Telling the truth all the time is nearly infeasible. Stephanie Ericsson’s essay titled, “The Ways We Lie” breaks down the activity of lying into subcategories of the different kinds of lies we tell on a daily basis. In addition, Ericsson’s essay manages to point out the elemental role that lying plays in our lives and our culture. We all lie, whether to abstain from confrontation, spare people’s feelings, conveniently forget, keep secrets, or even to justify our own words and actions. By clarifying the extent into which we all lie, Ericsson insinuates a plethora of ways in which we fib, by listing and describing each lie in its natural element. By the end of her essay, Ericsson effectively lists ten types of lies that we have all committed in our lives: The White Lie, Façades, Ignoring the Plain Facts, Deflecting, Omission, Stereotypes
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Despite several variations presented with each fib, I found myself picking two of these ten prevarications from the list, and being able to relate these types of lies with my own personal experience. In other words, I have been guilty of committing a white lie and putting up a façade when it comes to pinpointing the type of fabrication l use on a daily basis. The form in which Stephanie Ericsson defines a white lie and façades, is by either describing some of her own experience and encounter with these two types of lies, or utilizing a relatable example of how each lie can play in a person’s life. In regards to telling a white lie, Ericsson states, “The white lie assumes that the truth will cause more damage than a simple, harmless untruth. Telling a friend, he looks great when he looks like hell can be based on a decision that the friend needs a compliment more than a frank opinion” (pg. 121). In other words, a white lie can be taken as a way of sparing someone’s feelings, especially when placed
Despite several variations presented with each fib, I found myself picking two of these ten prevarications from the list, and being able to relate these types of lies with my own personal experience. In other words, I have been guilty of committing a white lie and putting up a façade when it comes to pinpointing the type of fabrication l use on a daily basis. The form in which Stephanie Ericsson defines a white lie and façades, is by either describing some of her own experience and encounter with these two types of lies, or utilizing a relatable example of how each lie can play in a person’s life. In regards to telling a white lie, Ericsson states, “The white lie assumes that the truth will cause more damage than a simple, harmless untruth. Telling a friend, he looks great when he looks like hell can be based on a decision that the friend needs a compliment more than a frank opinion” (pg. 121). In other words, a white lie can be taken as a way of sparing someone’s feelings, especially when placed