...Everybody lies at least once in their life. It could be a stranger walking past you to a person that you are close to or fond of. And it could be a big, complex lie or a small, short lie. People can lie anywhere and everywhere. From a private secluded area to a public spacious environment. I admit that I lie many times in my life on multiple occasions. In the article “The Ways We Lie ” by Stephanie Ericsson, the author points out that lies are harmful. First, the author lists various types of lies that people use every day. Second, the author gives examples of each type of lie. Lastly, the author conveys the negative effects about lying to people. I strongly disagree with the author's statement; lying is not always detrimental to others because...
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...always black and white. A well-intentioned untruth sometimes is not the best thing to say even if the idea is to try and help someone. Stephanie Ericsson’s “The Ways We Lie” displays cause-and-effect patterns in several instances of deceptions to enlighten her readers about human tendencies. In ignoring the plain facts author Stephanie Ericsson explains how ignoring the truth can cause pain for the unsuspecting. She writes about Father James Porter molesting children in the church in the 1960’s. The ecclesiastical authorities heard about the wrongful doing, but instead of punishing Father Porter they believed it would be best to just move him. He was moved around from church to church from 1960 to 1967 due to his sickness. Consequently, he was handed innocent new victims. For this reason, after many years of abusing children he was finally given treatment in 1967. The abuse continued after Father Porter was released to go back to work in the church. While the higher authorities ignored the facts he was able to abuse many children. People believe omission is something people do to not hurt the other person. Author Stephanie Ericsson writes about a Sumerian goddess whom was omitted from the Bible. This gave a new outlook on how people looked at the story of Adam and Eve. The author states she was introduced to Lilith...
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...The author of “the Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson starts with a personal experience of lying to get out of a late fee, not lose a client for being late, comfort her husband who she could tell could have a bad day. A week without even telling a small white lie seems very unlikely she explains through telling us the consequences of telling the whole complete truth. There are many lies this includes a white lie, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes, clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, Dismissal, and Delusion. Starting off with a white lie – an assumption that the truth may hurt the person more than the slightly fibbed statement, Facades – is based on the front a person puts up (maybe based on talk versus action)....
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...Stephanie Ericsson analyzes various types of lying in “The Ways We Lie” and believes we would be less tolerant of these lies if we stop telling them ourselves. Ericsson includes several ways that we lie in our everyday lives such as Facades, Deflecting, Groupthink, Delusion, and many others. These forms of deception are found heavily scattered throughout pop culture, specifically literature. In the short essay “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell depicts a man burdened with the lies he gives because of his job in Burma as a British soldier. According to Stephanie Ericsson, one way that we lie to ourselves and others is through a technique called Facades. George Orwell lies to himself using Facades because he feels he must kill the elephant to refrain from looking like an imbecile to the Burmese as he is an officer of the empire. He feels obligated to shoot the elephant “solely to avoid looking a fool” (309). He continues to call for “a rifle and five cartridges” although he knows it is wrong (305). He even admits “[he] did not in the least want to...
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...interaction is the existence of lying. An ongoing debate of whether or not one should practice honesty or deploy a deceptive lie exists in most people’s minds. While most people think of lying as something invariably deliberate, some lies can be automatic and subconscious, and are said and accepted without hesitation or further thought. While it is clear to many how abundant lying is in today’s world, the consideration of how beneficial and morally correct lying is not one that is pondered often enough. Whether or not lying is something encouraged is a topic of great debate. To many, lying is a necessary tool that exists for the benefit of those who are wise enough to take advantage of it. However, when one...
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...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”...
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...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...
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...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 their day was terrible. Taking the easy way out by...
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...Richard Gunderman is the author of “Is Lying Bad for Us?”. In his article he explained why lying can be bad for us. Stephanie Ericsson is the author of “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...
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...how often a lie is told. After a lie, the feeling of telling a lie is so terrible that it might have gotten the other people into trouble for something that did not even occur. In the article, “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she talks to us about the different types of lies there are. She explains how lying comes out in a person’s everyday life even when is inevitable. However, “In the Pale Moonlight” from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine shows how one of the main characters, Captain Sisko, felt guilty because of the lies he had made. The lie he makes, cost...
