This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.
White lie: a lie with good intentions that benefits both the liar and the victim
“Good” intentions.
Lying is not right. No matter how big or a small, a lie is still a lie. An example of a white lie would be when your friend asks you about the new shirt she got for her birthday, and you say how much you love it, that it looks amazing on her, yet deep down you thank the lords above that you don’t ever have to wear something as ugly as that shirt. Many people might say that lying is a must. When someone asks you what you think about their new and questionable haircut, you lie and say it look great because that’s the only answer they are looking for. Those that even put the words “please be honest” in their question are basically begging you to lie to their face. But a lie is still a lie, don’t ask someone for their “honest opinion,” because most of the time, their response is the furthest thing from the definition of honest.
Grey lie: a lie not too malicious, benefits the liar but not the victim
If your friend came up to you and asked you whether you had a crush on the same guy they liked, would you say yes? Of course not. If your co-worker came up to you and asked you if you were offered the big promotion they were waiting for, for the past two years, would you say yes? Of course not. If your classmate asked you about their presentation skills today in class would you say they were less than engaging? Of course not.
We are all grey liars. A lie is a lie, but sometimes we just don’t have any other options. Of course, when the poor victims of these lies find out the truth (if they realize they were being lied to in the first place), they will become somewhat upset at you. These lies aren’t the biggest lies on earth, they’re just lies that come to us in that moment. Every time my friend asks to meet up, I lie about being busy, but in truth, I just want to stay home and watch Game of Thrones in bed while eating nachos. For about ten minutes, I feel guilty about lying, but then I’m back to normal. When I was a kid, sometimes I would lie to the teacher about leaving my “completed” homework at home, which in fact was uncompleted in my bag. I would feel extremely guilty for the entire day. Now I wonder, by the time I turn fifty, will I lie constantly without the blink of an eye?
Black lie: a corrupted lie, primarily focused on benefiting the liar and his or her interests
Need an example of a black lie? Turn on your TV and watch the never-ending advertisements.
Propaganda is a black lie. These fake ads are only benefiting the marketers and sellers. We are seen as lab rats who confirm whether or not their ads actually work. Black lie is the worst type of lie there is. Lying to your partner about having an affair is a black lie. The lies of the famous politicians who are abusing the trust of the public crowd is a black lie.
Overall, black lies and sometimes grey lies are not socially acceptable, but white lies are. In my opinion, the only reason the society accepts white lies is because it has become so common in our daily lives. As we grow older, it seems as if it is okay to not only speak white lies but also grey lies as well. What if someday, lying becomes so common that even black lies will be the norm?
Whether a lie is white, grey, or black, a lie is still a lie and I would be lying if I said lying is right.