At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? On Tuesdays I like to throw one out there and see what you make of it. Do with it as you please. If a for-instance is not specified, feel free to interpret that instance as you wish. And if you find this becomes a novel-length answer, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements ;)
Imagine that you're being questioned by some authority (the police, a military tribunal, a king, or someone like that). You want to tell the truth. You've done nothing wrong. But you're under suspicion because of something outside of your control. And that "something" is completely unbelievable (time travel, alien abduction, portal between worlds, magic, or something like that). What do you say? What do you do?
Well, lies are hard to keep track of, so I'd just have to tell the truth and hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteThe whole truth and nothing but the truth, and if it was weird, I'd make them try to sort it all out, but I would stick to my story. Like Alex says, lies are hard to keep track of, so always better to tell the truth.
ReplyDeletebetty
Even if you'll be locked up in a hospital or jail? Because they'll think you're lying. Because, unbelievable.
DeleteI would speak the truth but in a snarky way just to piss them off. It would bide me some time to think up a more believable story so they could let me go or I could figure out how to escape.
ReplyDeleteAh, the snark. No one would believe you, you know...
DeleteYou lie! Telling the truth is important for a lot of things, but if you're not going to be believe, you have no evidence to back your claims up, and the truth is only going to hurt you, then lying is the better option. If it's not going to hurt anyone, then yeah, I'm definitely lying.
ReplyDeleteTell the truth, but not the whole truth.
ReplyDeleteProbably a good way to parse it.
DeleteI would tell the truth!
ReplyDeleteEven if it would get you burned at the stake as a witch?
DeleteI'd just tell the truth :D
ReplyDeleteThis is a popular response. But I don't think everyone is considering all the consequences.
DeleteI gotta say I'd tell the truth.
ReplyDeleteEh. I'm totally okay with lying. lol I'd do whatever I had to do to get out of that situation then go about exposing whatever it was (if it needed to be done)
ReplyDeleteI'd lie my head off if it meant saving myself :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it would.
DeleteI think I would have to just tell the truth :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a hard question to answer without knowing what it is I've done wrong. In some instances I'm ok with lying; the question comes down to whether or not I can commit myself to the lie without snickering and giving myself away (and how big the lie would have to be). I've also never considered lying to a police officer. The best bet, for me, would be to talk around whatever I did and not commit to anything. Like, for instance, I just got back from the Brittany coast of France. My boss asked where I went for vacation and I told her simply "the beach" because I didn't want to get into it with her. So, that. Keep my statement short and simple and not admit to anything I don't have to. Oh - and get a lawyer. :)
ReplyDeleteYou've done nothing wrong except be impacted by some unbelievable circumstance (like falling through a wormhole to a time sometime in the past).
DeleteHmmm, I'd attempt to tell the truth and hope not to get thrown in a mental institution.
ReplyDeleteBut the mental institution is very likely...
DeleteThis is hard because I wouldn't be courageous in that situation. I suspect I would tell them whatever they wanted to hear. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the tricky part. What do they want to hear? What's not going to get you burned at the stake?
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