Adrienne Rich asserts that women's dishonesty is not equivalent to men's dishonesty. Men's trust is in their word, and lying is simple deceit. Rich argues in her essay "Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying" that women lie with more than words, and for a different purpose. She claims that women lie with their silence and their bodies in an attempt at self-preservation.
Rich writes that "[women] have been expected to lie with [their] bodies, to bleach, redden, or unkink or curl [their] hair," lying about having hair which better fits men's expectations, "pluck eyebrows, shave armpits," lying about being hairless, "wear padding in various places or lace [themselves]," lying about their body shape to better fit men's expectations, "take little
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These expectation of women to not be truthful are held in place by a strict patriarchal society. If a woman does not obey society's rules, she is ridiculed or punished. A woman shamed and considered disgusting if she dare not shave, even though shaving has no actual effect on a person's health. Women are made fun of and put on public television to correct their wardrobe if it does not emphasize the correct aspects of her body. Women are called lazy if they do not manage their hair or wear makeup. These seemingly mundane punishments may not present actual threat to women, but they create a hostile environment for women who do not conform to society's wishes. Rich also a more severe punishment for not adhering to society's rules, "clitoridectomies for 'lustful' nuns or for 'difficult' wives." (415) This mutilation of one of the most sensitive parts of the entire human body is in retaliation for simply not following the patriarchal pattern set for women. Rich asserts that "[women] tell lies [to...] men who have power over [them],"such as, "bosses, prison guards, the police," and that, because of these instances, women, "forget [they] are living or that lying becomes a weapon [women] carry into relationships with people who do not have power over [them]." (416) Rich is reiterating how the expectation of women to lie leads to other dishonesties. She states that "lying ... becomes an easy way to avoid conflict or complications," such as how women respond to personal inquiries (i.e. "how are you") with " fine", or other dismissals, to avoid having to be honest of their emotions, because women are expected to simultaneously be mature and in control of their emotions, and be a ridiculous emotional
In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she describes the many ways we create miscommunication individually and as a community. Lies that affect us individually are lies we commit between ourselves and a small group, like, “your hair looks great” to a friend, knowing you meant the opposite. Meanwhile, lies that affects society is on a more severe consequence scale – Adolf Hitler, world famous anarchist, persuaded his soldiers into believing obliterating the life of massive amount of Jewish believers had a good cause, when it actually disrupted society itself. Her main topic is how we are consumed by lies and deceptions abused by oneself and society. She categorizes each lie which she later elaborates the different consequences they
After reading both stories, I found that I enjoyed Stephanie Ericsson’s, “The Ways We Lie” the most. This story was very interesting and made me think of many different things. I did not realize that there were so many different ways to lie. I was guilty of doing a few of them. After reading the section about the white lie, I realized that I do this sometimes without even noticing it. Ericsson gives the example of when your friend may look terrible one day, but you tell them that they look nice just so they would feel better. Most people, along with myself, do not see this as a bad thing because you are doing something good for someone else, but either way you are still lying. As I continued reading, I was also shocked about a few parts, especially
Stephanie Ericsson is a novelist. She does a great job explaining why people lie and the different types of lies in her essay “The Ways We Lie.” Ericsson’s essay was first published as the cover story for the Utne Reader magazine in 1993. Ericsson tries to send an important message through her essay: “Lying has influence on nearly everyone we have known.” As she describes her experiences with her partner, child, friend, and bank, the situation becomes very familiar to the readers which have gone through similar situations every day” (31,32,33).
The author of “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson published this article to breakdown and categorize the many different types of lies we tell on a daily basis. Now, can a person tell lies on a daily basis and still consider themselves an honest person? A person who lies on a daily basis cannot be considered a honest person. One cannot be considered honest because lies are meant to deceive and give a false impression. Also one who lies on a daily basis should not be considered honest because a lie can affect reality either lightly or in a drastic way.
In discussions on the topic of lying, a controversial issue has been whether there is justification of lying or not. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of if there is ever a time when a lie can be told for the good of someone else. Whereas some are convinced that lies should never be told, others agree that there are certain instances where lying is acceptable because the liar protects the one lied to. In the essay “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she explores the types of lies and how they affect everyday people. In Anton Chekhov’s fictional story, “The Lady with the Dog,” he displays two characters, Dmitri Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna, lying for love and to avoid consequence by their spouses. I stand against lying for the benefit of oneself because I think that it has the ability to ruin relationships or friendships and is hard to keep up the lies which leads to creating more lies. Although some people think that there are circumstances that warrant lying, I claim that no one should lie because lies end up hurting both people involved: the liar and the person lied to.
