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Originally posted by Amanda:
If nothing else good comes out of this expose which proved to be the ruin of the woman who ignorantly spoiled what later became her life's goal, I hope it will be to teach a lesson to youth to think once, twice, thrice about dishonest "fibs" to supposedly advance themselves.

And the same goes, for men and (to a lesser degree) women who behave in a way that might be considered unprincipled by others they respect - anyone who doesn't think through issues of right and wrong in their youth. Here, considering more the Me-Too sexual misbehavior and/or racist/other minority group put-downs, whether or not considered at the time as a "joke".

True, no one has a crystal ball to foresee what cultural changes might "get" them down the road, but perhaps one might at the very least work at developing a moral compass (and using it for guidance). Likewise, for other career choices they might follow (watch those tweets - or whatever is the future equivalent! especially if you might someday hope to find a place in public media, humor or otherwise (thinking of Trevor Noah, as an example).

If the evolution of cultural history catches them out down the road, then at least they'll be better able to explain their youthful choices as having been based on something resembling ethics.

Of course, we all undergo genuine changes of heart with time, but the ambitious especially had best consider carefully what they believe and why in their youth. Not that it's not important for ALL of us to do right, including figuring out what that means! However, there are means to ends considerations too. I include resume padding and perhaps others of you can think of even better examples. (I can think of successful family members who got ahead to a large extent based on misrepresenting themselves when seeking jobs or academic advancement.) I wonder if it was worth the risks they took, and whether they were justified on the basis of having gotten away with it.

True, that there are some leaders (starts with "T") for whom dishonesty or certain unethical behavior is actually a plus in being chosen - much less being a disqualifier. I'd still argue that it's not just more principled but wiser and safer to examine ones self-promotion carefully both on the basis of integrity and a "just in case" basis, foregoing what may be short-term advantages.

All the more for parents. I certainly hope today they expand their parenting wisdom today by the regrets many of today's would-be leaders are experiencing. That they are sure to include honor (remember that word?) in their life lessons to their children. That is, whether or not they raise them in the context of some formal religion or philosophy. It's not just a matter of whether one gets away with bending the rules, but that ethics are critical for children's well-being. (Thinking of the many contexts today, in the US and elsewhere, where parents actively participate in helping their children cheat to get ahead - hiring school admission coaches, writing admissions letters, looking the other way when their children develop workarounds for music or other downloads (or still more, setting an active example of such dishonesty). It's hard to draw lines in the sand for what our personal points of honor are (tax returns?), but generally I'd say we serve our children poorly if we don't make values a critical part of their education.

Not to say that sadly, deliberate twisting of applied standards aren't a critical part of many parents' teaching. I'd advocate making a strong effort to think through our own choices especially when "the children are watching/listening" - and when are they not?

Recalling a New Yorker cartoon where a board chairman pronounces, "Honesty is one of the better policies" - which as it happens, was drawn by my father (and used as the title of one of his books). His own standards were perhaps his best contributions to parenting us, including his pointedly informing me he was glad and proud to be paying at least half his income in his taxes. Also, that he advocated strong inheritance taxes (lucky for us, my mother circumvented that, to a degree!)

At which point I find myself examining my own example to my sons, and what as adults they have told me as mattered most to them. Not that anyone is able to be 100% honest however hard we may try (besides which in Warren's case, she defends her truth-twisting as the result of misinformation by her elders), but it's still a worthy goal.

And - as it turns out according to so many modern lessons - honesty IS also one of the safest policies.

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Originally posted by jon-nyc:

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Originally posted by QuirtEvans:
Cindy and Jodi's answer makes more sense to me than Jon's.

Odd since, of the three of us, I'm the only one who even addressed your question.

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I think something else was at work.

If you are white, you are not allowed to have racial pride. People who profess “white pride” are called supremacists.

That makes it a little special if you are white and can claim some other ancestry. Now you can profess pride in that, can identify with the struggle. Having heard these stories about Native American ancestry, Warren felt a little different, special. So if she didn’t claim it every chance she got, it would die with her generation.

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I agree that it was most likely about pride and feeling different and special, and “cool.”

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Originally posted by jon-nyc:
The question you asked me was about the advantage one might get from claiming to be an American Indian on a bar application.