Germain Grisez on Humorous Lies

The moral theologian Germain Grisez, following the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Living a Christian Life states:

Humorous lies manipulate others and often offend their dignity. [bold emphasis original] Many moralists think humorous (jocose) lies have little or no moral significance. This opinion may be based partly on a confusion between telling humorous fictional stories not intended to deceive anyone (these are not lies, and can be morally acceptable) and humorous lies properly so called. The latter do aim to deceive someone, although usually only temporarily, and generally in the context of playful mocking or teasing (“kidding”). For instance, someone first tells a credulous person something astonishing, embarrassing, or frightening but untrue, and by this deception provokes an emotional reaction; then the joker manifests the truth and at least implicitly ridicules the reaction. 

Although the humorous lie usually is not a grave matter, its moral significance is obvious: like every other lie, it manipulates others. This fact also explains why humorous liars typically victimize people whom they regard as inferiors (and thus offend their dignity): adults often tell such lies to children, male superiors to female subordinates, the sophisticated to the simple, and so on.” (7.B.6.h)

We are reminded of St. Paul's admonition: "Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another" (Eph. 4:25). Is there, then, any room for a lie that makes use of falsehood?

There is a story in the life of St. Thomas Aquinas when the Saint was a novice. Because of his quietness and slowness of movement, his brothers thought him dumb. An older brother, hoping to capitalize on this, pointed dramatically out the window one day and exclaimed to St. Thomas, "Look! There is a flying pig!" St. Thomas, apparently gullible, walked over to the window and looked out. When the laughter had died down, St. Thomas turned to the brother who had made the joke and said, "It would have been better for a pig to fly than for a Dominican to tell a lie."

No, St. Thomas sure wasn't the life of the party, but for what it's worth, he is a saint and doctor of the Church.

Dr. Germain Grisez on Making Good Use of Time

Many people, for example, waste much of their time and energy in pastimes which, while perhaps sinless in themselves, bear no real fruit either for themselves or others: daydreaming, useless worrying, idle chatter, and passive entertainment. Even fairly well-organized people often fail to make good use of the time and energy still available while they engage in some necessary activity, for example, by allowing their minds to wander as they shower and dress or by using a radio for passive entertainment as they commute. Committed Christians should discipline themselves to replace useless activities with others which not only promise real benefit but further one or another element of their vocation, and, whenever possible, should do two or more such things at once. For example, while occupied with necessary activities which leave the mind free, a person can make plans, think through a problem, or pray; while commuting, someone might listen to worthwhile tape recordings. The ideal of faithfulness is set by the exhortation: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3.17; see CMP, 27.E).

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Source: Germain Grisez, The Way of the Lord Jesus: Living a Christian Life, ch. 2, q. E, 5, a, accessed April 29, 2014, http://www.twotlj.org/G-2-2-E.html.

What Is Idle Talk?

Idle chatter is that talk which is not directed toward some good end either by habitual intention or actual deliberation and which does not take into appropriate account duty, time (occasions or actual time), place (location or status), and other circumstances (such as remaining recollected or maintaining appropriate boundaries), which make communication most effective and proper.

Cf. Germain Grisez, The Way of the Lord Jesus, vol. 2, ch. 7, q. B, 1.e.

A good end is always determined by love of God and love of neighbor, either individually or communally. This love of neighbor, whether individually or communally, may manifest itself in the desire to foster peaceful relations or just relations; to aid the poor, suffering, or neglected by attending to them with words of comfort or conversation; to respect our superiors or those in offices of honor or power, such as a judge, an officer, or our boss; etc.

Time, place, and circumstances with respect to 1) our duties and responsibilities; 2) our recollection in God; 3) our appropriate boundaries. 

1) With respect to duties, making sure that our conversation will not make us negligent in our duties in any way; making sure that our conversation doesn't lead us to escape burdens, commitments, conflicts that must be resolved or faced. Such conversation often imposes on others.

2) With respect to recollection, making sure our conversation doesn't draw us away from God and immerse us totally or even predominantly in creaturely things unless these are subordinated and directed to God habitually or actually. Such conversation affords many occasions of sins.

3) With respect to maintaining appropriate boundaries, making sure our conversation would not put us in danger of blurring physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries that keep us safe and out of occasions of sin. Such conversation is also respectful of others' duties and responsibilities.

Scripture speaks of right language as edifying (Eph. 4:29), as calm, joyful, gentle, honest and upright (Col 3:8), pure, moral, dignified, mature, in its proper place, and grateful (Eph. 5:4), directed towards the supernatural, non-argumentative (1 Tim. 6:20b-21), sensitive, considerate, patient, fraternally correcting when necessary (2 Tim. 2:14-17, 23-26), careful, and coming from the depths of our hearts (Mt. 12:34b-37).