Originally Posted by
lefty loose
It's a useful reminder that every single Russian statement should be assumed to be a lie by default. What a messed up culture!
In Russian culture a distinction is drawn between two kinds of lies, vranyo and lozh which do not have exact parallels in English. Vranyo has been claimed as uniquely Russian, and seems to consist of telling untrue but credible stories, a practice not condemned by those who recognize what is going on. Indeed, for success in vranyo-telling, there must be a listener who pretends to believe in the truth of what is being said. [...] Lozh, on the other hand, implies a conscious intention to deceive.
"A Russian friend explained vranyo this way: ‘You know I’m lying, and I know that you know, and you know that I know that you know, but I go ahead with a straight face, and you nod seriously and take notes."
I am unsure of the corresponding (American) English or (British) English equivalent of vranyo or lozh …… or, am I vranyo-telling.
We (USA) may not have the terminology, but politically we have the reality.