It's The Truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying Summary

William Shakespeare once said, “God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another.” Lying is without a doubt never justifiable because lying can lead into even greater conflicts that might never be resolved additionally lying would ruin someone’s reputation; one might argue that lying can be justifiable under one circumstance which is that lying can protect people from danger; however, lying can make someone lose people’s trust.

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.

I find myself, regardless of how assiduous work became this past year, still hearing the rhetoric of politicians, media circles and celebrities. Wondering how citizens can disrespect the office of president a place once revered as the highest honor. One would think the rhetoric would end, but yet it seemed the disrespect continued long after Trump was elected president of the USA. I heard Denzel Washington remark a news reporter about how important their task is to not only report something first, but accurately and honestly.

Lying is a very serious problem everywhere, especially in America. I’ve been told that in America, credit is very important to have in able to become successful, besides, no one likes a compulsive liar.

From a young age, we are taught that lying is bad and it’s a sign of immaturity. However, our parents tell us these things as they lie to our face, called “white lies.” There are many instances in our culture when lying would be deemed acceptable: saving a life, fraudulent reassurance, or preserving harmony. To understand lying more, focus on the repercussions or punishments for lying. People are more inclined to lie when they fear the punishment that entails. We are quick to call others liars and frauds while we don’t even have a firm grasp between our idea of lying and truth telling. Our society draws an unclear line about when it is okay to lie and when not to. Basing everything purely off justification.

Lying in omnipresent and most would argue that in many cases lying is better than telling the truth. From a consequentialist and utilitarian’s view, lying creates more harm than good. According to Mill, there is a high moral assumption facing lying, as lying makes one less honest and weakens trust. So, when is lying morally permissible? One might suggest that lying is the most intuitively moral and justified option

To begin, many people believe that lying is unjustified, like German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Although, people agree with this statement, others may disagree. However, some people believe that “…lying is stressful and hurts relationships.” (Ballinger 5). This proves that lying is unjustified because if you chose to tell the truth it wouldn’t be stressful; and also it wouldn’t hurt relationships.

Sometimes telling a lie seems to be so necessary to spare our loved ones to be hurt. “Not only is Lying justified, it is sometimes a moral duty.” The above, evidence implies that by telling lies we can prevent future arguments from happening. Lying yields positive results rather than negative ones because you did lie to protect others and not to be hurt.

Half of the people believe that lying is never warranted, as two-third of the people say that it is justified. In the text, it states, “Over half of respondents said that lying was never justified.” This means that people don’t agree with lying. This also means that two-thirds lie for many reasons, including protection. In the texts, it also states, “Not only is lying justified, it is sometimes a moral duty. This means that people must lie to prevent something to happen. This also means that lying to protect can also be a moral duty. Lying is a good things in many ways, and can help people who depend on it.

For example, one quote that supports the claim is, “In the AP-Ipsos poll, 65 percent of those questioned said it was sometimes OK to lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, even though 52 percent said lying, overall, was never justified.” (NBC) This shows that the majority of the people who participated in the Advanced Press poll thought that it was sometimes fine to lie, though some people disagreed on their positions. This also shows that many people can not find a definite position because the percentages must overlap, there is no way to get one-hundred seventeen percent in a poll. Another quote is, “‘Not only is lying justified, it is sometimes a moral duty,’ says Cohen. An obvious example is when you’re lying to protect someone from serious harm. ‘But much less extreme cases often call for lies,’ Cohen says.” (NBC) This shows that lying is justified in both extreme cases, like hiding Anne Frank, and lesser cases, such as protecting or defending your friend from something. This proves that it is also sometimes necessary to lie, whether it is to protect someone from severe harm, or just to prevent hurting someone's feelings. Overall, the article, It’s the Truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying, shows that lying is always justified by giving evidence through results and also

When is lying okay? Is it okay at all times? We have been learning about lying in class. When is lying justified. Is it really such a bad thing? In article 1, they talk about how white lying is okay when someone tries to protect others. A white lie is a harmless or trivial lie. Lying is Never justified. Under some circumstances it is though.

Besides that, the other reason lying is justified is from the article “The U.S. Political Campaign: Lies, Lies, Lies,” by Paul Gray, Michael Duffy, Priscilla Painton, and Elizabeth Rudulph. During the Holocaust, Anne Frank and her family hat to hide from the Nazi’s, so that they wouldn’t be put into a concentration camp. In paragraph one it states, “...lying to protect others can literally be a