# A Question for African American Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672 "2013-08-31T17:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/21 "2013-09-04T14:51:03Z")
I’m Black (I cannot use the lower case as a racial descriptive word) and was born in 1957 in Brooklyn, NY and I’ve never heard of this rule. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/22 "2013-09-04T15:06:45Z")
It’s a Southern thing. I’m Black, born and raised in Cleveland, OH. Using the word lie or calling someone a liar has never been forbidden or discouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/23 "2013-09-04T16:26:40Z")
> [@Chilliwack](#): > > Sorry, I could’ve made my ranting example more clear. In this case, it made no difference whether a house was moved to the site, or was built on the site. I was trying to provide an example where there was NO question that I was being lied to. No house in 2001, house today - it has NOT been there since the 60s. > > How is it that it’s okay for someone to lie to me, but a most grievous insult if I call them on it? That is what I don’t understand, and that is what frustrates me. > > My colleagues and I catch people lying to us ALL THE TIME, an it makes our jobs much more diificult, Even worse, is that it makes the liar’s situation worse too, so they have nothing to gain from it. Things would go better for everyone if I didn’t have to present counterarguments and evidence to put down every lie they bring forth, and we could work with a shared understanding of the situation. > > The lying is insulting in and of itself. The problem is that lying requires specific intent to deceive. It is something you really can’t “do your homework” to prove. All you can prove is that someone made (or regularly makes) non-factual claims. They could be mis-informed and gullible to claims made by others. They could be delusional, or have some kind of mental block that doesn’t even recognize what the truth is. Calling someone a liar is making a character judgement that is virtually impossible to prove beyond any doubt. That’s why so many find it unacceptable. That’s why it’s not allowed right here in GD. And it’s certainly not a “black” thing. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/24 "2013-09-04T17:26:38Z")
> [@jali](#): > > I’m Black (I cannot use the lower case as a racial descriptive word) Why not? Will you get in trouble? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/25 "2013-09-04T17:34:08Z")
I’m a white American, and I was taught that the verb “lie” included a mental element or intent. If a person was “lying”, then they _knew_ that what they were saying wasn’t true but _chose_ to say it anyway. It was more polite to claim, “I don’t think Bill is correct about that” or “Sis said that the papers were in the garage, I disagree - I saw her moving them to the shed this morning” You are pointing out the fact that you feel the statement was inaccurate without making a judgment as to knowledge or intent, something that is often hard to judge. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/26 "2013-09-04T17:46:31Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Why not? Will you get in trouble? Yes, the Negro Community Will Frown Upon His Shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672/27 "2013-09-04T17:58:49Z")
Would [**terminalogical inexactitude**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminological_inexactitude) have occasioned punitive corporal chastisement? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-african-american-dopers/667672.md?page=1)