The Tangled Webs We Weave

            In her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson correctly categorizes the different lies we tell day to day and provides explanations for why we tell these different types of lies. Ericsson classifies the different types of lies we tell regularly as being, white lies, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omissions, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissals, and delusions. Furthermore, Ericsson states, “It’s not easy to entirely eliminate lies from our lives. No matter how pious we may try to be, we still embellish, hedge, and omit to lubricate the daily machinery of living.”  

            For the most part, I agree with Ericsson in the way she categorizes lies as well as with Ericsson’s belief that we all lie, however I also find the amount to which she believes we usually lie to be debatable. I believe we all tell lies from time to time, however Ericsson seems to believe that we all lie regularly. While I believe that Ericsson correctly addresses the types of lies we tell I also believe that some of her classifications are a bit redundant. For instance, ignoring the facts and delusions are essentially the same thing. This is evidenced by when Ericsson talks ignoring-the-facts by using the example about the Catholic priest who sexually abused children and was then sent to receive treatment before being placed in a new parish and abusing more children all because the church was convinced he had been “cured.” At the same time, she describes delusions as things we say or do to convince ourselves of something we want to be true.

            I believe Ericsson wrote this essay as a justification for the “lies” she told and as a way to tell other people that it’s okay to lie. The reason I believe that Ericsson’s essay was published is because like Ericsson I think everyone questions the lies we tell from time to time as well as whether or not it’s okay to lie. I enjoyed Ericsson’s essay because she was very honest about the fact that she does indeed lie and her belief that its okay to tell a few lies especially if they avoid greater conflicts. However, I disliked the way Ericsson made herself seem as if she was a compulsive liar.