That vertical furrow is like a liar’s beacon

Published: February 20, 2013 at 5:41pm

Have you noticed that whenever Muscat is lying or about to lie (but only when the lies are worrying him because he’s not sure), the vertical furrow between his brows deepens.

Surely his little friend Jeffrey can sort that out with some Botox sessions.




17 Comments Comment

  1. Jozef says:

    He made the distinction between being a retired judge and serving as a magistrate yesterday.

    Personal integrity doesn’t fit Muscat’s idea of a human being.

    The more he speaks, the deeper the insight into an ideology.

  2. Malta Taghna Biss - PL says:

    True. The entire complexion of his face changes when he lies or when he is under intense pressure.

    You can see the vertical furrow deepening here as well.

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130219/elections-news/muscat-says-he-knew-about-drug-incident-at-safi-not-attard-club.458300

    It must be somehow related to the blood circulation.

  3. Trojan says:

    Indeed this man is always lying through his teeth. His style is so repeatedly convincingly untrue all along his road-map.

  4. Bubu says:

    I had posted the below under an earlier post but it had moved to the archives by the time the comment was approved. I’m posting the comment again because it seems relevant in this context.

    One facial expression idiosyncrasy I noticed is that in most camera shots in a public setting in which he is smiling, during press-conferences for example, the corners of his mouth go down instead of up as is usual for a smile.

    This is a dead give-away that the smile is put-on and not genuine and indicates deception. In fact in pictures when he is caught genuinely smiling or laughing his facial expression is quite different.

    I remember the case of a missing child in the US a few years ago. The mother of the child was plastered all over the media tearfully appealing to her kidnappers to return the child.

    Eventually it came to light that it was actually the mother who had killed her own child and disposed of the body (unknown by the father).

    I remember seeing an analysis of the video footage in which the woman was making her desperate plea and these kinds of cues were being pointed out, especially the corners of the mouth, that, in her case were actually raised up instead of drawn down as would be normal for a person expressing grief.

  5. Amanda Mallia says:

    Coincidentally, I made exactly the same comment to somebody this weekend, saying that the giveaway about the non-veracity of what Muscat is saying is his glazed facial expression and the furrow between his eyes.

  6. vanni says:

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130220/elections-news/alleged-drug-trafficking-at-pl-club-all-pl-had-was-word-of-one-man-against-another-s-muscat.458478

    Apart from dragging the President of Malta into his own and Toni Abela’s mess, who is Joseph Muscat to decide if the police should proceed with investigating a serious crime or not?

    And just because, if his claims are to be believed, nobody wanted to bear witness against another person, he, not only as a leader of a political party and probable future prime minister, but as a parent, was duty bound to have taken all steps to make sure that the police acted on this matter.

    As Muscat is very well aware, most kazini are not only frequented by old people, but young impressionable kids as well.

    But I guess his parenting duties must perforce be sacrificed at the altar in favour of his ambition.

  7. Makjavel says:

    Any psychiatrist worth his salt will interpret Joseph’s facial movements.

    He is insecure in himself despite trying to portray confidence, and he lies continuously . He cannot face a one to one challenge and he cannot face questioning.

    He can’t handle criticism.

    He reads his speeches.

    He only answers questions with diversionary remarks.

    He always surrounds himself with hecklers when he has to face Gonzi.

    He keeps sending his different candidates to discussions even though the subject discussed is not theirs.

    He is still the petty Super One Journalist he was. He himself stated the poor standard of Super One Journalists this week when he tried to ridicule a young journalist to the Super One Journalist of his time.

    When the journalist retorted back that Joseph was one of those journalist, Joseph ran away, literally.

  8. Neil Dent says:

    Contradictions, or their reversal is what he does. On Bondi+ last night, presented with hugely contradicting statements, he repeatedly tried to argue that both were identical to each other and on the exact same lines.

    He did it when discussing his relationship with Anglu Farrugia (post forced resignation).

    He did it more than once while defending Toni ‘Ice-Ice-Baby’ Abela.

    He did it while discussing Austin Gatt’s last press conference, in the context of the Mallia/Bartolo/Farrugia Sacco press conference.

    The list goes on.

  9. me says:

    When he is lying he doesn’t look into his interviewer’s eyes.

  10. Wilson says:

    The issue is, that up until two weeks prior to the campaign started he was still looking as to where he could possibly buy oil at a cheaper price (I know that deep furrow is him lying). But now with the increase in gas price (hence the possible viability of shale gas extraction put in place) he has been outrun in his search of how to convince the island that he can reduce the W&E bills.

  11. Aston says:

    The problem with your theory is that it assumes there are times when he is not lying.

    • Tabatha White says:

      Snake-oil artist analysis:

      There are the big lies, the little lies and the no-comment vacuums.

      The little lies fill in the gaps and sound important. They are what keep the illusions alive. Almost anything that sounds reasonably pleasing and semi-intelligent and ensures the ‘investment’ of the audience will do. These become new-truths: the dogma until refuted.

      When the new-truth is first questioned you get the no-comment, vacant look, I didn’t know, It wasn’t me, I had no choice – the shrug. Then when evidence gathers, there is the big lie deflection, having positioned the stack of proof into the no man’s land position of morally wrong but just about legally defendable and having ensured that there is zero evidence or zeroed evidence (this includes destruction, pay off and other types of action). The first attempt is to say this was a figment of your imagination. There was a misunderstanding (cultural, of location, of amount, etc.)

      The snake-oil artist will then smoothly ride on to the next flurry of promises and visits creating a new vortex of chaos, sand-in-your-eyes details (wife, podium, we’re in club), and activity so that the lies get lost and forgotten. People generally have short memories, other things to do and hardly ever bother noting the whole into a complete list. The lies are too myriad and the context itself often needs explaining. The snake-oil artist will count on no one having enough time for all of that bother. That will take him to the next benchmark, and the next. etc.

      A detailed tracking log of these lies, and traceability on paper and in point form is what is essential to keep tabs on such a person. No fear and hesitation in confronting this head-on is what keeps the snake-oil artist in check. The higher his public profile, the longer it will take for people to tackle him head on and have no qualms about embarrassing him publicly.

      An exacting journalist may however find that undue pressure will be exerted in some form.

      Generally audiences are kept separate and distinct, which gives the lies a longer life. In Joseph’s case his only crucial benchmark is the election.

      It is important to know that the snake-oil artist will not magically reform or stop lying. You may quote him, but even then he may have been lying.

      The we’re in club and the facebook likes are there to exert pressure against those on the outside. Internally the “we’re in club” too will become hierarchal and managed by divide and rule. Internal envy to secure the favour of the snake-oil artist is an element manipulated as a motivator.

      (Perhapsthis is why Louis Grech, being both advanced in age and ill, has been placed in the position of Deputy).

  12. Peter Grech says:

    I also don’t know why Labour politicians and their crew every time they come or go from an event their faces show that they did something wrong or evil and are leaving the scene.

    The short one, Kurt I believe, is always guilty on this.

  13. old-timer says:

    Regarding the W&E Bills. Muscat has sown the seed and it is taking root so whatever anybody says (experts included) will not have the slightest effect on the illiterate hordes on March 9.

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