« Take Charge of Your Time, Part 2 | Home | What Color Are Your Deceptions? »
How Tangled Are the Webs You Weave?
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | February 11, 2008
“Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive.”
Sir Walter Scott
Although I was less than thrilled to give up a whole Saturday to attend Traffic School, I must admit it was entertaining.
The teacher was a retired deputy sheriff who created an informal environment and kept things fun by telling self-deprecating jokes and gently ribbing attendees. He took away any pressure we might be feeling by assuring us that we would all pass. He insisted on participation by encouraging the class to ask questions about the law.
Out of 100 attendess, at least half of the class seemed to be 17 to 19 year-olds. The funniest parts of the class were the questions from teenagers retelling scenarios where they tried to portray themselves as innocent and win sympathy if not exoneration from us.
During the discussion about probable cause, one 19 year old asked if it was legal to stop someone for appearing to be drowsy. The teacher asked him to give more detail. He said one morning he was driving at 6 AM and a cop pulled him over for appearing drowsy.
The teacher inquired, “Why were you driving at 6 AM. Were you headed home from an all night party?”
The kid said with a straight face ”No, I just got up one morning at 6 AM and started driving.”
The teacher tried to get to the bottom of this, “Where were you going?”
“Nowhere,” the kid raised his eyebrows, “I was just driving.”
The teacher repeated what the kid said: “So you just got up at 6 AM, went to your car, and started driving?”
“Yes,” affirmed the kid with raised eyebrows. The class burst out laughing. The kid’s story may have been true, but he gave up trying to convince us.
The teacher assured us that appearing drowsy is probable cause for a cop to pull you over.
This episode made me start thinking about the lies we tell. This week’s blog posts will explore lies.
Topics: Intent to deceive, Lies, Life choices | No Comments »