Every day during
this political season, we are bombarded by political ads. Most of them blasting the opposing candidate
and most of them telling out-right lies about that person! Isn’t it tiring? Why wouldn’t telling the truth work? Do they believe that we are so ignorant that
we do not know or that they will not be vetted in the news media?
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| Charles Alexander Eastman 1858 -- 1939 |
For the Cherokee,
to lie was unthinkable. In fact, lying
was punishable by death! Charles
Alexander Eastman (1858-1939), a Native American Physician and writer, wrote,
“Such is the importance of our honor and our word, that in the early
days, lying was a capital offense...The deliberate liar is capable of
committing any crime behind the screen of cowardly untruth and double
dealing….[He was] summarily put to death that the evil may go no further.”
Well, that would
change things, wouldn’t it? The ancient
Cherokee believed that you told the truth or you remained silent. Sort of like Mother used to say, “If you
can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!” For the ancient Cherokee, silence was valued
also. Speaking was a privilege not to be
abused. It was sometimes confounding
for the white man who tried to “deal” with Native Americans. Benjamin Franklin put it this way:
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| Benjamin Franklin 1706 -- 1790 |
“The politeness
of these savages in conversation is indeed carried to excess, since it does not
permit them to contradict or deny the truth of what is asserted in their
presence. By this means they indeed avoid disputes, but then it becomes
difficult to know their minds, or what impression you make upon them. The
missionaries who have attempted to convert them to Christianity, all complain
of this as one of the great difficulties of their mission. The Indians hear
with patience the truths of the Gospel explained to them and give their usual
tokens of assent and approbation; you would think they were convinced. No such
matter. It is mere civility.”
So, what if
political ads had to follow the same restrictions put on drug ads and had to
state the facts and repercussions at the end of the ad? At least then, we could get a big laugh out
of it like we do the drug ads!
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