Are you a liar?

I’ve seen this happening many times in discussions around here, so I want to get you guys understanding of this potential scenario:

A: It rained a lot yesterday.
B: This is a lie.
A: Don’t call me a liar!

Was B calling A a liar?
  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

1 Like

Everything I say is a lie, including this statement :upside_down_face:

2 Likes

No. Smart people do stupid things. Shall we label everyone for isolated incidents?

1 Like

This is a lie!

2 Likes

We should say “this is false” or incorrect or untrue. Lies are told by liars.

6 Likes

What is a liar?

Is an otherwise smart person now a stupid person for doing one stupid thing?

Are we all liars even if it is sporadic, rare or uncommon? I dont know anyone who has never lied before. Does such a person exist?

Will this mean calling a statement stupid now means that we are calling that person stupid?

That’s a stupid question :innocent:

1 Like

Are you calling me stupid?

:innocent:

Not if you don’t take it that way?

Is that a lie?

:rofl:

1 Like

A, is making a statement,
B, is being confrontational
A, is reacting to that confrontation

6 Likes

I voted no (it’s not, literally), but that doesn’t mean I necessarily think it’s :ok:

1 Like

Care to expand your reasoning?

It depends on if the accuser can demonstrate that the lie exists in fact. Otherwise, it’s uncivil.

1 Like

Suppose the B can demonstrate it. Would that make A a liar?

I think taking this to its extreme logical conclusion we see that it is a failure to empathise. See B cannot believe that A lives in another location that may have different weather. So in B’s world everyone experiences the same reality as they do. For B it is not possible for something different to exists.

Also maybe B and A have a different understanding of what “a lot” is.

3 Likes

If I had to vote, I would vote no.

Ideally I would add another option that says it depends on context. A may perceive B’s comment as an accusation even if B doesn’t mean it that way. Then again, maybe B means it that way, and maybe A doesn’t perceive it that way regardless of B’s intent. :idunno:

1 Like

No. “Liar” has a broader scope in common usage than simply “having lied once”.

I would say this: under our rules, it’s definitely forbidden to call a liar a liar. That means saying “you’re a liar” or something like that. It’s not strictly forbidden to call out a lie by that name, but the accuser should be able to demonstrate that it actually is a lie. I also think usually there will be a pretty high bar to demonstrate that, and in most cases it’s definitely best avoided.

3 Likes

How could we possibly do that? The difference between a lie and a mistake is intent, which we can only infer based on subjective opinions

As much as I disagree with a lot of the bunk that that gets posted on here, I give those posters the benefit of the doubt that they believe it

Edit: sorry, didnt notice that last sentence when i wrote the reply

4 Likes

It may well be very difficult and indeed impossible in some situations. I think it’s on the accuser to do so.

Sorry, edited that last sentence in late.

1 Like