Monday, September 29, 2008

When It’s Okay to Lie

Last Saturday, in the middle of an otherwise goal-oriented shopping excursion, I took a brief side trip into the world of cheap shoes. I didn’t find anything that I just had to have, but I did have a quick encounter that intrigued me.

Teenage girl holding up two pairs of shoes: “Which ones should I get?”
Me: “The ones with the pink lining.”
Teenager: “That’s what everyone says.”
Me: “Well, they’re more unique.”

Had I been at all honest with her, I would have mentioned that both pairs were so ugly that I couldn’t possibly advise her to buy either. But I assumed that she wouldn’t be terribly enthused with that opinion. On the other had, if she was so crippled with indecision that she was asking shabbily-dressed strangers for advice, she may have wanted to hear the truth. I decided not to bet on that one.

1 comment:

RobRoy said...

No one wants to hear the truth. They want to hear that they're right. The Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates show that. There are no winners. Just who is "more right".