“Liar, liar, pants on fire! ” On the playground we used to yell this at someone who did something dishonest. We were in their faces. We demanded better.

Somewhere along the way, that simple standard faded. Now, lies don’t get called out—they get likes.

Scrolling yesterday on Twitter, and I saw a tweet about A$AP Rocky cheating on Rihanna—that thing was completely false, yet it spread like melting butter on warm toast.

Saw bits of a speech claiming to have decimated Iran’s capabilities only to have two of our airplanes shot down. I think someone was lying. Politicians bend the truth, put our troops in harm’s way and get mad when they are fact checked by bombed wreckage.

Then there’s the lies we’re all guilty of— picking up pictures that look so polished that they barely resemble reality.

It makes me stop and ask: whatever happened to the truth? Does it exist? Has it been trampled on these social streets and stomped on, crushed into the pavement like dust beneath our feet?

According to Statistica, internet users around the globe average 6 hours and 38 minutes of being online daily. We, here in the United States, average around 10. Imagine the amount of curated illusions, we’ve soaked up. Edited photos, staged luxury trips, and even fake relationships have become some kind of digital currency.

And with AI tools, bots, and filters, it’s never been easier to lie. Anyone can build a perfect life or post an outrageous Am I the A*****e Tweet, something so patently false but meant for catching casually, scrolling eyeballs.

And when we see digital attention, those “likes” appear to translate into status, attention, and brand deals, the temptation to lie grows stronger.

But what does that do to our souls?

At first, it seems harmless. A little extra filter here. A small exaggeration there. But over time, these little distortions pile up. Truth shouldn’t be flexible. Authenticity should never be optional.

And yet, we now kinda expect it.

When lies are constant, they stop shocking us—and that might be the most dangerous part how easily we now accept this reality.

That’s a deep cost. We compare our real lives to someone else’s fabricated one, and feel like we’re falling short. We measure our accomplishments against illusions.

Then some of us feel the tug, the draw to keep up. How can we ever compete with lies.

It amazes me what we are now willing to accept as normal. Dishonesty has become normalized. We see it in headlines and in speeches.

Lies which would’ve gotten me kicked off the playground or grounded at home are now laughed at as everyday conversations.

The line between truth and fiction keeps blurring, until it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. And yet, we all know—deep down—that our values are being lost.

I want to go back to a time—real or imagined—when integrity mattered. When being a “good man” or a “good woman” meant something solid. When your word carried weight. When truth wasn’t negotiable, even when it was inconvenient.

Integrity is more than just telling the truth—it’s about who you are when no one is watching. It’s about choosing honesty even when a lie would be easier, faster, or more rewarding. It’s about building a life that doesn’t need filters to look meaningful.

The internet may reward illusion, but real life should still depend on truth. I want to trust in relationships, the credibility of our leaders, and see respect in our communities. None of this exists without honesty. Once trust is broken, it’s very far hard to rebuild any reputation crafted online.

So maybe it’s time to bring back not just “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” but the will to challenge ourselves and others back to being real.

In a world full of curated lies, the truth should be the one thing that binds us together, the one thing that doesn’t need editing.

Speaking of Liars - How about murderous liars, today, is the release of the audiobook for Murder in Berkeley Square. Get cozy, as our intrepid Lady Worthing is snowed in with murderers. You know some bodies.

Need More Liars?

Let’s not forget the our ladies who have to fib about their identities. Female pirates in disguise. Have you gotten a copy of Fire Sword and Sea—the audio is amazing. And come out to see me April 11th, Come to Conyers Book Festival. April 12th, meet Michigan at the Detroit Public Library. All my friends and General Motors buddies come on out. I am not lying when I say, I want to see you.

This week’s book list all lies:

The Death of Truth, Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump

by Michiko Kakutani Examines how political rhetoric, media, and culture have eroded respect for facts.

Algorithms of Oppression, How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya Umoja Noble Reveals how search engines and digital platforms perpetuate bias and misinformation.

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon Follows a woman rebuilding her life after a viral cheating scandal.

Need more liars?

A Deal at Dawn coming June 31, 2026 - The Duke of Torrance and Lady Hampton have to find new spouses, and definitely not each other, not again.

Consider purchasing these books plus Fire Sword and Sea or preorder A Deal at Dawn (Lies are getting exposed in that one) from The Book Worm Bookstore or from one of my partners in the fight, bookstores large and small, who are in the trenches with me.

You can find my notes on Substack or on my website, VanessaRiley.com, under the podcast link in the About tab.

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Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire