Hi Ranty Nation!  Ranty McRantyson har agin.

In Part A of this talk bout Liars Tellin Lies Witout Lyin, we kicked it off wit how liars will lie by usin gud wurd (wurds wit a gud “connotation”) an then actually givin y’all sumthin else entirely.  Y’all cud call it the “bait an switch” method of lyin.

Well, in this Part 2, we’all’re gonna talk about another way to lie witout lyin.  Cept this time we’all’re gonna ask sum questions furst.

A Trickier Way Fur Lying: Number 2

The secund way to lie to folk witout lyin to them is to use questions to “lead” folk into believin sumthin that ain’t true.  An probly the best way to do that is usin the “Socratic Method“.

The Socratic Method

The “Socratic Method” of teachin is a purty gud way of gittin folk to learn sumthin.  Ah’m not gonna git into all the reason why.  But ah will tell y’all that it basically boils down to askin, an answering, questions so that folk can thunk thru thangs.  The fact that it makes y’all thunk thru problems is whut makes it so much better’n jus memorizin thangs.

So it dun be a way to teach.  Problem is, sum folk, like sum in the media, figured out that by addin sumthin else, they cud lie to folk witout actually lyin to them.  Har’s how it wurks.

An Example of Number 2

As ah said above, the Socratic Method uses questions to help folk figure out thangs fur themselfs.  However, if’n y’all ain’t so bothered bout misleadin folks, then questions can be used fur lying too.

Usin the Socratic Method fur Tellin the Truth to Folk

Ah wuz gonna use a non-political example har, but whut the heck, this whole shebang’s purty political.  So whudda y’all say we just jump in wit using questions fur to tell the “truth”.

Let’s start by sayin that Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has introduced a bill fur the House of Representatives bout makin it easier fur citizens to vote (it’s a real bill, called HR1).  We’all har in the USofA live in a democracy, so that shud be a gud thang.  So let’s see how we cud splain that usin the Socratic Method.

1. Did y’all hear that they’s a bill introduced in the House, makin it easier fur citizins of the USofA to vote?
2. Whadda y’all thunk bout the idea of keepin law abiden citizens frum bein thrown off the votin rolls?
3. Then whadda y’all thunk bout the idea of folk bein able to hand out stuff like snacks an water to folks havin to wait in long votin lines?
4. Ok, then whadda y’all thunk bout the idea of USofA citizens bein able to register real easy like?
5. An did y’all know that wit this bill, y’all can choose to vote by mail, witout any special reason?
6. Didja know that this bill’ll stop most district “gerrymanderin” (changin the districts so only folk they want’ll git elected)?
7. Didja know that this bill’ll allow folk to collect ballots fur folk who can’t git to the polls on they’s own an take them to collection boxes so them voters can vote?
8. Finally, did y’all know that this bill also starts limitin the amount of money that rich folk an corporations can spend to buy off our politicians?
9. So, whadda y’all thunk bout this bill?

Socratic Method to Tell the Truth (Summary)

Like ah said jus above in question #8, whadda y’all thunk bout this?  How do y’all feel bout this bill?  Is it sumthin y’all’d support?  Why?  Go ahead, thunk bout it fur a minute or so…

Bet y’all didn’t notice that ah jus used sum “Socratic Method” on y’all did ya?  😉

Usin the Socratic Method fur Lying to Folk

Now let’s use the Socratic Method fur lying to folk.  If’n ah wanted to use questions to lie to folk, then ah might use the followin questions: (Ah’m gonna make them “match” the questions above)

1. Didja hear that Nancy Pelosi an them Democrats jus wrote a bill in the House to make it easier fur Democrats to steal elections?  (I’m not sayin it’ll steal elections, jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
2. An that the bill will make it harder to stop election fraud by makin it harder to git rid of fake voters?  (I’m not sayin it’ll cause election fraud, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
3. Can y’all believe that the bill will allow certain folk to give out gifts [of water an snacks] to “buy” votes?  (I’m not sayin sumone wud sell they’s votes fur a drink of water, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
4. Didja know that the bill will let jus anyone, witout any checks register to vote?  (I’m not sayin that anyone cud register an that they’s no checks, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
5. Then they’s Democrats’re gonna let everone who wants to, vote by not secure an not safe mail?  (I’m not sayin that votin by mail is unsafe, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
6. An that them Democrats’re gonna change how districts’re made in the states by havin the federal guvmint oversee the whole process?  (I’m not sayin that the federal guvmint wud change thangs in favor of the Democrats to help them, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
7. Didja know them Democrats’re gonna allow “ballot harvestin” an “collection boxes”?  (I’m not sayin ballot harvestin an collection boxes’re bad fur democracy, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
8. Finally, didja know that they’s limitin freedom of speech by limitin the amount y’all can donate to yur candidate? (I’m not sayin y’all donate enuf to git limited, I’m jus askin if’n y’all heard bout it…)
9. So, whadda y’all thunk bout this bill?

Socratic Method to Tell a Lie (Summary)

As y’all can see, how the questions’re asked can really change the way y’all feel bout thangs.  In statictical talk, they’s call this “question bias”.  In other wurds, they ask y’all a question in a way to git an answer theys want.

Another example’d be this question:  Have you quit stealin stuff frum the company y’all wurk fur?

No matter how y’all answer it, y’all be guilty.  If’n y’all say “yes”, then it means y’all ain’t stealin stuff now.  If’n y’all say “no”, then it means y’all’re still stealin stuff.  Darned if’n y’all do an darned if’n y’all don’t.

Lying wit Questions: Summary

The point bein that askin questions a certain way can git folk to basically tell the lie theyselfs.  An the person askin the “questions” dun can say they’s ain’t told a lie.  They jus got y’all to do it (lyin to yurself).  An if’n y’all repeat that answer, then y’all’re lyin too!

Not only that, but y’all probly notice that they’s “lyin questions” used both of the tricks ah talked bout in Part A: connotation an NLP.  In the lyin part, them questions used both “gud” an “bad” wurds to “program” (git) y’all to thunk a certain way… a way that ain’t whut the bill wuz really bout.

Now, keep in mind that these’re sum purty simplified examples.  The folk that do this fur a livin’re much trickier bout the questions they ask.  But the end result’s the same, they git y’all to “answer” the “lie” fur them.

IMO, the best person ah’ve dun seen doin this is Tucker Carlson on the Fox News Network.  An let me tell ya, he’s guuud at it!  Then agin ah thunk he uses all the ways of lyin witout lyin, whut makes whut he dun all the more powerful. An don’t kid yurselfs!  IMO, Tucker dun got a whole lotta folk helpin him do his lying.

On to Lyin Witout Lyin, Part 3rd

Well, ah thunk that’s probly gur enuf fur this secund part of tellin lies witout lying.  Ah’ll post Part 3rd har in a couple days, so keep an eye out fur it.

Ranty McRantyson signin off fur now!