TYPES OF LIES
Often attributed to Mark Twain, it was actually Benjamin Disraeli who said: “There are three types of lies – lies, damn lies and statistics.” But in actual fact there are lots more ...
White lies
Told ostensibly to save someone’s feelings, Sam Harris, who wrote the book, Lying, says: “Those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort — for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process.”
Omission
Otherwise known as exclusionary detailing, is lying by either leaving out certain facts or by not correcting a misconception. Most salesmen are excellent at these.
The Barefaced Lie
Shameless falsehood, usually pretty obviously so. Trump is a master at these, for example, he claimed that former president Barack Obama was born outside the US and therefore not eligible to be president.
Fabrication
Telling others something you don’t know for sure is true that often leads to hurtful rumours. Told for some sort of power-play advantage — witness Boy Mamabolo and his claims against Julius Malema and the latter’s claims against the president.
The Butler Lie
A term coined by Cornell University researchers in 2009 to describe lies that politely initiate and terminate instant messaging conversations. (“Gotta go, boss is coming!”) Like butlers, they act as social buffers, telling others that we’re at lunch when we are just avoiding them.
Lie Clubs
You may ask your friends and family to form “lie clubs” — groups who back up one another’s phony texts.
Cosmetic Lies
Claims made by the cosmetic industry that we’d like to believe but that are mostly obviously false, eg, this sunscreen is chemical free, or youth serum.
Filters and Facetune
Another obvious lie, these weird, poreless alien baby-face versions of ourselves usually don’t fool anyone, yet most of us are invested in believing in the distorted lie that is the pretty filter.
Fake News
Disinformation or propaganda on social media sites which is spread on the internet to influence political views.