Lying experiment (2)

I remembered two more.

In class today I lied to a student--er, gave an answer to her question that was no answer, and was really a blind guess on my part, which I acted like was actually an answer. I feel bad about this.*

Also tonight I went to a screening of a documentary. The guy who organized it asked me to come to a dinner with the director, but I lied and said I couldn't because I had to teach. This invitation and lie happened a few weeks ago, but when I went to see the movie tonight I had to repeat the story of not being able to go to the dinner to someone else. However, when I did this I eventually sort of admitted to her that I lied to the organizer of the dinner in order to get out of it, but this was after repeating the lie to her a few times.

I also noticed that keeping track like this makes me extra scrupulous when I am talking to people.

*I looked it up and actually, my guess wasn't so blind, but was basically right! Now I think I wasn't lying, but was speaking from faint but basically accurate memory of the fact that the WWII Allies were a large group of nations, but that aside from the big famous ones (Britain, France, later the U.S.S.R. and U.S.) were smallish and weak, and none was in a position to challenge Germany's conquest of France in 1940.

Lying experiment (1)

I was driving to the old homestead last week and stopped for dinner in a pizza joint by the highway. Having nothing to do but listen to the right-wing chitter chatter of the pizza chefs, I picked up a free parenting newsletter. In it was an article about children lying. The article said in part that although you may be hurt when your precious wee four-year-old lies to you, don't worry. It's a sign of advancing cognitive development! The average adult lies eleven times a week.

The last bit fascinated me--eleven times a week? Isn't that a lot? The article cited no source; after googling, I determined this number, eleven, is an urban myth. However, I found that actually, it's probably more like twenty-five times a day.

Have I been over-reacting to dishonesty over the course of my life? My parents had a very clear no-lying policy, which I broke often, but which did leave me with the impression that lying was a very serious offense (a violation of one's own self worth and of another's trust) and to be avoided if at all possible. Recently, students told me some whoppers, and I've gotten upset and sad.

(Recent stories I have heard or heard of include: no paper due to injured Dachshund that had to be rushed to a special hospital; deceased grandparent; waxing appointment that conflicted with class.)

But maybe this lying isn't such a big deal after all?

I therefore decided last night around 6 pm to keep track for one week of my own lying.

I think we all know that people tell "white lies" often out of social nicety, for diplomatic reasons, etc. As in, "I like your hair!" Stuff like that, I'm not interested in. I want to know how many times in a week I tell unequivocal falsehoods, and why. I am not counting stuff that I don't totally agree with or mean, but say to be nice or polite or diplomatic. I mean clear falsehoods, statements that can't in any way be true, no matter how you spin them.

I started the experiment at about 6 pm last night, and by 6:30 pm I had lied in order to get a student discount ticket to a movie. The ticket seller asked if I was a student, and I said yes. Then, I had to fill out a raffle at the theater, and I checked the "student" box, but also checked "other" hoping to mitigate the falsehood.

However, since then I haven't noticed any more.

Our pumpkins

Cf. spooky 2007!

Sleep

CC and me are writing this post as joint authors. We talked about what we would write about and decided to write about sleep.

We chose this topic because sleep is good, and because we talk a lot about how much each of us likes to sleep and how hard it is to wake up. Really, it's how hard it is to wake up. I (YSA) talk a lot about that.

CC: Today I had to meet a student at 9 am, and I felt like 9 am was too early, especially for a Friday, but when I got there on time the student was already there editing his paper. This is the only student in danger of failing the class. I told him I was impressed with his dedication, and he responded that he feels that he has to use every minute of the day in order to succeed.

YSA: I don't feel like people really appreciate how hard it is to get out of bed. It (sleep) is like a drug. Like a drug! It does not matter what I resolve the night before when I go to bed or what I set the alarm for, or if I set two alarms, or if I pledge to CC that I will get up and not hit snooze for one hour. Nothing matters. When the sleep is happening, nothing else matters. I will hit snooze for two hours, or take the batteries out of the alarm clock, whatever.

CC: YSA is not exaggerating. She is never realistic about her waking-up goals and as a result constantly feels guilty. LIke, every morning, she wakes up and faces the day... already guilty. This is a problem for her, and as a consequence, for me, too.

YSA: That is so true!


CC: The guilt is contagious. I also feel guilty, even though I had no waking up goals to begin with! (I gave these up as soon as I became a grad student - or rather, chose this profession partially because it allows me to sleep in.)

[Side comment: CC: Is being a grad student a profession? YSA: Yes. CC: No.]

YSA, do you have any more comments?

YSA: No. Just that it is very hard to get up.

Jaw-dropping historiography experience

Yesterday this retired old guy historian (old white guy) came to visit us. He just won a big prestigious award for his book. He gave a talk about writing the book.

He said the following.

"I wanted this book to be inclusive. I wanted to include the old, traditional history, because it is still valuable. And I also wanted to include the newer types of history that many historians are working on."

Me silently thinking: Oh, OK. Well, at least you are including the new stuff.

He elaborated:
"I wanted to include traditional history--political, diplomatic, and military history..."

Me thinking: Oh, good. Now I know what those are.

Old guy: "And I wanted to include the new history--"

Me thinking, as you probably are: hmm, how will I feel when he categorizes women's history as "a newfangled kind of history that he wanted to include," will I feel OK about that? Or patronized?

Old guy: "The new kinds of history: cultural, social, and economic history."

Me: panicking.

Note: Social history was "new" in 1970.

Failed jokes (recent)

Uttered by yours truly while lecturing and met by students in Nazi History 102 with total and complete silence.

Last week, while screening Triumph of the Will:

"See these Nazi Party members cheering for Hitler? Well, they really loved Hitler. They loved, loved him. They thought Hitler was just...[trying to think of joke]...the best thing since sliced bread."

Today, toward the end of a stock rant about the origins of the Boy Scouts (whom I have always opposed) in the Boer War and their paramilitary accouterments and historic imperialism, which was prompted by a student question about the relationship between the American Boy Scouts and the Hitler Youth:

Me: "I mean, come on. Who sells cookies in a paramilitary uniform? Who sells cookies in a paramilitary uniform?"
Student: Uhm, the Girl Scouts?