Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[iloveyou]

Hello,

I don't understand what a vote of confidence means in this passage

The white lie assumes that the truth will cause more damage than a harmless untruth. Telling a friend he looks great when he looks really bad can be based on a decision that the friend needs a compliment more than a frank opinion. But, in effect, it is the liar deciding what is best for the lied to. Ultimately, it is a vote of no confidence. It is an act of subtle arrogance for anyone to decide what is best for someone else.

Thanks
Yun

[redset]

A vote of no confidence happens in politics, usually when opposition members in parliament believe that the Prime Minister is doing such a bad job that the majority will vote to kick him or her out - or at least enough people will vote to weaken the government and make them easier to defeat on other matters. The analogy is that when you lie to your friend to save their feelings, you're actually saying 'I have no confidence in your ability to deal with the truth!'