(AP Photo/KMGH-TV )
If the "balloon boy" controversy turns out to be true--that the whole thing was a hoax--it means that the parents asked their children to lie.
First, the older boy would have been asked to lie about seeing his six-year-old brother untether the balloon and get into it. And the six-year-old, Falcon, would have been asked to lie about the whole thing. Plus, he would have to tell the lie about hiding in the attic above the garage being scared because his dad yelled at him.
Again, if this all turns out to be a hoax, that's an awfully big lie to expect a six-year-old to remember. In the musical "Into the Woods" there's a song that says, "Everyone tells tiny lies. What's important really is the size." Do you believe that?
This begs a larger question. Would you ask your children to lie? Have you asked your children to lie?
The conversation continues with you.
Just take it one gigantice, earth-shattering crisis at a time.
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Comments
No. This is a horrendous story. I was so afraid for that little boy, and so angry to find I'd been hoaxed. But I think you've identified the worst aspect of it all.
Definitely not! I agree that we all lie from time to time for various reasons, ranging from a desire to avoid hurting someone's feelings to trying to avoid adverse consequences of one's actions. But lying should be discouraged, not encouraged. Lying breaks down the fabric of communications between people. If you lie, people stop trusting what you say, and when you then have something important to tell them they do not trust you. It also distorts people's understanding of reality, and can cause people who believe the lies to make bad decisions. We see that a lot in politics, where, for instance, a large number of Americans believe that global warming is a myth (despite the melting of the Arctic ice cap, among other things), based on lies promulgated by certain companies, politicians, and radio commentators for their own reasons.
If I had kids, I wouldn't make them tell lies, no matter what.
I have also heard that the FFA is investigating this situation, because you can't lift anything similar to this within five miles of an airport without prior written and/or verbal permission from the airport. No matter what, there may be charges for these parents for doing this.
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