It’s not a lie if…
It’s not a lie if…”
Based on George Costanza’s advice to Jerry Seinfeld:
THE LIST
1. It’s not a lie if you believe it.
2. It’s not a lie if it doesn’t help you.
3. It’s not a lie if it hurts you.
4. It’s not a lie if it helps someone else.
5. It’s not a lie if it doesn’t hurt someone else.
6. It’s not a lie if everyone expects you to lie.
7. It’s not a lie if the other person knows the truth.
8. It’s not a lie if nobody can prove it.
9. It’s not a lie if you don’t get caught.
10. It’s not a lie if you don’t need to tell another lie to cover it up.
11. It’s not a lie if you were crossing your fingers.
12. It’s not a lie if you proceed to make it true.
13. It’s not a lie if nobody heard you say it.
14. It’s not a lie if nobody cares.
Irrationally yours
Dan
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves
Hahaha! For a sunday morning, it’s f… funny remember the god George Costanza. Goooood memories…
Along the same lines, I’m curious to understand the psychology behind people’s relativistic morals at different scales or in different conditions.
“It’s not stealing if…”
1) It’s not stealing if it helps someone else.
2) It’s not stealing if it is done in group.
3) It’s not stealing if it is done anonymously.
4) It’s not stealing if the victims are potentially stealing back too.
5) It’s not stealing if the victims have a lot anyways.
6) It’s not stealing if it’s just a little bit from diffuse victims.
7) It’s not stealing if government does it for you.
8) It’s not stealing if the victims are not nice.
9) It’s not stealing if more than one person shares the loot.
10) It’s not stealing if it’s letting victims keep what’s left.
11) It’s not stealing if you don’t see the victims.
12) It’s not stealing if everyone does it.
13) It’s not stealing if you’re a good person.
The list could go on
The simple randomized survey below would help understand the irrational and illogical belief that government should legitimately perform actions that are considered immoral for private individuals.
The three questions should be randomized, either asked in different orders, or individually to different people, otherwise the context of the first question may lead them to hesitate:
A) Is it moral for you to steal from your neighbor?
B) Is it moral for you to steal from your neighbor to help someone else?
C) Is it moral for you to ask government to tax your neighbor in order to help someone else?
Is it stealing if you have no original thought of your own and have to write down those of others?
Its all lies …
So as long as you add a psychopathology or a delusion to a lie – it somehow ceases to be a lie?
A philosophy:
1. No one can predict the future.
2. It is impossible to be sure whether telling a lie will actually hurt you or benefit you with any degree of certainly
3. So just tell the truth. If you’re going to make a mistake, let it be a mistake of honesty.
sounds like Mitt and Wall Street all the way.
Thanks, Dan!
Aw – synchronicity. I used George today too…re tawdry Australian politics. http://wp.me/p2k3hy-aT
It is not a lie if you isolate it and leave out all the pertinent context.
It is not a lie, but it is not the real motivation for the action (guess that would make it a rationalization).
It is not a lie, because it is legal under the law.
Ha! I love the last one “…if nobody cares”
Thank you to George Costanza. Should I expect this incorporated in your next book Dan?
Bronwyn says this is Wall Street and Mitt. Wall street Serves the stock market which is a voting system where money is betted on future ability of each business. Yes, an IPO is where company owners and their bankers realize the value of their business being now opened up to share future profits with strangers across the land. These funds may get to the front of the line and get a sliver more of money. Those funds are serving teachers and policemen pension funds so the little people in these unions are getting ahead of the person on the street. Is that fair? Should union pensions be stopped because their sheer grouping if many pensions gives them an advantage. Mitt was operating in the private market, far from the public market and with much higher risk that banks would no longer fund, so you are comparing apples with oranges.
So on the subject of lying, what is this nonsense about the quick anonymous survey on the front page? Try to see how many times people click on it before realizing that it is a trick? Just saying. (This is just a rather unimportant rhetorical comment.)