Lies, All Lies (Pt 3)

There are other types of lying as well. One that I hate is called the “Just Kidding” lie. There’s a big difference between playing a joke on someone, teasing someone, and lying to someone but then saying “Just Kidding” afterwards. It may seem like there’s no difference, but believe you me, there is. And today and possibly this week, I’m going to tell you the differences. First, let me tell you a story. A true story that happened to me. Honest. No lying!

For the last two years of my college years, I roomed with a friend, a non-Christian Thai friend. I may have talked about him before, he was a neat freak. Well, still is, I suppose. Seriously, there’s nothing better than rooming with a neat freak, although undoubtedly the neat freak would think there’s nothing worse. So anyway, one time I came home from school and my friend was lying on the couch, watching some TV. I walked to my room, and dumped my stuff off and I went back outside to sit on the couch. During a commercial break, my friend casually told me, “I got fired from my job at the lab.” Immediately, I sat up and said, “What? What happened?” “Oh, they caught me stealing some computer stuff.” Of course, I became concerned, I mean, wouldn’t you be in this situation? So I started to sympathize with him, and he just kept telling me more and more stuff. Then he at the end he said, “Just kidding!” That’s when I started pummeling him with my fists in my mind.

So, what are the differences?

Well, first let’s talk about playing jokes. Playing a joke on someone certainly involves a bit of lying. Although, in this case, this is called “acting”. Acting is playing a role, and normally isn’t malicious. It’s like a job. So to set up a practical joke, it often involves actors, playing certain roles. In the 80’s, there was this show called “Bloopers”, hosted by Johnny’s sidekick and the ageless man (Ed McMahon and Dick Clark). There they play elaborate practical jokes on people. I guess I’m showing my age here. Nowadays, it’s called “Punk’d”. Jokes are intended to fool someone, but in the end, it’s all in good fun. The key to the practical joke is that the person who is being fooled, eventually knows that it’s all not real. That’s the main thing. There is a big “reveal” phase, where the whole setup is shown to the victim. Done properly, it can be very entertaining (to the actors or the audience).

Teasing is simply making fun of someone. It doesn’t really involve lying, per se. Sometimes, it involves exaggerations, which can be considered lying. It’s more like stretching the truth. It can go anywhere from increasing the numbers, to making something into a habit. For example, if someone is taking a long time to get ready, I like to tease them by exaggerating the length of preparation time. Something like, “You’re taking so long, I think a glacier just passed us by.” Teasing often enough can be damaging to a person, but done lightly and with care, it can often make you seem funny. To others, not the victim of course. And that’s what matters the most. It’s the time-honored trick of putting someone down to make yourself feel better or look better. It’s often a mainstay in a comedian’s repertoire. If they sense their jokes are falling flat, go tease someone! Feel free to racially profile someone in the front (Note, this is why for comedy shows, it’s actually better to sit in the back)! Teasing isn’t all bad. Sometimes, it shows how quick thinking a person is. Like if I tease someone, and they quickly tease me back, it’s a sign that they think fast on their feet, or a well-practiced bully…. Hrm… does this mean bullies are smart?