You find out that your best friend has been lying to you about someone or something that is important to you. / Vous découvrez que votre meilleur/e ami/e vous ment à propos de quelqu'un ou d'une affaire qui vous tient à coeur.
Emotions
Posted by Phil on March 2, 2004
One thing that I noticed about the responses for this situation was that the American side admitted to more emotion than the French side. Many more people said they'd be upset or sad, and only Americans brought up anger. I know that some of these emotions are probably tied to the French responses, but Americans were more explicit about it.
Truth
Posted by Phil on March 2, 2004
One other theme that I found in this as well as other reactions is the emphasis on truth, or the face of truth, in American culture. People on both sides said that there was a possibility that they would no longer be friends, but the French responses showed a greater trust in their friend's intentions. The majority of both sides said that they would talk to the friend to find out why, but the people on the French side also replied in many cases that there was probably a good reason for the lie. I think this could either show a greater trust in one another or just a need to rationalize something that would otherwise be too horrible to confront. Americans, on the other hand, seem much more skeptical and are more likely to trust the facts as they see them. Any thoughts about this?
Re:Truth
Posted by Bosun on March 5, 2004
I don't know if the French take longer to make "best friends" as the Americans. Generally, how long would you be friends with someone before you would feel comfortable calling him your best friend? Here, it seems (as it should) that people born and bred here tend to take someone from their high schools or even earlier as best friends...even while they are in college. The rest (foreigners, immigrants) seem more open to their options and ultimately less decisive on the issue of best friends. Does this hold with the French?