I am catastrophically bad at lying. It’s why I could never be a spy (no matter what awful men with strange fantasies say about me online), or work in politics for that matter.
Having said that, some politicians are more egregious than others, and serial liar George Santos deserves a special mention.
The newly elected congressman has lied about so many aspects of his life, identity, and resume that the amount of falsehoods is hard to keep track of. He’s even been accused of absolutely random behavior, such as stealing a Burberry scarf.
I’m certain the scarf story is true, because I’ve met men like Santos. The lying, which usually becomes more extreme with the years, is often accompanied by petty, seemingly random theft. The stealing of perceived status objects is fairly common. They do a bad job of covering it up, almost daring you to point out their actions, after which they’ll indignantly deny everything.
They’re messy people, yet absolutely histrionic and defensive while cornered. Deep down inside, they are addicted to the rush of briefly embodying someone else. They are also addicted to the power they wield over others with their made-up stories and assorted cons.
I have a personal bone to pick with Santos, because he appears to be at least in part financed by some very sketchy money, some of which is likely Russian in origin, and because he’s made statements such as calling Ukraine “totalitarian.”
Out of all of George Santos’ lies, this one obviously hits the hardest for me as a native of Ukraine, even as this lie has been repeated by even bigger morons on the far left and on the far right.
Men like George Santos are funny until they’re not. A certain kind of maliciousness at work there, such as with the case of the disabled veteran Santos swindled, leaving his dog to die.
There is a bright shard of cruelty beneath the entertaining sliminess of Santos
This is important, because it serves as a warning. There is a bright shard of cruelty beneath the entertaining sliminess of Santos. It shouldn’t be ignored.
I’m not a very reverent person, which serves me well in the age that I find myself living in. I do think, however, that sincerity in public works is important and that kindness, as a quality and an ideal, deserves some damn respect. George Santos is not a kind man, and he is much more than a simple buffoon.
Of course Santos should resign. Our collective faith in our institutions is already dangerously corroded, and this smirking clown is not doing the public and the government any favors.
Resigning, however, would be admitting that he did something wrong. And the truth is, men like Santos are almost always incapable of doing so.
The sum of the lies is too big by the time you wind up running for Congress (while local Democrats seemingly do no opposition research whatsoever). The lies have shaped you by now. They go deep into the marrow of a human being like this.
It also would be foolish to suggest that men like Santos can be willing to change — either through occupying public office or going to therapy. “I’ll get help for this,” is a statement I’ve heard many times before. Many of you reading this have likely heard similar statements, but “getting help” becomes just part of the game, a way to gain sympathy and manipulate your marks more fully.
In fact, “I’m a changed man, willing to get help” is a cottage industry all of its own now. The public loves a good redemption story, and furthermore has a short attention span.
It’s my prediction that even after Santos hopefully fades from view, he will continue to stalk the peripheries of certain parties, smiling warmly, reminiscing about “that time [he] ran for Congress and won” and smelling opportunity. For people like him, modern America remains the land of opportunity, come hell or high water.
Image: Louis Velazquez