Unit 5 The Real Truth aboutLies
SectionOne Pre-reading Activities
Watch the video clip and answer the followingquestions.
Script:
I say I'm 10 when I'm 9 and a half
My uncle tells a joke and I try to laugh
In gym I fake a headache when I want to quit
I say I love the sweater that my grandma knit
But that's a white lie
White lie
That's the kind you want to tell, a white lie
White lie
So you're mom won't have to yell, a white lie
White lie
Everybody does it 'cause it feels all right
And it's more polite
But a lie's still a lie, even when it's white
I pretend I'm asleep when my dad walks in
I said I ate my chicken but I just ate the skin
Your face can say you're lying
When your mouth says you're not
Your peds are on fire but they're not too hot
When it's a white lie
White lie
It's the kind you want to tell, a white lie
White lie
So your dad won't have to yell, a white lie
White lie
Everybody does it 'cause it feels all right
And it's more polite, but a lie's still a lie
Even when it's white
While it might be hard to say what's true
Would you want a white lie told to you?
But that's a white lie
White lie
That's the kind you want to tell, a white lie
White lie
So you're mom won't have to yell, a white lie
White lie
Everybody does it 'cause it feels all right
And it's more polite
But a lie's still a lie
Even when it's white
Questions:
1. Why dopeople tell white lies?
2. Whatare the common white lies?
1. A white lie is one that lacksevil intent, as opposed to a black lie, which is most certainlymalevolent, though normally we don’t bother to specify that lies are evil. Awhite lie is harmless or trivial, which is frequently said in order to avoidhurting someone’s feelings.
2. Behavioral scientist Wendy Gambleidentified four basic types of lies for a University of Arizona study in 2000:
Prosocial:
Lying to protect someone, to benefit or help others.
Self-enhancement:
Lyingto save face, to avoid embarrassment, disapproval or punishment.
Selfish:
Lyingto protect the self at the expense of another, and/or to conceal a misdeed.
Antisocial:
Lyingto hurt someone else intentionally.