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...The article The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson, goes hand in hand with Oceania. A country falling to corruption, false patriotism, and absolutely no privacy, Orwell’s 1984 encompasses what can happen when a government gains too much power and deceives their people. Omission: Ericsson’s article explains omissions as a story with major details left out, that changes the story completely. Omissions present themselves throughout Orwell’s 1984, for example, the party tells the story of their country, yet they leave out key details that alter the outcome of the story. Orwell explains, “If all others accepted the lie which the party imposed-if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth” (Orwell...
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...Amira M. Hussein Professor Wendt WRIT1201 10/19/13 The Truth Between The Lies Lying is inevitable. We see it in our everyday lives. We see it in the moments we used to tell our mothers we were done with our homework. We witness it pour out of the mouths of politicians. We even see it in those that we trust the most. Little white lies are the most common, outward lies are often less common; even so they are both considered lies. Lies come in many degrees, but their purpose is the same, lies are meant to deceive. Stephanie Ericsson plunges deep into this subject. She mentions in her article “The Ways We Lie” that a lie, whether in good faith or not is never a good thing to do. The result of a lie is always something hurtful. Ericsson says that as bad as lies are, telling the truth all the time is nearly impossible. Doing so would mean dealing with some harsh consequences, so we decide to just lie instead. In many nations lies are the status quo, they are both hidden and public. Many people though either don’t bother to point them or are not even aware of them in the first place. One type of lie is group thinking: this is when a group suppresses different, creative, or complicated ideas that unlikely to happen. By only considering some ideas and not others it leads to an ignorant sense of loyalty to the group and a not so smart final decision. For example, in Dec, 5, 1941, after many warnings about the Japanese planning a military attack the U.S just dismissed it as a fluke...
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...The truth between the lies The Truth Between The Lies Lying is inevitable. We see it in our everyday lives. We see it in the moments we used to tell our mothers we were done with our homework. We witness it pour out of the mouths of politicians. We even see it in those that we trust the most. Little white lies are the most common, outward lies are often less common; even so they are both considered lies. Lies come in many degrees, but their purpose is the same, lies are meant to deceive. Stephanie Ericsson plunges deep into this subject. She mentions in her article “The Ways We Lie” that a lie, whether in good faith or not is never a good thing to do. The result of a lie is always something hurtful. Ericsson says that as bad as lies are, telling the truth all the time is nearly impossible. Doing so would mean dealing with some harsh consequences, so we decide to just lie instead. In many nations lies are the status quo, they are both hidden and public. Many people though either don’t bother to point them or are not even aware of them in the first place. One type of lie is group thinking: this is when a group suppresses different, creative, or complicated ideas that unlikely to happen. By only considering some ideas and not others it leads to an ignorant sense of loyalty to the group and a not so smart final decision. For example, in Dec, 5, 1941, after many warnings about the Japanese planning a military attack the U.S just dismissed it as a fluke. The United States reasoned...
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...something that is in their best interest. Whether you're a Politician, insurance salesman, a real-estate agent, or simply just an average Joe doing nothing special you're going to be lying countless times throughout your life to people you hate and love. And that is okay because it's your life and if you can get what you want or avoid trouble then why not. Lying is generally seen as a bad thing, if you've never met someone but you hear that person has a reputation for being a liar, then you'll probably avoid having a relationship with that person. However it's not always a bad thing because many lies will make people feel better about themselves. For instance, Stephanie Ericsson who wrote an essay on lying, "The Ways We Lie", discusses many forms of lying such as the white lie. This lie being one of the good lies "The white lie assumes that the truth will cause more damage than a simple, harmless untruth" (349). So if your kids draw you a dog on a piece of paper with crayons and it looks like a bunch of lines you would commend them on their effort rather than telling them they did a terrible job. This is a good thing because if you told them they did a terrible job their feelings would be hurt and they'd probably be discouraged to try other things in the future because of how that made them feel. However as they grow up if they drew you a dog again and it still looked nothing like a dog then you should be honest...
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...In “The American Way of Death” Jessica Mitford tells us about a funeral ceremony, how a deceased body turns into "Beautiful Memory Picture", and in details explains how it is getting done. Each procedure performed on the body, changes it beyond recognition, creating a false picture. Thus, it can be confirmed that the entire preparation for the funeral ceremony is a hidden lie for most Americans. Common American funeral practises include many steps for the transformation of the deceased body, which are serious lies like “Facade” and “Delusion”. The body is prepared before it can be shown to people. In order to create a deceptive image, different steps are used. One of the important steps is to make a body look like it is not dead but is simply...
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