Grappling with the Gray #128: You can't hide your Lyin' I's?

“Have you ever pretended to hold more progressive views than you truly endorse to succeed socially or academically?”

That’s the question posed by The Hill, which drives the conversation as Ida Tetlock, Stan B. Walters, and Annie Yatch join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

In confidential interviews with 1,452 undergraduate students at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, 88 percent of respondents answered yes.

The pressure to conform can be nearly irresistible. For good reason many are concerned by reports that all 87 members of NPR’s executive board are registered democrats and that democrats outnumber republicans among Yale faculty by 28 to 1.

Truth cannot survive in an echo chamber. It thrives on constructive disagreement and spirited debate. That’s why it would be equally disturbing if republicans outnumbered democrats by a similar margin.

But there may be a deeper concern than journalistic or academic integrity. According to The Hill, “73 percent of students reported mistrust in conversations about these values with close friends. Nearly half said they routinely conceal beliefs in intimate relationships for fear of ideological fallout.”

In other words, we’re witnessing a culture in which young people are afraid to be honest in their closest relationships, which implies that they are likely mistrustful of those whom they most depend on for emotional and psychological well-being.

Should we be sounding the alarm over a system that is setting up young people for ever-escalating dysfunction? If not, why not? If so, what can we do about it?

Meet the panel:

Ida Tetlock serves clients as a professional organizer, life manager, and advocate. She is also a student of Thanatology and death doula candidate.

Stan Walters, aka The Lie Guy, teaches government agencies, military units, and law enforcement to uncover the truth, deliver justice, and make critical decisions in high-stakes situations.

Annie Yatch is founder and CEO of Northstar Leadership, helping corporate professionals convert instinctual behaviors into empathy-driven leadership.