How to Satisfy Curiosity Without Alleviating Confusion?

[p_2001]

"How to Satisfy Curiosity Without Alleviating Confusion?", can be considered a part of social engineering, but I did not know where do I post this...



So, I wanted to ask people what do they do to :-Satisfy Curiosity Without Alleviating Confusion?.. means what are ideal strategies to answer questions without really answering them or giving anything away and make it convincing? To actually make people believe that they have the answer to their question without giving them one.

Please do not consider lying as an answer because lies are caught very easily and have a lot of potential to backfire...

my strategy usually is to answer by asking questions in return and giving vague answers, usually with a touch of condescension that usually shuts people up... they believe that THEY are at fault at not being able to understand the given answer and do not consider the possibility that I may not have answered properly...


so, what are your thoughts?

[Lionofgod]

If its a white guy then I tell him he wont understand just because he's white : )

[Kulverstukas]

well what you are asking IS lying. "Answering questions without actually answering them" is lying. Lying is giving false data.
Without examples it's hard for me to understand

[p_2001]

well what you are asking IS lying. "Answering questions without actually answering them" is lying. Lying is giving false data.
Without examples it's hard for me to understand

consider it misdirection of sorts.....  giving false answers is called lying... giving obfuscated or ambiguous answer is not exactly lying...

If your world view is black and white, then everything is truth or lie and nothing in betweens... else there can be states between truth and lie.....

equivocations can be considered a part of it...

Politicians do it all the time.... it is a great tool to create public opinion on something.....

lets say someone ask you
"why did you buy brandy?"

and you answer
"for medicinal purpose"

the person will automatically assume that you need it to deal with common cold or something....

whereas drinking can be considered "therapeutic"....

you did not exactly lie, the purpose was medicinal..... believe me, downright lying can be detected but giving half truth or equivocations are easier and more convincing..


have you read "Macbeth"?

the conversation between the witches and Macbeth is an example..



EDIT : Another example...

say, a kid asks you "what is sex"....

you say without missing a beat :- " it is a kind of a dance"

you did not exactly lie did you? it IS a dance where 2 people come close, interlock their limbs and move their body in a rhythm.... trying to explain or lie can cause trouble..

[Wolf]

The way I do this is break down their questions into several parts. Say you have this girl friend and she sees you looking at the waitress.
"Where you just stare at her??"
Did I stare? not really, I wouldn't call it staring, not that You'd tell her what you were doing, but you can justly say no.