Honesty.

Force? Say what?

Samantha Bee is a correspondent on the Daily Show. She displays a lovely grasp of irony and I enjoy many of her interview segments - despite the occasionally "gotcha," highly edited, out-of-context sound bitteyness of them.

To celebrate the 2012 RNC Samantha moved about the convention hall chatting people up and getting their comments on the platform and specifically on the parties stance on abortion and rape.  On it's own that was interesting enough...

And the then she ran into this badge wearing asshole.

Dude declared all jokey like "I don't think it's ever really forced on anybody."

 She's saying Yes!

It being sex? As in there is no forced sex? As in there is no rape?

This had to be a setup. We don't actually hear her ask a question. Maybe it was about forced pregnancies to term and not forced sex. Right? Maybe it was about no one ever being forced to attend a political rally? Or to eat liver sandwiches.

Or maybe this guy has to be a media lure to embarrass the RNC? He's not really a representative of the people there, right? He's one of those fringe loons that the media loves to track down and interview due to their flashing neon signs of "Talk to me! I'm carayzee!"

...Right?

Maybe.  Could be. It's the media so nothing is ever really certain...

But I watched the clip a few times. It sure looks like the guy, and I would love to find out who he is, doesn't think rape exists. Ok then.

Most of the delegates caught on camera were happy enough to declare that they don't think pregnancy after rape really exits, or that if it does it's still not a reason for exceptions. That is scary enough.

But this guy leap frogs over everyone else and lands so far off base that even Samantha drops her cheeky face and interrupts him, "Don't go there. Just don't go there."

And the guy just laughs.

Can I be any clearer?

And you know what? I'm sure he's "being honest" as they say. What we have here is an honest, vital, participating, politically active young man who is obviously not embarrassed to say such a statement in public or on camera, let alone in private.

Since when is "at least he's honest" the defense of such iffy(!) statements? But really, think about it, WTF kind of defense is that? "At least he's honest?"

Mother of god people. Honesty isn't always "The Good Thing" in these equations. Sometimes we really need to think about what that person is being honest about.

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. [...]  - Abe

I'm not disparaging honesty as a value or as an action. Honest interaction is vital to a mostly functioning society. Honest hearts and minds keep us on the right track. Honest men and women allow us to see reality. And as we know, they can even show us theirs.

But honesty is called a policy and a tactic for a reason. In the hands of many it's a strategy used and abused as any other.

Burn. Baby. Burn.

 Look, from that above quote, what if ol' Abe's light had in fact been a destructive fire? (Not that it was!) But what if it had been?

Or let's use a term that many at the RNC might appreciate.

What if that light had been "hell fire" itself. A vicious, brutal, deadly, uncontrolled, burning, punishing hell fire out to destroy anything good in it's path.

Can we all agree on needing to take a long hard look at that light and maybe finding the off switch before whatever is generating it burns our damned house down?

Light, like honesty, isn't necessarily good in itself. It's a thing. Light is a fancy and helpful trick of physics. One that, occasionally, prevents us from bumping into shit and breaking our toes. This toe thing is a benefit of the light. It isn't the light itself jumping in between our toe and the nightstand and preventing harm. It just makes it easier to use our senses and avoid harm.

Prevent broken toes! With light!

Animistic beliefs aside, poetic license and disney have made it easy to forget that material things don't actually radiate moral characteristics or emotions. These characteristics are assigned to the things based on our own experiences and the stories told to us as we live. The idea of light as comforting thing is because deep down we instinctively know that it keeps the dangers of the dark night at bay. It's probably deep in our genetic code at this point.

Our hunkering fireside brains still embrace the ancient feeling of reassurance that a circle of light brings us. We associate light with positive aspects of character, with protection, with revelation and clarity - even with spirits and god and faith.

But thanks to our modern day separation we've also forgotten that it can easily be associated with things that have violent, burning, cleansing characteristics.

Light is always generated by something else. It never just Is. Honesty helps expose what generates that light. Yet some people hold the characteristic of being honest above all other values, no matter and sometimes even despite, what that honesty is revealing.

It seems that you can be a high functioning sociopath with no concept of other beings as separate from your own will and mind. And yet still be A-OK.

Because you know, you're being honest about it.

[...] I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. - Abe.

In that theme I actually feel a little bad for old news Akin now...

Oops.

 He took the "honesty is the best policy" mantra to heart a little too soon and a little too nationally. He's not the one who's supposed to be honest right now and not about "those things." Akin was called out because he's a little too high profile and a little too important. Oh, and it's an inconvenient time what with the presidential election thing.

Yet our anonymous delegate from before I started ranting about light is a nobody. He will likely get an uncommented pass on his unrestrained honesty. He'll likely joke about Samantha's reaction and being on the Daily Show. and his grand adventures at the RNC.

Akin was a sacrificial lamb in the media glare but this guy will do more damage in the shadows. He will likely get agreement and reinforcement in private conversations. The circles he moves in won't begrudge him his extremes because they likely agree with him

Brutal honesty. Get with it kids.

So back to wondering about honesty! I can't help it. I wonder where so much of it is going to lead us.

What happens when honesty, or at least the perception of honesty the impression of honesty, is valued as a thing in of itself? Over facts? Over respect? Over other people's humanity?

And what happens when the valued method of "being honest" means not showing or even experiencing shame, humility, or any empathy at all?

When honest communication means a complete obliviousness to and dismissal of other people? When it glorifies a lack of self awareness that could rival that of a brick?

When the very act of being honest is presented as a shield against criticism or debate and as a talisman  against reality itself?

What are we getting when we couple those types of honesty with rampant emotionalism, media manipulation, soundbites, shrinking attention spans, truthyness, righteousness, vitriol, celebrity culture, patriotism, power, echo chambers, and so much disgruntled anger and suppressed frustration?

And just because I hate to end on that note. Here's a picture of a galaxy:

It's the Sombrero Galaxy. Otherwise known as NGC 4594. It would take ~28 million years traveling at 670'616'629 mph to get there.
Get crackin'.