Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I've Got a Secret

It occurs to me that it's really quite unethical to tell someone something -- and then AFTER the fact say that it's a secret and not to tell.

The person who does this essentially asks the receiver of the message to lie, and this without giving her the opportunity to refuse to hear the secret.

This has just happened to me, and while in the end, the person being kept out of the loop is eventually going to be told the secret, my job (my lie) is to remember that I didn't know it first, even though I did.

I don't like being asked to lie, and upon reflection, it occurs to me that this person, who shall remain even pseudonymously nameless, frequently says, "don't tell So and So" when little (usually dumb, insignificant) things happen that she'd rather he not know.

Am I right, or am I overly sensitive?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are right, IMO; it's unethical and real wrong besides to put the listener in a position of complicity without allowing him or her a choice. Thoughtless and disrespectful, that's what I call it!

/high dudgeon

Brave Sir Robin said...

I agree with you.

I'm almost always on the side of honesty.