I want to use the following video to talk about Dan Airely and the downsides to playing it straight. What am I talking about? Watch the following video and it’s comparisons between a TV show and beleaguered professor of behavioral economics, Dan Ariely. It turns out you can make a lot of money off of being a fake, no different than Take a look, and then let’s discuss:
Writing, like academia, suffers from the ‘publish or perish’ ethos, and the industry champions obvious frauds because ‘present-tense success, forgives a lot of past-tense failure.’ How do you cling to your own sense of ethics and integrity in a world where cheaters always prosper? Why is this okay? What do I do with my pain, my outrage?
I don’t have the answer to any of those questions – but I think asking is a good starting point. As soon as I figure this all out, I promise to share what I’ve learned. Maybe one day we’ll find a way to make it make sense.
Write on!