America lies in the wake of the impending presidential election, which has been shrouded in controversy from its infancy. FBI investigations, leaked emails, private recordings, rape allegations, and indubitable untruths have pledged both front-runners. Despite the foul taste left in the mouth of many Americans by Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, they have come out victorious in their campaign to represent their respective party as the nominee for president. While it was once widely believe that the American people democratically elect the president of the United States, through current influences such as the media, Internet, and growing population an exuberant amount of Americans believe that their vote no longer counts, thus posing the question who’s really in control of the electoral process? In the past, the call to question of the integrity of the electoral processes was strictly reserved for the most devout conspiracy theorist, but with the pullulating concerns over super delegates, average sound mind Americans are not sure the full truth is being told. Has America been fed at noble lie? A simple answer yes, a more complex answer America has been fed a misconception disguised as a lie.
The chapter explains the fear men have for anything that can be categorized as feminine or girly. She uses examples of barrettes, flowers, the holding of the purse, diamond rings, and the unimaginable task of men having to pick up a box of tampons. Furthermore, she introduces the idea of refusing a man sex until they are able to go into public with an article of clothing, frilly shoes, or any accessory that is deemed feminine by society.
In the essay The Ways We Lie, author Stephanie Ericsson writes in depth about the different types of lies used by most people everyday. While listing examples of them, Ericsson questions her own experiences with lying and whether or not it was appropriate. By using hypothetical situations, true accounts, and personal occurrences, she highlights the moral conflicts and consequences that are a result of harmless fibs or impactful deceptions. In an essay detailing the lies told to ourselves and others, Ericsson points out one bold truth; everyone lies. Through her writing, Ericsson causes the reader to look into how they’ve lied in the past and how to effects others and the general greater good of society.
In the essay Sex, Lies, and Conversation Deborah Tannen focuses on the differences and lack of communication between men and women though observations. She came to the conclusion that men were not lacking in their listening, but they were however listening in a different way than the women did. On the other hand, men aren’t the only people that have terrible communication skills. In many ways, these differences between the two genders can cause major conflict when not understood by the opposite side. A few examples of lack of communication may be when women don’t decide where they would like to eat, men who walk away from an argument rather than talking it out, and their decision making processes.
According to societal expectations, women are expected to be docile and submissive to men. Daisy, a character in The Great Gatsby, claims that she hopes her daughter will “be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 17). Put simply, women are expected to look pretty and keep their mouths shut and opinions to themselves. By being a “beautiful little fool” a girl would grow up, unaware and ignorant of the constraints put on her (Fitzgerald 17). Similarly, Rugen from The Princess Bride says, “Your
Men are from Mars, and women are from Venus. A classic analogy describing how men and women are both born on Earth, but display different characteristics in communication. While two individuals start off through physical attraction, the way that a relationship last is through strong communication and the understanding between both people. Deborah Tannen elaborates on the different methods of how each sex communicates, and the issues that arise. Causing relationships to become distressed, due to the opposite gender not being able to interpret the differences between male and female expectations in terms of communicating.
In her paper, The right to lie: Kant on dealing with evil, Christine Korsgaard offers an example in which lying is morally permissible under one formulation of Kant’s categorical imperative yet not another. From this Korsgaard concludes that Kant’s formulations of Universal Law and of Humanity as an End in Itself are not equivalent, and that one is more strict than the other. In this paper I will present Korsgaard's example and then use her interpretation of the Formulation of Universal Law to evaluate what it would prescribe as the correct responses to three additional cases.
Men and women follow social constructs, which are notions or abstractions which carry with them certain expectations and classifications. Women are expected to look pretty and be a good mother. Betty was always in charge of childcare and expected to be well kept and put together. She was even concerned when her daughter was in a car accident and had a little bruise on her face. Betty was worried that her daughter would not be “perfect” if she had a scar on her face. Betty also thought that she needed to see a therapist, but this was frowned upon because it would make her look unstable.
We are told from a very young that we should tell the truth, and that lying is wrong; an immoral action which we should not engage in. Yet lying is a large part of daily life, whether it be our lying to others or others lying to us, around us, or lying in ways that affect our lives. Oftentimes, the lies we tell are for social gain; for the purposes of esteem, affection, or respect. We lie as a way to manage others impressions of us. Studies have found that women are generally more intimate in their interactions, which would suggest that they lie less. However, might women lie more to benefit others, as opposed to self-centered lies? A study by DePaul et al. (1996) set out to answers questions about the frequency of lying, types of lies told,
In Bloom's second edition of "The Republic of Plato," there are many troubling issues. The one that strikes me the most, however, is the idea of the "noble lie." I find this completely disturbing for a number of reasons. It is immoral and wrong to deliberately deceive someone. This idea also completely contradicts Socrates' argument that it is beneficial to be just.