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Results of a Lie

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Submitted By eliasnesh
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Elias Nesheiwat
Ms. Yanoti
English 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 their day was terrible. Taking the easy way out by avoiding confrontation with others, people naturally fall to lying as a safe haven.
Only under specific circumstances is a lie acceptable. When there is no other choice for someone then to lie then it is involuntary. Protecting oneself also gives justification for lying. Ericsson expresses “I

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