Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT strips 3681 to 3685 (19-23 February 2018)
ckridge:
Dale: "I was just being honest."
Rant warning.
Being honest consists of not lying. It does not consist of saying anything that comes into your head that happens to be true.
End rant warning.
Emperor Norton:
--- Quote from: ckridge on 20 Feb 2018, 06:50 ---Dale: "I was just being honest."
Rant warning.
Being honest consists of not lying. It does not consist of saying anything that comes into your head that happens to be true.
End rant warning.
--- End quote ---
When you are put in a situation in which your options are to respond with honesty, avoid the topic, or lie outright, an argument could be made that avoiding the topic could be considered lying by omission.
I mean, it is entirely possible to be deceptive without actually saying anything false.
I honestly feel as though people are treating it like Dale brought this up unprovoked, rather than being put in an incredibly tricky situation that was in no way his fault.
ckridge:
--- Quote from: Emperor Norton on 20 Feb 2018, 06:56 ---
When you are put in a situation in which your options are to respond with honesty, avoid the topic, or lie outright, an argument could be made that avoiding the topic could be considered lying by omission.
I mean, it is entirely possible to be deceptive without actually saying anything false.
I honestly feel as though people are treating it like Dale brought this up unprovoked, rather than being put in an incredibly tricky situation that was in no way his fault.
--- End quote ---
Again, responding with honesty is not saying the first true thing that comes into your head. Any meaningful utterance not a lie is honest. You can respond honestly to what is troubling the person rather than to what they say. You can say only the part of what is true that will be of use to them. You can speak kindly, courteously, persuasively, comfortingly, and lovingly. It is a huge language, and most of it is built, not for making true statements, but for primate grooming behavior. You can use the tool for what it's built to do while remaining honest.
Dale is in a tricky situation, but there is nothing incredible about it. All affection is irrational, because it is emotion, not conclusions made on the basis of argument and evidence. Marigold has an irrational affection for Dale, and is suffering irrational fear as a result. This is not incredible, pathological, or in the slightest bit uncommon. It is part and parcel of an irrational belief that he is important, that how he feels about her is important, that it would be terrible if he went away, and that he is a great treasure that needs somehow to be protected and guarded. The problem is not that she is irrational, but that she is scared. There are ways to comfort fear. Saying the first true thing that comes into your head is not one of them.
ckridge:
Nattering on endlessly, helplessly, interminably, for the love of God stop me before I natter again.
We are going to get to watch a robot advise a human on the tender passion. I think that should be a high-level Turing test. If an AI can figure out what is going on with your sweetie better than you can, it counts as a person.
BenRG:
Look back a way and you'll realise that May has been advising Dale and Marigold (as well as acting as a mediator and wielding the clue-hammer on occasion) almost from the start of their relationship. It would be nice if Momo could acknowledge her help at some point!
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