By Allen J Duffis
Published: August 5, 2005

     Despite generally frivolous use of the privilege, from time to time, there evolves legitimate need to add new terminology to the lexicon of the ‘American’ language. Starting with the personal circumstances I am about to relate, the present social and political environment dictates such a time is at hand.

     About 8 years ago my wife (who is a nurse) and I resided in a rented house. With the owner’s blessing, she decided to open a state licensed in home day-care facility. After two years of successful operation, our landlord offered to sell us the two-family house, significantly below market value.

     Naturally, we leapt at the opportunity and applied to a low interest mortgage program, available through the local Home Ownership Center.

     Since we already had the down payment, you can imagine our complete surprise when we were told we didn’t qualify because (are you ready for this?), the day-care occupied more than 5 percent of the house space.

     Of course all parties involved knew this was bureaucratic nonsense. Many who obtained mortgages from this agency were operating businesses from their rented homes openly. And these businesses consumed as much or more space than my wife’s day-care operation; after all, working from home is the new ‘downsized’ American employment reality for many.

     The key difference between what others did upon application to the program, and what we did not do, in the end turned out to have been the crucial point; they lied and we didn’t. It was as simple as that. We too could have had a mortgage at that time, had we not (in our 1950’s conditioned state of perpetual honesty) mentioned the existence of the day-care facility.

     Once a mortgage is granted and the payments are made in a timely fashion, should a drug den or house of prostitution is run from the premises (with the exception of local law enforcement), no bank, financing organization or federal agency ever bothers to check. They could care less.

     In retrospect, what we should have done when filling out that mortgage application was to enter a ‘fictionalized’ account of our intention for the use of the home. This ploy used to be referred to as ‘lying.’ However, in the radically changing moral climate of America, we can now refer to it as Enter-Fiction or, simply, “Enterfiction.” This is the new terminology of which I spoke. I, the author of this editorial, invented it.

     In clear terms it means that in the present American municipal/ state/ federal/ corporate environment (for they are truly becoming indistinguishable), to achieve any deserved benefit, first find out what the system ‘wants’ and then satisfy the requirements.

     More than likely, this will require you, the normally honest individual, to manipulate the truth upon application to reap the reward of a societal or corporate benefit; or in other words, “Enterfiction.”

     In essence, truth has become anathema to receiving rightfully deserved – honest person – benefits. You may have been promised it, voted for it, worked for it, or paid for it through taxes. But tell the absolute truth when applying for it, and you will find yourself the victim of a fine tuned bureaucratic debacle. Unless that is, upon application you first remember to – “Enterfiction.”

     In today’s America, individuals who lie are far more likely to be rewarded with career advancement and public benefits, far more often than those who tell “the god’s honest truth.”

     This trend was stealthily initiated by the corporate world in the early 1970’s, at a time when personnel departments were being transformed into Human Resource Divisions. The formerly dead-end position rapidly became a recognized stepping stone to higher, more prestigious and lucrative corporate levels. And to doubly insure that nothing went wrong on his or her watch, the division heads instigated the elevation of job qualifications to ‘fail-safe’ levels, far exceeding the actual requirements of a position. Of necessity, from this point was born the now infamous ‘Super Job Resume.’

      This craftily packaged and polished compilations of exaggerations, sometimes including outright lies mixed in with half-truths, is professionally prepared under the aegis of the dictum – “Enterfiction.”

     The hiring companies know in advance that these resumes are peppered with questionable data, but when skillfully prepared, more often than not, the applicant obtains the job. In actuality, the resume is hired, not the person. And encompassed within the hire though it may be inadvertent, is the company or organization’s acquisition of a gifted liar.

    In light of current events, with specific reference to politicians and their often-illogical rise to power, particular notice should be taken of this point. Is this some far-fetched theory? Not at all, but if you entertain a vestige of doubt as to its validity, consider the following:

     At the present time, if you are over forty years of age, apply ‘truthfully’ for any well paying position. I make specific reference to one where you will be in direct competition with a much younger person; one possessing the same relative education level, but with far less experience. After all experience does count, right? Now guess who is not likely to be the one hired, unless that is you remembered to “Enterfiction” when applying for the position.

     We as a nation have allowed this creeping mongrelization of our values with lying to become so widespread, that it is now commonplace, and Right and Wrong have become principles blurred by the quest for financial gain and political power.

     As proof of this point, think Enron, the corporate poster child of this new wave. How about our vice president, Dick Cheney, who continues to insist that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda had a connection, because the lie is cohesive for his political base; And on a grand scale, the present administration’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction” ploy to ease us into an unnecessary war. The practice of ‘structured deceit’ represents the new ethical reality of life in these United States.

     Will telling the truth ever come back into vogue? I really can’t say. On the other hand, if you are inquiring of me to obtain an honest qualifying statement
...”Enterfiction.”

    Hey, I learn fast, and so I am quite certain will our children. In fact I fear they may already have.