{"id":1103,"date":"2015-05-30T18:08:31","date_gmt":"2015-05-30T22:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sugargroup.net\/varrin\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2015-05-30T18:10:02","modified_gmt":"2015-05-30T22:10:02","slug":"be-honest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sugargroup.net\/varrin\/be-honest\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Honest"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Timeout!<\/a>

Timeout! (stock photo courtesy of http:\/\/photl.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

In writing this article, I hope to accomplish two things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Outline some common types of dishonesty and suggest specific ways to improve.<\/li>\n
  2. Provide a sticky, convenient reference that can be reused to encourage improved honesty.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    My purpose here isn\u2019t to insult or degrade anyone. Honesty is a touchy subject and many people don\u2019t take kindly to being informed of their dishonesty. Some people are simply unaware they\u2019re being dishonest. Others may feel it\u2019s okay because some of these types of dishonesty seem socially acceptable.<\/p>\n

    Regardless of the reason, I don\u2019t think dishonesty is okay. My goal is to be as honest as I can be and I believe it\u2019s best if everyone does likewise. If you catch me being dishonest, feel free to refer me to this article with an explanation of what I\u2019ve done wrong. I\u2019m not perfect and want to improve.<\/p>\n

    We stress honesty in our home, but with other people it\u2019s difficult to know how to respond. It\u2019s easy to sweep it under the rug and pretend it didn\u2019t happen. Alas, that does nothing to solve the problem. It\u2019s also easy to overreact and insult the dishonest person, which rarely makes things better. I\u2019m hoping this article provides a better way to alert people to potential dishonesty and provide a dignified opportunity to correct and improve.<\/p>\n

    The list below isn\u2019t an exhaustive list of ways to be dishonest, but these are common types of dishonesty that I observe regularly. I\u2019ve omitted some of the most egregious forms (eg. fabrication) because I hope they\u2019re obvious enough to skip. Without further ado, here\u2019s the list with specific suggestions for improvement:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Misquoting \u2013 Unless it\u2019s obviously satirical (eg. the Abraham Lincoln quote about the internet), misquoting is dishonest. Paraphrases should accurately convey what the person actually said. Memes are frequent offenders and passing along a dishonest meme without a disclaimer is, itself, dishonest. To improve, fact check memes before posting. If you\u2019re not certain they\u2019re accurate, include a clear disclaimer. If you can\u2019t think of something better, try this: \u201cWarning: I don\u2019t know if this meme is honest.\u201d Note that misquoting can include plagiarism, too.<\/li>\n
    2. Inaccurate summary\/headline \u2013 Communication (especially news and other articles) sometimes contains summaries or headlines that are either inaccurate or not related to the full souce. Writing such a summary or headline is dishonest. To avoid spreading dishonest summaries or headlines, clearly state what is deficient when posting. For example: \u201cThis headline is untrue,\u201d or, \u201cThis summary doesn\u2019t describe the article.\u201d<\/li>\n
    3. Tardiness\/no-show \u2013 Being late or not showing up to a commitment is dishonesty. To avoid this kind of dishonesty, be on time. If you\u2019re not confident you can make the deadline, don\u2019t commit. If something unexpected comes up and you cannot make it on time (or at all), do everything you can to let the other people involved know as soon as possible, and include an apology.<\/li>\n
    4. Under-performance \u2013 Tardiness is just one form of under-performance. If you commit to another person, not meeting the standards you\u2019ve set is dishonest, even if you\u2019re on time. Instead, do what you say you\u2019re going to do. If you\u2019re not sure you can meet the standards, don\u2019t commit. If something unexpected happens, notify the other people involved and include an apology (some types of under-performance may warrant compensation as well). For all types of under-performance, notify those involved as soon as possible. Once you know you can\u2019t perform, any controllable delay in notification is dishonest.<\/li>\n
    5. Bigotry \u2013 It is convenient to generalize, but making general statements about groups of people is frequently dishonest. Sensitivity to racism, sexism, and some other forms of bigotry is growing, but this remains a popular form of dishonesty. One way to check for dishonesty is to try starting your general statement with, \u201call\u201d (eg. \u201call left-handed people\u201d). If it is true (eg. \u201call left-handed people are left-hand dominant.\u201d) then your statement is honest. If not, avoid the generalization or qualify it accurately (eg. \u201ca few left-handed people are criminals,\u201d or \u201cmany left-handed people are brilliant.\u201d).<\/li>\n
    6. Unsupported assertions \u2013 Making a claim without supplying supporting evidence isn\u2019t always dishonest. However, stating a claim as fact for which there is no supporting evidence, or even clearly contradicting evidence, is dishonest. If your assertion can\u2019t be well supported, try saying, \u201cI think,\u201d \u201cI believe,\u201d \u201cmay,\u201d or, \u201cIn my opinion…\u201d<\/li>\n
    7. Jumping to conclusions \u2013 Sometimes, combinations of true statements can be assembled to paint a broader picture that isn\u2019t true. Believing the conclusion isn\u2019t necessarily wrong, but stating it as fact is dishonest. Avoiding this kind of dishonesty is similar to avoiding unsupported assertions, except in this case, it is the conclusion that requires clarification.<\/li>\n
    8. Important omission \u2013 Completely comprehensive information is rarely necessary or expedient, and omitting unimportant details isn\u2019t necessarily dishonest. However, omitting a known piece of important and relevant information can be dishonest. This is a judgment call, but if you think something is important, it\u2019s better to include it. Try opening with, \u201cThere\u2019s something else you may want to know.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Maybe you\u2019ve done one or more of the things I\u2019ve mentioned above. If so, an ideal way to respond would be to make a correction and apologize for the error. If the error is public, the correction and apology should be, too.<\/p>\n

      Maybe you\u2019ve encountered someone else being dishonest. Feel free to pass this on with a gentile encouragement to correct and apologize. Doing so in private might be better, at least initially.<\/p>\n

      In addition to advocating honesty, I advocate forgiveness, too. It takes hard work and good character to be honest. We all mess up from time to time, and I think it\u2019s best to forgive and encourage those who are trying to improve. Rather than using this as a weapon to attack people, I hope this serves as an encouragement to be more honest.<\/p>\n

      V-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      In writing this article, I hope to accomplish two things: Outline some common types of dishonesty and suggest specific ways to improve. Provide a sticky, convenient reference that can be reused to encourage improved honesty. My purpose here isn\u2019t to insult or degrade anyone. 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