True Lies
November 21, 2001 | 12:00am
No, I am not going to talk about Arnold Schwarzenegger, lest my title deceive you. I’m actually going to talk about Jim Carrey. Can all you Jim Carrey fans raise your hands? Hmmm ... let’s see ... one, two, three ... there’s quite a few of you (sidenote: "quite a few of you" is another way of saying "there’s quite a lot of you" – didn’t you ever wonder why? Why does "quite a few" mean the same thing as "quite a lot"?
Somehow, when the dictionary people were working on meanings, someone didn’t get this one right ... anyway ... back to my story). Well, you know, Jim Carrey is quite talented. There’s no question there. A lot of people think he’s O.A. But a gazillion other people think he’s hilarious – he’s an "escape" from the usual people we see everyday – dull, unanimated. Jim Carrey is the extreme expression of exuberance. And that’s what people like. And that’s why he gets $20 million per film. Whew! But like I said, he’s got critics – a good number of people can’t stand him – in fact, I know a lot of people who detest him. My fiancé Teemy can’t stand to watch two minutes of him. But you know what? For me, you can’t really argue with success. The fact is, when this guy contorts his face and does all his antics, he makes a lot of us laugh. And for me, if he’s worth 20 million per film, he’s worth watching. It’s like Stallone. Everyone thinks he can’t act and he’s dumb. He was never nominated for a best actor award. But hey, at the end of the day, he’s got more digits in his bank account than anyone of his critics. So if you ask me who I’d rather watch in a film – Stallone or the Stallone critic who can hardly pay his rent, I think I’d rather spend my good money on the former.
Anyway, going back to Jim Carrey – I was watching Liar Liar the other day. I think this is one of the funniest films I’ve ever watched. For one thing, I can relate to it because it’s all about a lawyer (by the way, I’d like to point out – lawyers, didn’t invent lying – we just perfected it and made it into a financially viable profession). Secondly, the underlying "subtle" message behind the film is so true – all of us, one way or another, whether lawyer or not, lie to each other. It’s true. I’ll bet, in a day, all of us will say at least one little lie. But hey, before you get defensive on me, I wish to point out that most of the time, we don’t mean to do it.
Most of the time, we lie simply because we don’t want to hurt anyone – or we say something that tends to favor someone just to be diplomatic – even if we really think otherwise. We say things like "Hey, Pete! Hey, are you losing weight? Fit na fit ha!" even if deep inside, we think Pete looks like the poster boy for Hershey’s. We tell a girl, "Hey, did you do something with your hair? It’s nice!" when in fact, deep inside we’re saying, "What the heck is she thinking dyeing her hair blonde like that?
"Sheesh, she looks like my mongrel cocker spaniel!" When our bosses ask us about a report we were supposed to have submitted, we say, "I’m working on it, sir!" when it fact, we’re saying "S-t! Man, I forgot about that report – oh wow, what I am gonna do?! Man, I’m screwed!" We like telling people, "Naks, pogi natin ngayon ha!" whenever they are dressed when in fact, deep inside we’re saying "Wala namang difference – que mag-tux ka pa, pangit ka pa rin!" Or when a kid of someone is hanging on to your leg, you say to the mom, "Cute naman ang anak mo!" when in fact you’d like to say, "Puwede ba, Mrs., paki sabi sa anak mo hindi swing itong paa ko!" Or if the mom is cute, you’d want to say, "Cute ang anak mo – pero mas cute ka!" One of the most common lies comes out during beauty contests. When judges ask a contestant – "What makes you better than the other contestants, the usual answer is, "Actually, any one of my fellow contestants is good and deserving. If they win, I’d be happy for them." Oh really now? Then why is it that when someone wins, I see everyone else having a crooked, forced smile, clapping reluctantly for the winner? And why is it when they all go backstage, a lot of the losers cry? Tears of joy for the other person that won? I don’t think so. You enter a contest because you think you’ve got a darn good chance to win – and heck, you want to beat the others . Yes – nothing will give us more joy than to win at the expense of others! That’s why you see the winners smiling – they are happy they won and not the others.
One conversation that struck me in Liar Liar was when Jim Carrey was trying to convince his kid "to unwish" his wish. For those who didn’t watch the film, the son of Jim Carrey had wished the day earlier (during his birthday party) that his dad (Carrey) would not be able to tell a lie even for just one day. The wish came true so Jim Carrey’s character, a lawyer, goes through the day, telling the truth all the time and that got him to a lot of trouble. In his court hearing that day, he couldn’t say a thing since his defense was based on a story he just made up. Within that day, he somehow discovered the reason why he could not lie. So in this scene, Jim Carrey went to talk to his kid to "unwish" his wish so he could lie in court and try to salvage the case. And the conversation went something like this:
Jim Carrey (JC): Max, I need you to unwish your wish yesterday.
Son: Why so you could lie again?
JC: Yes.
Son: But I don’t want you to lie.
