Lying, Exaggerating, Economy with the Truth

Do you lie?  Do you grossly exaggerate? Are you economic with the truth?
Only Johnnie Foreigner does that!  Well most people I know seem to do it.
Alas it's part of our society now. Hugh McLeod.

You have to lie because you have no other ideas about how not to be killed. How not to lose everything.
  Lying replaced ideas long ago. Lying replaced great sex long ago. Lying replaced your marriage long ago. Lying replaced joy long ago.

And talking of resumes, many people lie on their resumes/CVs, well doesn't everyone?  I thought about it and realised I don't. It never occurred to me to lie on my CV.

I see so many people exaggerating and lying.  I don't know if they're doing it deliberately.  Maybe lying is about perspective; they don't see the same perspective as me, so it's not really lying!!
Bullshit.  We all have a pretty good idea of what is a lie or exaggeration, and I hear it all the time in conversation.  I must draw a Hugh McLeod cartoon of a triangular hierarchy, with total truth tellers at the top, down to the majority of Weasels at the bottom.
Yes, it's back to Scott Adams and Dilbert on this one.  The reason the cartoons are so funny is because the characters are all lying deceiving weasels!!  And watching repeat runs of The Office, re-enforces this.

I don't want to claim the moral high ground on this, I just realise that in conversation I'm always on my guard, and there's lots of eye brow raising going on inside me!

I think it's about secrecy (not privacy) most people seem ashamed to reveal who they really are.
Ask me how much I'm earning, what my savings are, what my debts are, how work is going, what I think of that person.  The chances are, I'll tell you.

Why the secrecy? 
Why are people whispering around the office in hushed voices?
Why are we taught by Bush, Blair, Howard, Advertisers, to put a spin on things?

Is that the only way to be successful nowadays?

Comments

[Sharon Salvaggio]

I agree that most people lie consistently. It is a pattern they have become comfortable with. On the other hand you have people like me that never lie, but if you ask a question I feel is too personal I won't answer. I will divert. Such as if someone were to ask my salary and I knew this person made less than I did I wouldn't want them to feel uncomfortable. So I would answer it with something like " Why are you looking to hire me?" and make a joke out of it.

Some information is TOO personal for everyone or anyone who ask. And some people unfortunately do not have the social skills to know the difference of when they are being impolite. So I do not feel that I need to dignify such questions of rudeness with the truth. I also do not need to lie, I just change the stragty of the conversation.