Premium Essay

Ericsson's Essay 'The Ways We Lie'

Submitted By
Words 597
Pages 3
Lies have been around for as long as a person has been. Everyone lies, whether it is to protect the ones we love or to cover up something we don’t want others to find out. Lying is the new moral of our modern day society. It's much easier to lie to someone than to tell the truth. In Ericsson’s essay The Ways We Lie, she describes nine descriptions and examples of lies we all say in a day. No matter how honest you try to be, most people ends up saying a lie. Sometimes lies are necessary, but does that really mean someone should build their life upon lies on top of lies. We tend to not pick them out as “water is to fish”. Throughout the essay it tells about how humans can lie in many different ways.

As the quote states “our acceptance of lies becomes a cultural cancer that

eventually shrouds and reorders reality until moral garbage becomes as

invisible to us as water is to a fish." Both cancer and garbage are used to describe the lying. Cancer is used to describe a …show more content…
She does this to emphasize her purpose--to encourage people to think of the consequences of lying. This is an analogy she uses for her quote “Our acceptance of lies becomes a cultural cancer that eventually shrouds and reorders reality until moral garbage becomes as invisible to us as water is to a fish” She believes you should not teach a child to use a white lie, because as they grow up they will discover what it truly means. At that point, they will be able to use their own personal judgment as to when it is appropriate to tell a white lie. Another lie that Ericsson mentions is stereotypes and clichés. Stereotypes can clichés are also very slippery lies that can come out with out someone even know that they are using them. Stereotyping is a very dangerous lie that more often than not it does more harm than good and should not be recommended to anyone but it also should not totally ruled

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Is Lying Bad For Us Analysis

...“The Ways We Tell Lies.” Ericsson explains the different ways we lie and why we lie. The importance of this essay is to show that Ericsson has a strong article. By comparing tone, purpose, and evidence in the two essays, the reader can determine that Ericsson’s essay is stronger. Gunderman’s tone is formal. Formal tone can be difficult to understand his point of view. In his writing he uses case studies and quotes from scholars, which can be difficult for the reader to understand and relate. Gunderman writes: “Perhaps the most powerful more argument for honesty has to do with what the French...

Words: 920 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Ways We Lie Analysis

...When someone tells the truth, are they telling a lie? According to Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie,” 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 institutes” (Ericsson Paragraph 3). In today’s world, people lie. I believe that what Ericsson has said about lying and the ways we do it is absolutely true. In the play, “The Crucible,” people lied about witchcraft. In real life, different people lie about different things. In society, like the 2016 Presidential Nominees, they lie about many things so they can get your vote in November. Arthur Miller, author of “The Crucible,” based many of...

Words: 755 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay

...October 12, 2013 “ The Ways We Lie “ and “ Too Much Pressure” In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay “ The Ways We Lie “, her thesis states “ lying , she finds , may be unavoidable and even sometimes beneficial” (348 ). In Colleen Wenke’s essay “ Too Much Pressure “ her thesis ask the question “ Why do students cheat n school? ( 482 )”. Both of these essays give their strong reasons on why these two things take place. For Ericsson it is situations that we are put in, and for Wenke the excuse is the stresses of life. Both of these essays are thought provoking in the aspect of the general views of the reasons why we do things. These essays discuss in great detail each author’s point of view and tone. The tone in “ The Way We Lie “ is that of it is just the way of the world and for that we really should not be surprised. In this essay when 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 ( 348 )”. This tone has a what is the big deal feeling. In contrast the essay “ Too Much Pressure “ has a different tone. When the Wenke says “ A main difference between school today and school when my parents were enrolled is that we are now very goal-oriented and will compromise our values to achieve those goals” ( 484 ). Wenke also states “ Students who would not usually cheat get sucked into believing it is the only way to get ahead in school”...

Words: 795 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Results of a Lie

...101: Critical Response Essay 20 February 2015 Results of a lie What is the reason for lying? When is a lie acceptable? Who does a lie hurt most? These questions are answered in Stephanie Ericsson’s essay “The Ways We Lie.” Ericsson begins by dishonestly calling the bank of her deposit check; stating it was in the mail, when it was not written yet. Lies arose, one after another. It started by explaining to a client her tartness due to traffic, hiding the fact that her day was terrible from her husband and denying a lunch invitation from a friend since she was busy (290).  Lying provides individuals a way to escape confrontation; only during certain situations are lies tolerable; on the other hand lies can hurt the liar and the victim.   It is human nature to lie, but that is not a reason to do such actions. Rather than expressing their true feelings some people believe that lying is easier, and most of the time it is the first choice. Ericsson emphasizes, “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare peoples feelings” (290). A lie becomes second nature to many; it is the go to option when wanting to dodge certain individuals. Trying to save the feelings of victims of a lie, people run to a dishonest face only fantasizing that the lie will protect the victim’s feelings. Even the small lies counts, when asked how their day was people tend to respond with “good” hiding the fact it was the worst day ever. It is simpler to lie than to explain why...