JC: You know, Max, sometimes grownups have to lie. Here, let me give you an example. When your mom was pregnant with you, she didn’t want to get too fat so she refused to eat anything and daddy was scared. So every time she asked me how she looks, I told her, "Oh honey, you look beautiful, you look radiant, you’re glowing!" If I told her she looked like a cow, it would have hurt her feelings!
Son: Teacher says that real beauty comes from within.
Teacher: That’s only a line ugly people say. (pause, as if saying "Ooops!"). But the point is, Max, I need to lie. If I can’t lie, I could lose my promotion, I could even lose my job.
Son: But I can’t unwish it. Yesterday, when I wished it, I meant it. Now, when I’m unwishing it, I’m only doing it because you’re telling me.
JC: But you know, Max, everyone lies ... Mommy lies, your teacher lies, daddy lies. Everyone lies.
Son: But you’re the only one who makes me feel bad.
This dialogue really had an impact on me. First, it made me realize that, yes, we grownups have somehow made lying a part of our normal routine that we have somehow become jaded. For example, when a guard in a building stops us from going in because we don’t have an ID, we tell the guard, "Nasa taas yung ID ko eh, kunin ko lang" when in fact you’ve lost your ID. Or when we are entering a village because we want access through, we namedrop someone we know who lives in the village so we can enter, when in fact, we don’t intend to really visit that person. Or maybe, when a sampaguita vendor is begging us to buy, we often say, "Sorry, wala eh" when in fact, you have spare change but you don’t want to give because if you give to one, all the other vendors will come to your window and beg you to buy from them and you find that irritating.
Ok, what’s my point here. Actually, I have no point. I’m just observing. Indeed, I’m tempted to talk about the morality or immorality of lying but sometimes, there’s no clear-cut answer. I mean, I’ve been taught all my life that lying is wrong. And it is ... I don’t dispute that. But sometimes, when there’s a compelling reason, I’m not sure that lying would bring you eternal damnation. If a bunch of armed Abu Sayyaf people knocked on your door asking for your brother, saying that they have a score to settle and you know your brother is upstairs chilling out, innocently cleaning his toenails, I’m not ready to condemn you to hell if you lied and told them that your brother took the last flight to Djibouti, Africa. I mean it’s an extreme case but hey, sometimes we’re faced with extreme cases. Like when you have a 90-year-old bedridden grandmother who has a very weak heart (although I can’t imagine anyone who reaches 90 who has a weak heart), and someone close to her dies. Somehow, it seems more moral to kinda keep that "little detail secret than to be honest with her and say – "Grandma, here’s your chicken soup – by the way, Uncle Jasper died."
I guess the rule to follow is that: Truth will always set us free so always try to stick by it. But, then there are circumstances that might compel you to veer away from it. In the end, let your conscience guide you. Because in the end, when your conscience talks to you, you’ll have to listen. Your conscience can never lie.
For your comments, you can write Rod at rodnepo@yahoo.com.
Somehow, when the dictionary people were working on meanings, someone didn’t get this one right ... anyway ... back to my story). Well, you know, Jim Carrey is quite talented. There’s no question there. A lot of people think he’s O.A. But a gazillion other people think he’s hilarious – he’s an "escape" from the usual people we see everyday – dull, unanimated. Jim Carrey is the extreme expression of exuberance. And that’s what people like. And that’s why he gets $20 million per film. Whew! But like I said, he’s got critics – a good number of people can’t stand him – in fact, I know a lot of people who detest him. My fiancé Teemy can’t stand to watch two minutes of him. But you know what? For me, you can’t really argue with success. The fact is, when this guy contorts his face and does all his antics, he makes a lot of us laugh. And for me, if he’s worth 20 million per film, he’s worth watching. It’s like Stallone. Everyone thinks he can’t act and he’s dumb. He was never nominated for a best actor award. But hey, at the end of the day, he’s got more digits in his bank account than anyone of his critics. So if you ask me who I’d rather watch in a film – Stallone or the Stallone critic who can hardly pay his rent, I think I’d rather spend my good money on the former.
Anyway, going back to Jim Carrey – I was watching Liar Liar the other day. I think this is one of the funniest films I’ve ever watched. For one thing, I can relate to it because it’s all about a lawyer (by the way, I’d like to point out – lawyers, didn’t invent lying – we just perfected it and made it into a financially viable profession). Secondly, the underlying "subtle" message behind the film is so true – all of us, one way or another, whether lawyer or not, lie to each other. It’s true. I’ll bet, in a day, all of us will say at least one little lie. But hey, before you get defensive on me, I wish to point out that most of the time, we don’t mean to do it.
Most of the time, we lie simply because we don’t want to hurt anyone – or we say something that tends to favor someone just to be diplomatic – even if we really think otherwise. We say things like "Hey, Pete! Hey, are you losing weight? Fit na fit ha!" even if deep inside, we think Pete looks like the poster boy for Hershey’s. We tell a girl, "Hey, did you do something with your hair? It’s nice!" when in fact, deep inside we’re saying, "What the heck is she thinking dyeing her hair blonde like that?
