Aes Sedai and sarcasm

[RobinRosengren]

I was re-reading a passage from Winter's Heart the other day and found an odd quote by Teslyn. This is when Mat sneaks into the damane kennels and offers to help her escape:

"It would help if you did not dress so flamboyantly. Ten drunken Tinkers could no attract as much attention as you do."

 

The options I find are:

• 1. Mat's clothing really is that 'flamboyant' (not likely, we're talking TEN drunken Tinkers!)
  
• 2. Teslyn is able to 'lie' because she obviously uses it as sarcasm and therefore consider it not lying
  
• 3. Teslyn is able to lie because she is Black Ajah
  
• 4. RJ just slipped
  

 

Can Aes Sedai use sarcasm?

Personally I think RJ slipped, but I just wanted to see what you guys think.

[dmanmiller34]

I belive that Aes sedai can use Sarcasm. I mean look and Siuan Sanche always telling people that they'll be used as fish bait and stuff like that while she is Amrylinn. A lie is only a lie if it is intended to be a lie. I could say that its boiling hot outside without it being a lie. Its just figuative speech.

[lou]

perhaps teslyn is just very conservative...

[Majsju]

Yes, Aes Sedai can use sarcasm. The oath against lying is very much about intent. An Aes Sedai can hold up a black piece of cloath and claim it's white without any problem. She would probably not be able to do it if the person she talked to was blind though.

[Lune]

She can't, actually. It's been cited a few times about trying (and failing) to make AS damane say that a red cloth is blue, or things like Pevara has a beard.

 

Things like being used for fishbait, etc, are figures of speech and not really lying.

[fireblade]

Yah totally Aes Sedai can use sarcasm

I belive that Aes sedai can use Sarcasm. I mean look and Siuan Sanche always telling people that they'll be used as fish bait and stuff like that while she is Amrylinn. A lie is only a lie if it is intended to be a lie. I could say that its boiling hot outside without it being a lie. Its just figuative speech.

[Luckers]

Lune, RJ has stated that lying is about intent and knowledge of perception. Sarcasm is allowed because the Aes Sedai a) doesn't mean it and b)the Aes Sedai knows the person hearing it would not believe it.

 

He actually raises the colour issue, saying that an Aes sedai could say the sky is green, or some such, but not if the person hearing was likely to believe them. (Say, they were blind).

 

The bit about the cloth comes under that. Ryma (Pura) was not able to lie about the colour of the cloth because she knew the sul'dam wanted her to speak the lie as if it were true.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Maj is completely correct.  RJ actually answered this question for him, personally.

 

The quote:

 

For Majsju, the oath against lying does leave room for sarcasm. It is intent and result that matter. No sister can intentionally speak an untruth either with the intent of passing on false information or with the belief that false information might be passed on. Thus the careful slicing and dicing of words. But if someone were to hold up a piece of white cloth and ask whether it was black or white, someone who had sworn the Three Oaths would be capable of saying that it was black as a matter of sarcasm. But not if, for example, the person asking the question was blind and thus might well take the statement for truth rather than sarcasm.

 

found here: http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/?p=31