Was I wrong to tell this little “white lie”?
Question by tangerine: Was I wrong to tell this little “white lie”?
I work as a Spanish tutor in a college tutoring lab. Just a few minutes ago, a woman came in asking for a math tutor. After I signed her in, I then called to the math tutor, who was in an adjoining room with the door shut, that she had a student. When the student found out who her tutor was going to be, she left abruptly, because she didn’t like the tutor. When the tutor came out of the room a few seconds after the student left, I then told the tutor that the student suddenly remembered that she had to go do something and left. I know it wasn’t the truth, but I was trying to spare the tutor’s feelings. Was I wrong to do this?
Best answer:
Answer by RSJ
Oh, that’s a half-truth. She could have remembered something and had to go- you never know! I would have done the exact same thing- absolutely!
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
December 5th, 2011 at 9:28 am
yes, you should be beaten and purged…LOL
December 5th, 2011 at 9:57 am
Personally, I think it’s okay to tell white lies, when sparing someone’s feelings.
You could have said that the student left – and no more. That would have been true, you just left out the part about the student not liking the tutor.
I’m sure others will disagree with me on this. I do believe we should be truthful, but I don’t believe we need to be hurtful. For me, the other person’s feelings come before telling the whole truth.
I’d have done pretty much exactly what you did.
December 5th, 2011 at 10:06 am
There is nothing wrong with ‘white lies’.
As long as you are doing it for a good outcome.
December 5th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Sounds to me like you did the right thing. Why hurt someone? And I would guess that the student expected some type of confidentiality when she left abruptly.
December 5th, 2011 at 11:16 am
You had no reason to even make up an excuse, you could have simply stated that she left. Did she tell you she did not like the tutor or did you just assume she did not like who was there??? If the department has a tutor that students do not enjoy for some reason it is best they know.
December 5th, 2011 at 11:51 am
What I would have said is that she changed her mind, which is close enough to the truth. Lying on someone else’s behalf, especially when she didn’t ask you to, is unnecessarily risky.
December 5th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
No. That was nice of you.
December 5th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
No, you weren’t wrong. A white lie to spare someone’s feelings is perfectly acceptable, especially since telling the truth serves no purpose.
December 5th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
It wasn’t wrong, exactly.
But you didn’t need to give any reason.
“She left” and pretend ignorance of why would have been fine.
December 5th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
No, I would have told the tutor the student had run a mile when she heard who was teaching, sometimes it’s a fine line between autism and cruelty!