Words: 741 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

An Innovation Strategy for Lg Electronics

...can function as a camera, PDA and has many other features such as gaming functions and access to the Internet. Based on 3G, broadband is also paving the way for video-telephony and TV viewing. Characterised by continuous change and innovation, the mobile phone industry then sets an exciting stage for devising an innovation strategy. Our focus will be on mobile phone manufacturer LG. LG Electronics, Inc. is in fact a consumer electronics company with two other business units (Digital Display & Media and Digital Appliances), besides the Handset unit we will focus on in our report. On a global scale, LG’s handset division is 5th in terms of market share based on handset revenue, behind Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson (see Appendix 1). Despite not being in the ‘Big Four’, LG’s market position is that of a strong challenger considering the many other ‘me too’ competitors that exist (e.g. NEC, Sanyo), but who fail to register in consumers’ minds. LG’s achievement can be seen to be mainly due to the success of their ‘Black’ series with popular models such as ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Shine’. Industry experts predict that if LG can replicate this success, they will eventually be able to surpass their main competitor Samsung (Screenshots, 2007). Considering the importance of technological innovation for LG’s future success, this essay aims to support the company in achieving a better market position by means of devising an innovation strategy for the global market. In order to devise...

Words: 5551 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Quiet: Power of Introverts

...compelling presence—thoughtful, generous, calm, and eloquent. Quiet deserves a very large readership.” —CHRISTOPHER LANE, author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness 4/929 “Susan Cain’s quest to understand introversion, a beautifully wrought journey from the lab bench to the motivational speaker’s hall, offers convincing evidence for valuing substance over style, steak over sizzle, and qualities that are, in America, often derided. This book is brilliant, profound, full of feeling and brimming with insights.” —SHERI FINK, M.D., author of War Hospital “Brilliant, illuminating, empowering! Quiet gives not only a voice, but a path to homecoming for so many who’ve walked through the better part of their lives thinking the way they engage with the world is something in need of fixing.” 5/929 —JONATHAN FIELDS, author of Uncertainty:...

Words: 118436 - Pages: 474

Free Essay

Story of Success

...Outliers THE S T O R Y OF S U C C E S S MALCOLM G LAD W E L L # 1 bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink $27.99 $ 3 0 . 9 9 in C a n a d a Why d o s o m e p e o p l e succeed far more than others? T h e r e is a story that is usually told a b o u t extremely successful p e o p l e , a story that focuses o n intelligence a n d ambition. In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell a r g u e s that the true story o f s u c c e s s is very different, a n d that if we want to u n d e r s t a n d h o w s o m e p e o p l e thrive, we s h o u l d s p e n d m o r e time l o o k i n g around them — at s u c h things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth d a t e . T h e story o f s u c c e s s is m o r e c o m p l e x — a n d a lot m o r e interesting — than it initially a p p e a r s . Outliers e x p l a i n s w h a t the B e a t l e s a n d Bill G a t e s have in c o m m o n , the e x t r a o r d i n a r y s u c c e s s o f A s i a n s at m a t h , the h i d d e n a d v a n t a g e s o f star athletes, why all t o p N e w York lawyers have the s a m e r é s u m é , a n d the r e a s o n y o u ' v e never h e a r d o f the w o r l d ' s s m a r t e s t m a n — all in terms o f g e n ­ eration, family, c u l t u r e , a n d c l a s s . It matters w h a t year y o u were b o r n if y o u want to b e a S i l i c o n Valley billionaire, G l a d w e l l a r g u e s , a n d it matters w h e r e y o u w e r e b o r n if y o u want to b e a s u c ­ cessful p i l o t . T...

Words: 86962 - Pages: 348

Free Essay

Test2

...62118 0/nm 1/n1 2/nm 3/nm 4/nm 5/nm 6/nm 7/nm 8/nm 9/nm 1990s 0th/pt 1st/p 1th/tc 2nd/p 2th/tc 3rd/p 3th/tc 4th/pt 5th/pt 6th/pt 7th/pt 8th/pt 9th/pt 0s/pt a A AA AAA Aachen/M aardvark/SM Aaren/M Aarhus/M Aarika/M Aaron/M AB aback abacus/SM abaft Abagael/M Abagail/M abalone/SM abandoner/M abandon/LGDRS abandonment/SM abase/LGDSR abasement/S abaser/M abashed/UY abashment/MS abash/SDLG abate/DSRLG abated/U abatement/MS abater/M abattoir/SM Abba/M Abbe/M abbé/S abbess/SM Abbey/M abbey/MS Abbie/M Abbi/M Abbot/M abbot/MS Abbott/M abbr abbrev abbreviated/UA abbreviates/A abbreviate/XDSNG abbreviating/A abbreviation/M Abbye/M Abby/M ABC/M Abdel/M abdicate/NGDSX abdication/M abdomen/SM abdominal/YS abduct/DGS abduction/SM abductor/SM Abdul/M ab/DY abeam Abelard/M Abel/M Abelson/M Abe/M Aberdeen/M Abernathy/M aberrant/YS aberrational aberration/SM abet/S abetted abetting abettor/SM Abeu/M abeyance/MS abeyant Abey/M abhorred abhorrence/MS abhorrent/Y abhorrer/M abhorring abhor/S abidance/MS abide/JGSR abider/M abiding/Y Abidjan/M Abie/M Abigael/M Abigail/M Abigale/M Abilene/M ability/IMES abjection/MS abjectness/SM abject/SGPDY abjuration/SM abjuratory abjurer/M abjure/ZGSRD ablate/VGNSDX ablation/M ablative/SY ablaze abler/E ables/E ablest able/U abloom ablution/MS Ab/M ABM/S abnegate/NGSDX abnegation/M Abner/M abnormality/SM abnormal/SY aboard ...

Words: 113589 - Pages: 455