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Comment by samaltmanfried | Hacker News Reader

I think that in Anglo-American culture it's also usually a faux-pas to confront a 'phony' in casual conversation. I've met lots of phonies in my time, and I feel as though calling them out on their BS stories, even in a subtle way, would have been a bigger faux-pas than telling it in the first place. It makes sense, I guess. Forcing the person to lose face and admit their lie would sour any social occasion.

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> I think that in Anglo-American culture it's also usually a faux-pas to confront a 'phony' in casual conversation.

I think it's typically a faux-pas to call out someone's bullshit/faults/shortcomings in mixed company in most situations. It's also not very likely to result in anything constructive or make you look good. Sometimes the truth just needs to be said, but generally you're better off telling people that truth in private or (when it really matters) raising concerns with someone who can do something about it.

Calling someone out in public is high risk with little benefit. Rolling your eyes, biting your tongue, and letting someone dig themselves into a deeper hole is usually a smarter move.

My gut tells me we need a charismatic pro standup comedian to get out of the political morass. It’s the only profession with an obligation to call out or even transmute BS. Think Jon Stewart, or Gervais at the Golden Globes, but kindlier and bipartisan. In science, its often enough just to publish.

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