当然,终极的家庭不测是死亡。这是最强有力的借口——不受时间限制,不受技术影响的终极武器。但即便是这个借口的效力相比以前也有所下降。一个朋友在她母亲死后以悲痛为借口,无往不利;但几周之后她发现,自己的免罪金牌变得不那么好用了。在旁人看来,过了这么久她应该回归正常状态了。
The best excuse I have come across recently was made by a senior executive who cancelled an important meeting with a colleague, claiming that “a legal issue has come up”. The genius of this is that it sounds both very serious and very forbidding. Much as my colleague wanted to, he refrained from replying: Gosh, what sort of legal issue? A spot of fraud? Bankruptcy? Murder?
我最近见识到的最佳借口来自一名高管,他取消了和一个同事的重要会议,声称“出现了一个法律问题”。这个借口的天才之处在于,它听起来既非常严肃,又令人不敢质疑。我的同事很想回复说,我的天啊,什么法律问题?欺诈?破产?还是谋杀?但他最终还是克制住了自己,没有这样做。
In the absence of any legal issues of my own, I am increasingly seeking refuge in the truth. So when asked last week if I wanted to go on a news show broadcast live at 10.30pm, I didn’t pretend to be busy, I just said it was past my bedtime. When asked if I wanted to attend an awards evening, I explained that awards evenings didn’t bring out the best in me. Such bluntness is a three-way win: you don’t have to feel bad about telling a white lie; there is no comeback and you don’t get asked again.
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