American Conflicted About Lying: Article Analysis

Lies have been around for as long as people have been. We all lie, whether it is to protect someone we love of to cover up something we don’t want others to know about, it is still lying, and we all do it everyday. Lying has become the new normal for our modern society, so much so, that some of us have lost our morals completely. It is just so much easier and quicker to just lie to someone than to tell the truth, and now you can never tell who is lying to you or who is telling the truth. People use to have morals about lying and many people would feel bad about it and teach their children to never lie, but now in today’s society they just pop out of our mouths like they're nothing. We will never stop lying because it’s easier to live a lie

In 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, Stephanie Ericsson’s essay “The Ways We Lie” focuses on the many ways society lies today. “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” (159). It is common for many people to think of lying exactly how it is on the surface, not telling the truth. Ericsson’s essay forces you to second guess this stereotype and begin to realize that lying is even more prevalent in today’s society than most people might imagine. Looking around today with this mindset would help us make more informed political decisions, better decisions on friends, and better “next-step” positions. Our lives are not horrible places, but better steps for these areas of our lives could improve our lives dramatically.

Lies, they're everywhere, are they worth the trouble? Throughout these three articles, “It’s the truth”, “Honestly tell the truth”, and “Rejecting all lies”, the authors precisely analyze who agrees, and who doesn’t agree with lying, and why. Lying may be the first thing to come to mind when in a bad situation, but does anyone realize how much damage it can cause towards the other person or to the liar themselves?

In the article “It’s the truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying” the author believes that lying is only justified if it doesn’t hurt anyone. The author supports his claim by stating “Apparently white lies are acceptable, even necessary, part of many lives-even though we dislike the idea of lying.” This supports his claim by saying that lying is sometimes necessary. Also, the article states that 65 percent of Americans voted that it was ok to lie sometimes. This also helps his claim by stating that people will lie to protect each other or to not cause harm. The author also supports his claim by stating “Not only is lying justified, It is sometimes a moral duty.” (Randy Cohen) This also supports the claim by saying sometimes you have to lie

A significant form of interpersonal communication that plays an enormous role in relationships is lying. Lying has evolved into a frequent practice in today’s society. Even though, lying seem to be fond upon, we all have done it multiple times for not just our benefit but for others. In relationships, lying is turned from a negative to positive act depending on the circumstances. It seems as if, you lie in attempt to help another person it’s celebrated than if you lie for your benefits. Lying is known to only mislead or give a false impression in which the false hood can only cause negative acts. Why does one enange in lying if the outcome is negative? The most found reason that people find themselves lying is because of the truth. It is said that many people lie because long-term the truth is worse than the short-term lie. Lying is judged off its cost and benefits. In each situation, there will be outcomes when it comes to the lies being told. Lying to those you have impersonal connection with has less of an impact than those you have an interpersonal relationships. Those that has an impersonal relationships is nearly never affected by the lies told because normally they do not see that person as often as those with the close bonds. I understand that lying can be beneficial in relationship of any kind, but I personally feel that the truth is preferred. There are two consequences that puts strain on the relationship. Termination is the last step in a relationship; there are

(1996) was a broad study that yielded several results. People lie daily, a finding not many would be surprised with. The lie more often outside of face-to-face interactions, unsurprising given the prominence of body language in communication. The types of things people lied about were consistent with ideas of monitoring impression formation; in simpler terms, people often lie to look better to others. It also appears that people lie with some frequency about positive feelings. This suggests that we may not want to take responses or comments about positive feelings at face value, and may want to dig deeper out of concern if we believe these responses to be dishonest. The findings in sex difference suggest that women lie to protect others much more often than men, but also lie more about others more than men. While this reinforces gossip stereotypes, it also reinforces the idea that women are more sensitive. To summarize the findings, if you desire open and honest conversation, you will likely have to encourage it. The prevalence of lying, for positive or negative reasons, is so great that it is a daily occurrence. To combat this, you must first acknowledge the astounding frequency of lying, and then voice your desire for less of it. After all, interactions without lies were rated more positively than ones with lies. If you want a more open, honest,

Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly

Lying can save you in severe situations such as life or death. Elie lied about his age and said he was eighteen instead of fifteen. “‘Your age?’ he asked, perhaps trying to sound paternal. ‘I'm eighteen.’ My voice was trembling.” (Wiesel 31). Not telling exact information to strangers about yourself can prevent bad things from happening. He told the doctor he was sick so he didn’t have to get his crown taken. His crown could buy him an extra ration of bread and soup, so he decided it’d be smart to keep it. He said he was a farmer because it could save him from being killed immediately. Lying is one of many ways that can help people survive in certain situations.

In her essay “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson (2007) states different ways people lie in their lives and explains the reasons why people lie. Ericsson starts her essay, by explaining how she lied four times in just one day, and that she doesn’t feel guilty about doing it. Although at the same time she explains that everyone lies one way or another but there is no such a thing as a good lie. The author continues her contends by listing different types of lies people use in different situations such as: the white lie, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and finally delusion then she explains each in detail by providing examples.

As we all know, lying is a constant part of many people’s lives, whether they realize it or not. Now and then, we’ve all lied to our parents about our homework being completed. (Even though your homework is not done because playing video games or texting your friends is more interesting.) Honestly, lot’s of us have told a lot of white lies or maybe even a whopper of a lie, and we all have varied views on when we should or shouldn 't lie. Such as Brad Blanton, an author of a book about lying and the article, “Honestly, Tell the Truth” who believes in the concept of radical honesty: telling the truth at all times. (excluding a matter of life or death) By cutting out the white lies we tell throughout the course of our lives, there will be less lies to, as Blanton states “unnecessarily complicate our lives.” I agree with Blanton and his opinion that we honestly need to tell the truth and that if we cut out most if the lies we tell, our lives will be free of the aftermath of a lie: damaged relationships and unnecessary amounts of stress. I believe that lying is burdening to the liar who usually fights a losing battle, for he will most likely be found out. I also believe that if we excessively lie, this pattern will become a habit and a problem that will be hard to get rid of in the future. I consider lying to be harmful and damaging to relationships and to negatively affect your character and lower your moral standards. Everyone has lied occasionally, if not frequently, but if

A 64-year-old novelist, Stephanie Ericsson, does a great job explaining the reason and how people lie in her essay “The Ways We Lie.” Her essay is about different types of lies and the consequences of each type of lie which was first appeared in the Utne Reader as the cover article in January 1993. Initially, she seems to say lying is not a bad thing and it should be done in necessary times. However, she mentions different lies and where they should be used. According to Ericsson, people don’t realize how lying affects the lives of others (2). I, myself, consider Ericsson the best author I have ever seen. Thus, she uses first-person perspective and signifies that she is talking about herself in some cases. She targets an audience who are lying

Furthermore, it is justified to lie in order to prevent hurting someone. Most people are familiar with the white lies we tell to avoid an argument or just to make others feel better. These lies can be found in the article “It’s the Truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying”, published by NBCNews.com. Within this article, people are asked about their opinions on when it is okay to lie. It states, “In the AP-Ipsos poll, 65 percent

Lying is something you have done, I have done, and everyone to ever live has done. Each and every person that denied that statement, at this moment lied. Situations people lie in is an ultimately different matter in hand. The accustomed, influenced character of a person believes you should tell the truth, endlessly. Nevertheless, justified lies can go to the extent only when you are protecting someone's life or feelings.

Do you believe lying is okay? Paul Gary, Priscilla Painton, and Elizabeth Rudolph wrote an article “The U.S. Political campaign; lies to protect” talking about their prospective on the situation. I agree with this article because sometimes we need to protect others from the truth about how we feel. Also just to keep the person as our friend.

As a general articulation, there is very little contention that would emerge when one expresses that lying is wrong. However, when proffered theoretical circumstances start to crawl further into different circumstances, people will start to dodge and legitimize why lying would be satisfactory in specific circumstances.