Teenagers Do Their Share Of Lying Analysis

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Some people think lying is okay, others think it’s not. However, those who think all lying is not okay are being hypocritical. Everyone has lied at least once in their life. Lies in general are a part of daily life. Many people lie for various reasons.One of the most common reasons is to protect someone. There are also lies used to cause harm and lies in the interest of the liar. All in all, many people agree that lying is sometimes acceptable when protecting someone from emotional, physical, and mental harm.

One of the most common examples of lying is when you’re trying not to hurt someone’s feelings. This applies to family, friends, siblings… etc. For example, in a poll taken by “Life on NBC News”, about 66% reported that it is “OK …show more content…

In “Teens Do their Share of Lying”, Tim states that lying is a “necessary life-survival skill” and that it could be the “only thing between you and a guaranteed beat down” (Ragsdell, 23). In this instance, you are lying to protect yourself so that you won’t get beat up. If you didn’t lie, you would’ve ended up getting hurt. One historical representation Brad Blanton introduces is when the Nazis were lied to because Anne Frank’s “life [was] in danger” and she was hidden (Ballinger, 11). If she was not protected and kept in secret, she most likely would’ve died. The people hiding her lied to the Nazis to keep her from getting sent to concentration camp. Obviously, lying is crucial when you’re trying to protect someone from getting injured or even …show more content…

Immanuel Kant takes an absolutist position on the subject of lying. Kant argues that "truthfulness is a duty which no circumstances can put aside" no matter the situation (Bok, 4). Kant believes that this duty upholds whether or not someone's life is on the line. Nonetheless, Kant is wrong for a different source validates that lying is sometimes okay. For instance, moral philosopher and ethic columnist, Randy Cohen, is "a big fan of lying" (NBC News, 9). Cohen claims that lying is justified and "sometimes a moral duty" (par, 10). Cohen believes lying is very important and even cased that aren't as serious sometimes call for lies. Another source also emphasizes that lying is sometimes okay. Brad Blanton states in an interview that he realizes that you "shouldn't manipulate the truth except for rare time" (Ballinger, 11). Blanton points out by telling lies, you're unnecessarily complicating your life but sometimes it is okay if you are protecting someone from possible death. Thus, lying is very important when protecting someone from harm although some people tend to

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