The act of deception or plain lying is not unique to humankind. Most species use various sorts of deception to survive or thrive. But for humans, with their ability to live in a society and leap through progressions, deception has purposes way beyond survival. It is difficult to fathom how many times we have lied in our lives. While most of us cannot remember the simple and harmless white lies, many of us would be uncomfortable remembering the ones that made a stark negative impact on other lives. These are called black lies. Black lies are the ones that cost others dearly.
Hatred, jealousy, or greed can act as its fuel. In the worst-case scenario, it is a mixture of all three. I remember one of my cousins used to constantly tell a child in their neighborhood that she was ugly. It was mostly because my cousin was constantly compared with her, who was way more efficient in her studies. My cousin thought this could pull her down and she would spend more time worrying about looks than studying.
Black lies are a great tool to gaslight others. It brings down the spirit of other people or even breaks them irreparably. White lies are mostly an eyewash. When you don’t want the receiver to know what your thoughts are, you paint it over with a white lie. While black lies have a more vile intent. It tends to put another person down. Both are activities of deception, but one has a tinge of cruelty and selfishness to it. The deceiver does that in pure self-interest. Evolution is about surviving at the cost of others. Hence, black lies are a part of social Darwinism where the more conniving ones outsmart others.
Apes deceive their partners with black lies for mating. Their close cousins, humans, are not very different. Black lies are not limited to individuals. States and organizations lie too. Many autocratic nations lie about their economy, governance, and their military might keep citizens in tow. In North Korea, propaganda is spewed on its citizens from all sides to show their supreme leader is a god-sent man to keep them safe from Western oppressors. Citizens who believe these are robbed of a chance to change their perspective. Since they are forced to support their leader, they lose a chance for better lives. Lies create a sepulcher to keep the people suppressed.
The less you are emotionally linked to the person, the chances are higher that you will indulge in black lies. People who are distant from you possess a very low psychological cost Their distress does not affect you as much as somebody close to you. However, it is not an exception if you deceive someone close with a black lie. Most people who cheat on their partners do it without batting an eyelid.
When the chances of getting caught are low, people are tempted to lie more. There is no deterrence for lying if there are no check and balance systems. There is a moral shield that exists in a society that deters people from lying. People caught are named and shamed for their deeds. In absence of this, we would have a society where people’s moral compasses are always going off-limits.
Lies, whatever color they are in, grey, black, white, or red, cause disharmony and disruptions. However, few are inevitable to keep control of the organized chaos of any society.