1. How to Identify Disengenuous People
Have you ever pretended to know less about something than you actually did? If you are like
most people, at some point in your life, you have hidden certain knowledge you had because
to reveal what you knew would make someone else upset. A certain amount of discretion in
this area is acceptable, even expected. However, there are people in the world who adopt a
personal motto of avoiding full disclosure. These are disingenuous people.
No one likes disingenuous people. These are the people who are obviously insincere, who
lack the ability to speak candidly. When you are in the company of disingenous people you
often feel uncomfortable about speaking your mind because one of the most common
reasons people are disingenuous is gossip.
A gossip likes to collect interesting, possibly scandalous information about others. He or she
then likes to leak this information, all the while, acting as if he or she has no idea why it could
be bad to slander that person. In modern and popular culture, this behavior is common. Rap,
hip hop, and R&B artists even make a living arguing about who is the most disingenuous
artist in the industry. For years, rappers have collected material by calling other rappers fake.
A famous feud between Jay-Z and Nas ushered in the new century when, the two artists
recorded “dis-tracks” calling each other fakers and liars.
Time would exhaust itself citing the most prevalent fuel for discussions of disingenuous
people: politicians. Politics is saturated with double-speak. During the 2012 presidential
election, the democratic and republican parties spent billions of dollars posting adds about
who was lying about what and how it would destroy the American peoples’ lives to listen to
the lies.
In most cases, you can tell when you’re in the company of disingenuous people, but if you’re
ever unsure, watch for these signs and you’ll have a better idea:
- Does the person seem to be trying too hard? Trying to please you, make you happy or get
your attention? These people have ulterior motives and are probably hiding what they know
about you in order to get what they want from you. Think, salespeople.
- Have you caught the person in a lie? Liars are notoriously disingenuous people. They hide
the truth because they perceive gain in its absence.
- Do they make good eye contact? It’s strange how telling simple eye contact is. If a person
won’t look you in the eye, they’re hiding something: an emotion, an action, or a piece of
information. Be wary of those who don’t make eye contact.
- Trust your intuition. If you feel a person is swindling you or withholding important
information, protect yourself.
Disingenuous people, if allowed to thrive in your environment will quickly bog you down. Be
careful to know your friends and peers, and stay away from liars. Always give a person one,

2. or if you’re inclined, two tries to be decent, but if they lie habitually, let them go, for your own
good.