Lies and Double Speaking in the Society and its Effects - Essay Example

Lies and double speaking in the society and its effects Introduction We lie. We all do, and we justify the intentions as potent. Though sometimes we lie with dishonest intentions, we still want to pretend that it was for the good. Others lie for the sake of it while others lie to protect certain truths and untruths. In the essay by Ericsson, she talks of the different ways people lie and their intentions. Sometimes, however, the message we pass does not practically lie but block the truth that we constantly deny. In Lutz’s essay, “The World of Double Speak” he shows how information delivered seeks to deny the truth rather than lie about it. This is a brief analysis of how double speaking and lying negatively affects the society. Analysis Lutz’s talks about euphemism while Ericsson talks of the white lie. These two topics relate in the fact that they both hide the painful reality because of their concern for other peoples’ feelings. Ericsson talks of how a chief soldier from war in Vietnam tells a family that their father is in the missing lists and not dead. The chief’s intention is honorable yet keeping the family hopeful and on an indefinite compensation scheme. The chief does not want to burst the family’s bubble by telling them that their father died during the war. This shows that the chief possesses feelings and hence the reason of his considerations. Although the family’s hopes of seeing their father live on, it prevents them from moving on with life. On the other hand, Lutz’s talks of using situation-appropriate words like passing away, sleeping with for the purposes of taboos and sincere respect. Telling someone the condolences for his father’s passing, takes the heavy effect of the word death. At this point, euphemism as a double speak is positive and shows ones feeling for support and remorse. However, when euphemism gets used for deceit purposes it becomes double speak. For instance, when America decided to use “unlawful or arbitrary deprivation of life” instead of killing, it committed double speak. This is because it sought to cover up the ugly truth. In society, expectations of being remorseful and considerate are high. We need to know where to use lies and double speak for the purposes of protecting those that are in pain. The two essays suggest that double speak and white lies when used properly and in the right context they benefit rather than destroy (Warner and Judith 542). In the essay by Ericsson, he discusses facade as ways of putting a new look in order to make an impression and acquire something, she feels as if she is putting on a new face every time she wears a suit before meeting a client. Facades produce the effect of deluded thinking to the people that one seeks to impress. Ericsson knows she is a writer who spends most of her hours dressed in pyjamas and seated in doors. This is her lifestyle although she occasionally goes out to meet clients and hence her reason to disguise in suits. Ericsson gives an example how she realized a former friend of hers turned out to a liar. She says that her friend kept presenting himself with the right appearance, insightful thoughts and ideas and remarkable books to read yet all these were just a strategy to capture clients. Lutz’s also talks of jargon in his essay. Professional use jargon because they understand the terms of their respective professions. In case things a situation occurs, professions like lawyers, for example, step up and use jargon in court. For instance, if someone’s property gets stolen or burnt down with fire, the situation is stated as “an involuntary conversion” of the lost or burnt property. They argue that the property gets converted from one form to another. Both writers appear to portray the expected thing out of the reality. Ericsson states that many people engage in facades daily. People dress up in suits in order to make an impression to their clients and clientele. Facades seduce people into doing things. Facades are destructive because they give a different impression making people base their decisions on what appears on the brim rather than the true candid reality. For Lutz’s, jargon is using professional language on the laymen in order to confuse and cover up certain truths. Professions use jargon as an art of double speak to protect their picture or the picture of their client from the public and block the arousal of doubts and questions. Lutz’s for instance, talks of flight 727 of the National Airlines that crashed and killed 3 of 52 people when it attempted to land at Pensacola airport in Florida May 9, 1978. The company compensated the owners of the damaged property and the people affected by crashed plane with a $1.7 million cost. The Airline faced two serious problems; they wanted to hide the crash of its plane and how they would account for $1.7 million loss to its stockholders. In presenting of its annual report, the Airplane curbed the problem by inserting a crucial footnote explaining that the income $1.7 resulted from "the involuntary conversion of a 727." The Airplane managed to acknowledge both the crash and the loss it made from both the deaths and the crash without mentioning them. At this point, National Airlines commits double speak. Double speak gets portrayed when the Airlines publishes its report. They do this without linking it to the crash of plane 727, nor the compensation of the affected families resulting from the above crash (Warner and Judith 542). Synthesis It is necessary to note that lying and use of double speak consists of both the righteous and evil. The intention of the use tells whether it is positive or not. In Lutz’s essay, he states that euphemism is crucial for the society because it helps in making a situation appear less awful than the reality. On the other hand if an individual uses it in order to dodge the real situation it becomes a negative use of double speak. We constantly involve ourselves in lying and double speaking at least every day. Ericsson in her essay said that she tried to go a week without telling lies and found out that it is practically impossible. As a human being, one or characteristics is lying. People lie for different reasons. Some of us lie to protect others, to protect themselves, for the sake of it and others to cause drama. For the local and normal people who do not have immense responsibilities, indulging with facades is what they do. The peoples day to day lives involves making adjustments and disguises that help us acquire that which we need. We go as far as pretending to know things, people and ways of doing something in order to win certain positions in a competitive environment. For those in higher positions who directly hold responsibility of vital things, they need to resolve such issues quickly without arousing the public. For example, when a medical company makes sales of harmful drugs, they need take them out of the market quickly and quietly. They also need to discover a way of explaining the scenario to the public without portraying an unfavorable image of the company. Thus, they settle for jargon. They express their apologies to the affected families using ways that show their indirect responsibility. Though it is never in their interest to do things that force them to cover up their names, they constantly involve themselves in the art of jargon (Warner and Judith 542). Conclusion Both essays show the effect of lies and double in the society. It shows that both of them can be positive and negative basing on how we use them and in what context. Lying and double speaking in order to protect your loved ones or protect the feelings of others during their difficult moments is a positive thing. However, when one uses lying to hide the truth from the public, it becomes an obstruction of justice due to withholding of evidence. Double speaking is both healthy and faulty. People do anything to protect themselves or others. When using complex methods to help one dodge a situation and keep one safe, it is something that any human being will do. Whether it is wrong to use the jargon, I think it is natural for us to protect ourselves, and any human being knows better. Work cited Warner, J. S, and Judith Hilliard. Visions Across the Americas: Short Essays for Composition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2010. Print. Reference McDonald, Russ. Shakespeare and the Arts of Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Read More