double Dumb Ass

in light of Trump's inauguration speech declaring multiple national emergencies that require him to take god-knows-what executive actions immediately, I'd like to remember this chapter of "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder:

when i buy something and my bank balance actually goes down

mini compilation of suggestions from the replies:

listen to me. lying is morally neutral. and for many people in shitty situations it's a survival tactic.

also, sometimes lying is funny. sometimes it saves time. sometimes it's easier, sometimes it accomplishes a goal, sometimes the truth is nobody's business, or is tricky to articulate, or you don't know what the truth is but are expected to have an answer regardless. sometimes you just straight up want people to stop bothering you. sometimes lying is an experiment to see how much you can get away with. sometimes you just want to be a little mean, yeah.

One of the funniest bit in that everyone's favourite story about lying, Pinocchio, actually has such a moral. Oh, sure, the well-known start is about how lying is bad, but there are some chapters where Pinocchio lies, for instance, to an army recruiter promising glory in war, or a bandit who wants to use him for a heist. His nose does not grow, because he is not lying *for himself*. The whole thruline of the book is that the world is dangerous and you need to be honest ENOUGH to people, but not to everyone, because some people are just horrible.