Thus, from a young age, children harbor “utilitarian perspective about the moral values of lying and truth-telling, at least in the politeness situations,” even if parents eschew lying (Fengling Ma, Fen Xu, Gail D. Heyman, and Kang Lee). Parallelly, since the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow, adults frequently employ deception in order to be polite. In “Lying in Everyday Life,” a group of participants confessed that their lies were generally not serious and, moreover, 70% admitted that they would tell them again (DePaulo, Bella M., Deborah A. Kashy, Susan E. Kirkendol, and Melissa M. Wyer 991). Without doubt, these types of inoffensive—and advantageous—lies act as a social lubricant, avoid unwanted social, personal, or relational mistakes …show more content…
On the same note, lying can help a relationship go the extra mile, exclusively if politeness—interpersonal or social—is capably exchanged. Therefore, it is no surprising that in the United States, where politeness is held highly, the average American lies once or twice a day (Kim B. Serota, Timothy R. Levine, and Franklin J. Boster 12). Similarly, in Korea, kibun is a term that roughly translates into upholding harmony in a relationship or being attentive a person’s mood and feelings. To hurt someone’s kibun is extremely offensive; furthermore, the line between polite and invasive is fragile. Actions like being argumentative or giving bad news—gestures that are archetypal in America—can easily hurt someone. Consequently, as preserving this balance is pertinent, Koreans normally lie when faced with delicate conditions (Śleziak 45). Moreover, modern colloquial Japanese has an equal term, uso mo hōben which, when translated, states that lying is a means to an end (Silk 7). In “In a World of Pretense, are Japanese Just More Honest About Lying?”, Pasion also introduces tatemae: “Except for those cocooned in denial, most people would agree that everyone lies. But while each culture has its own codes about how and to whom to do it, there is a notion that Japanese people are more insincere than others, that their concept of tatemae— which means that the true, honest self should be hidden behind …show more content…
not hurting other’s feelings and not disappointing their parents). Furthermore, when asked if their cultures and ethnicities treat lying differently, the answers were surprising. Two Asian students proclaimed that lying is more prevalent in Asian culture because of “Asians and their obsession with exterior image” and their standard of upholding reputation. Both, moreover, along with those who identified themselves as Caucasian, expressed that Americans are less likely to lie, not only because they are more “understanding,” but also because they “seem more open and honest.” As for the only participant who identified as black/African American, Tyiana stated, “As a black person, sometimes lying is personally easier for me in terms of assimilation. For, example, lying about the pronunciation [of my name] to make it easier for people to say or, at times, tuning down my ‘blackness’ as to not make people uncomfortable. It sucks, but its happens sometimes.” From my viewpoint, I agree with the Asian contributors. Whenever I attend a family reunion or visit China for the summer, my close family and friends tend to bluntly