Stephanie Ericsson manages to categorize the lies humans tell within her essay “The Ways We Lie.” I think she does an exceptional job on categorizing human lie because she discusses numerous types of lies. She breaks down lies into the white lies, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflections, omissions, stereotypes and cliches, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissals, and delusions. I agree with her characterization of lies because she delves deeper into how we lie. I enjoyed her humor, relatability, and sincerity throughout her essay. As much as we try to say that we don’t lie, lying becomes inevitable at times.
The amount of lies that circulate in our world can not even be fathomed, but it is as if they are part of human nature. Ericsson explains that even though she fibs occasionally, she still considers herself an honest person. “We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets” because its natural. We lie so we can avoid complicating life and because we sympathize with other. I think it is very important that Ericsson also brings up how lies can be harmful. For example with facades, omission, stereotypes and displays, we are running away from the truth. These are different types of lies though because they promote denial. At times they can be more of a detriment than a quick fixer upper. We should not try to justify them. I think the truck driver example definitely resonates. Ericsson says, “I once admitted to a group of people that I had a mouth like a truck driver. Much to my surprise, a man stood up and said, “I’m a truck driver, and I never cuss.” We become so caught up in our preconceived notions that we can jump to conclusions and believe our own lies.
I think Ericsson’s purpose for writing this essay is to show us how to know where to draw the line on our lies. Getting caught up in lies can lead to us believe them and make rash and false conclusions. We also need to consider if the lies we make to get ourselves out of an awkward situation are paid for at another person’s expense. Besides these points though Ericsson writes this piece to explain that lying is a cycle and how lies can vary. They will only end if all of us do not take part in it. Since we can not be completely honest with one another and want to spare each other’s feelings or connivence ourselves, lying will always be present. We should always expect it. I think that this piece was published because it reveals our humanity and how we always strive to simplify life. I liked that Ericsson makes us be more conscience of our lies through her examples. After reading this essay I started to wonder how much I lie. It really puts things in perspective for me and makes me want to be more conscience of what I say in the future.
Lies that I think Ericsson should have included would be the “emergency lie” and the “bluff”. An emergency lie is when we lie to protect the well being of someone else. For example we might use an emergency lie to prevent someone from being harmed. A bluff is a lie that can be useful in a game of poker. Sometimes we have to use these lies in order to win, or protect, rather than harm another. Even though we all lie, I believe if we are conscience of the lies we make and when we use them, lying might not be as detrimental.
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