Theme Judith Viorst wants readers to know the results of lying; although after people told a lie, they have to keep “lying in order to back up the lies that are backing up the lie” (208). The worst thing is the liars have to remember what they said when they lied. An additional effect…
1. (Summary) List and Describe or Define the different “Lies” Ericsson discusses. (Response) Would you add any? List and describe them.…
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…
Read & Respond: The Ways We Lie The White Lie At times, the white lie is necessary in order prevent the damage that the truth may cause. In “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson provides an example of how the simple white lie of listing one of sargent's men as missing allowed that man’s family to be compensated indefinitely since listing him dead would result in a lump-sum pittance. Although the lie allowed the dead man’s family to be compensated, the result of this lie is dangerous since it falsely keeps the family’s hopes up so that they’ll be unable to move on in their lives.…
Lying is a sin everyone commits in their lifetime; often on multiple occasions, and is a prevalent theme in today’s society. At times, it is human tendency to lie to avoid trouble, difficult situations, spare others feelings, and enhance social status. In some cases, it seems as though lying is the only option a person has or possibly the best alternative. But a lie has the ability to do more harm than good especially in valuable relationships. In the novel The Girl on the Train, author Paula Hawkins explores the devastating consequences lying has on treasured connections and all areas of a relationship.…
Adolf Hitler once said: “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” This quote explains how if you tell a lie in history enough people will start to believe that it is true. Longfellow could be stretching the truth about what really had happened. The poem it says that Revere rode around alone but that was not true. Many people may find this poem a good source of information, but many people may not.…
By acknowledging that stereotypes were also considered lies. Judging one person by their gender, skin color or status and applying it to others, may, in the end, be assuming over real facts. Ericsson states “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big-guy institutions.”…
The ten types of lies Ericsson talks about are the white lie, façades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and delusion. A white lie is a lie we tell in order to prevent more harm than good if we were to have told the truth. Façades are the way that we present ourselves to make it seems as we are better than we actually are. What ignoring the plain facts means is that even if you know someone or something is problematic and you continue to use their services because it will somehow benefit you. Deflecting is a method of lying that some people use to shift the focus of a lie off of them and onto someone else.…
Third, proponents of the right to lie support it because of the dangers associated with being honest and truthful in all situations, particularly with regards to developing and maintaining social relationships. Despite the consideration of lying as a wrong and immoral act, speaking the truth in every situation is relatively difficult because truthfulness can sometimes damage social relationships and even contribute to harm on the society. In some cases, speaking the truth is a nightmare and worse than lying even though the truth is always desirable. Korsgaard states that being truthful in some situations may make an individual a victim of wickedness of other people who are increasingly willing to abuse the truthfulness (p.14). Therefore, the…
We lie about three times every ten minutes in a conversation, estimated to be 25 lies a day. The truth is important in several ways. Our world is a bunch of lies, not a lot of people tell the truth anymore. Our world would be happier if we all told the truth. Friends even lie to you, but why?…
James E. Faust once said, “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.” Lying is commonly used in our society, and can bring people do a disagreement regarding whether or not it is justified. Some feel that it is crucial in life today, while others strongly believe that it should never be used. Faust’s statement is true because in the articles, “Rejecting All Lies: Immanuel Kant,” by Sissela Bok, “Teens Do their Share of Lying,” by Loretta Ragsdell, and “It’s the Truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying,” by NBCNEWS.com, there is evidence on why lying should be prohibited because it harms people, how lying hurts people’s daily lives, whether it be personal or professional, and how lying…
It seems that lying and deceiving have become more and more prominent in today’s society, more than ever before. I don’t know why it is more prevalent now than in the past, but this case is just one example of many. Are there any of you in this class who are taking psychology or sociology? Perhaps you could shed some light. I believe that lying is a break down of…
Has lying influenced the individuals that we are today. Over the course of the past week i have been keeping a lying journal on the amount of times i would lie. Analyzing my daily results, I have came to the conclusion that i told sweet little lies more then anything else. “ They make it easier for people to get along.” - Bella Depaulo.…
This paper has proven that self-deception can be found in the social, informational, and evolutionary context of self-deception. It is invariably true that we as a society value lying as it brings us comfort and protects us from hard…
What puts these lies into categorizes is their…