"Sheesh, she looks like my mongrel cocker spaniel!" When our bosses ask us about a report we were supposed to have submitted, we say, "I’m working on it, sir!" when it fact, we’re saying "S-t! Man, I forgot about that report – oh wow, what I am gonna do?! Man, I’m screwed!" We like telling people, "Naks, pogi natin ngayon ha!" whenever they are dressed when in fact, deep inside we’re saying "Wala namang difference – que mag-tux ka pa, pangit ka pa rin!" Or when a kid of someone is hanging on to your leg, you say to the mom, "Cute naman ang anak mo!" when in fact you’d like to say, "Puwede ba, Mrs., paki sabi sa anak mo hindi swing itong paa ko!" Or if the mom is cute, you’d want to say, "Cute ang anak mo – pero mas cute ka!" One of the most common lies comes out during beauty contests. When judges ask a contestant – "What makes you better than the other contestants, the usual answer is, "Actually, any one of my fellow contestants is good and deserving. If they win, I’d be happy for them." Oh really now? Then why is it that when someone wins, I see everyone else having a crooked, forced smile, clapping reluctantly for the winner? And why is it when they all go backstage, a lot of the losers cry? Tears of joy for the other person that won? I don’t think so. You enter a contest because you think you’ve got a darn good chance to win – and heck, you want to beat the others . Yes – nothing will give us more joy than to win at the expense of others! That’s why you see the winners smiling – they are happy they won and not the others.
One conversation that struck me in Liar Liar was when Jim Carrey was trying to convince his kid "to unwish" his wish. For those who didn’t watch the film, the son of Jim Carrey had wished the day earlier (during his birthday party) that his dad (Carrey) would not be able to tell a lie even for just one day. The wish came true so Jim Carrey’s character, a lawyer, goes through the day, telling the truth all the time and that got him to a lot of trouble. In his court hearing that day, he couldn’t say a thing since his defense was based on a story he just made up. Within that day, he somehow discovered the reason why he could not lie. So in this scene, Jim Carrey went to talk to his kid to "unwish" his wish so he could lie in court and try to salvage the case. And the conversation went something like this:
Jim Carrey (JC): Max, I need you to unwish your wish yesterday.
Son: Why so you could lie again?
JC: Yes.
Son: But I don’t want you to lie.
JC: You know, Max, sometimes grownups have to lie. Here, let me give you an example. When your mom was pregnant with you, she didn’t want to get too fat so she refused to eat anything and daddy was scared. So every time she asked me how she looks, I told her, "Oh honey, you look beautiful, you look radiant, you’re glowing!" If I told her she looked like a cow, it would have hurt her feelings!
Son: Teacher says that real beauty comes from within.
Teacher: That’s only a line ugly people say. (pause, as if saying "Ooops!"). But the point is, Max, I need to lie. If I can’t lie, I could lose my promotion, I could even lose my job.
Son: But I can’t unwish it. Yesterday, when I wished it, I meant it. Now, when I’m unwishing it, I’m only doing it because you’re telling me.
JC: But you know, Max, everyone lies ... Mommy lies, your teacher lies, daddy lies. Everyone lies.
Son: But you’re the only one who makes me feel bad.
This dialogue really had an impact on me. First, it made me realize that, yes, we grownups have somehow made lying a part of our normal routine that we have somehow become jaded. For example, when a guard in a building stops us from going in because we don’t have an ID, we tell the guard, "Nasa taas yung ID ko eh, kunin ko lang" when in fact you’ve lost your ID. Or when we are entering a village because we want access through, we namedrop someone we know who lives in the village so we can enter, when in fact, we don’t intend to really visit that person. Or maybe, when a sampaguita vendor is begging us to buy, we often say, "Sorry, wala eh" when in fact, you have spare change but you don’t want to give because if you give to one, all the other vendors will come to your window and beg you to buy from them and you find that irritating.
Ok, what’s my point here. Actually, I have no point. I’m just observing. Indeed, I’m tempted to talk about the morality or immorality of lying but sometimes, there’s no clear-cut answer. I mean, I’ve been taught all my life that lying is wrong. And it is ... I don’t dispute that. But sometimes, when there’s a compelling reason, I’m not sure that lying would bring you eternal damnation. If a bunch of armed Abu Sayyaf people knocked on your door asking for your brother, saying that they have a score to settle and you know your brother is upstairs chilling out, innocently cleaning his toenails, I’m not ready to condemn you to hell if you lied and told them that your brother took the last flight to Djibouti, Africa. I mean it’s an extreme case but hey, sometimes we’re faced with extreme cases. Like when you have a 90-year-old bedridden grandmother who has a very weak heart (although I can’t imagine anyone who reaches 90 who has a weak heart), and someone close to her dies. Somehow, it seems more moral to kinda keep that "little detail secret than to be honest with her and say – "Grandma, here’s your chicken soup – by the way, Uncle Jasper died."
I guess the rule to follow is that: Truth will always set us free so always try to stick by it. But, then there are circumstances that might compel you to veer away from it. In the end, let your conscience guide you. Because in the end, when your conscience talks to you, you’ll have to listen. Your conscience can never lie.
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