The different types of lies in Shades of Truth were fascinating to me, especially how they can relate to voting. I am very passionate about politics, and as a result, I sometimes ask friends and family about their political beliefs and for whom they voted or plan to vote. Just like with exit polling, especially in such a polarized political climate, this can result in a fair amount of lies. Take, for example, someone who voted for Trump, who is perceived as a distasteful person by many, especially liberals. If that Trump voter had a liberal family, he might lie. It might be a gray lie, when he’s trying to spare himself the discomfort of having that conversation with his family. It might also be a blue lie, when he believes he is not the stereotypical “Trump voter,” but rather hated the other candidate and was forced to vote for Trump.
Critical Thinking
Ooooh, in terms of voting, I wonder what implications the reading holds for the secret ballot. I know some fancy political people talk about “unveiling the vote,” thinking that voting publicly will force people to be more accountable … but will that really be the case? Given this reading, these ‘gray lies’ people say to their family about who they vote for might even force them to vote insincerely on the ballot itself. Fascinating stuff!
I think that it is interesting how you pointed out that one lie could fall under different categories depending on who is perceiving it. I had not considered that while doing the reading but it makes sense since the reason behind the lie changes based off of who the audience for the lie is.
I was also intrigued but the different categories lies could fall under. Especially with your example of a political lie, it shows how there could be a wide number of sections just one lie could be a part of. However, it also makes me wonder if there could ever be a lie that is too specific or intrinsic that could not be classified?