Are white lies ethical?

A READER recently took me to task for advising executive travellers to book a restaurant table for three even though they are only a party of two - because that secures them a larger table out of sardine row. The reader concluded I was encouraging people to tell a lie, albeit a white lie. The reader also suggested that much of the supposedly 'street smart' advice herein seemed to stretch the limits of ethical conduct. He wanted to know how I reconciled that.

I don't have an automatic answer for him. But I do know that situations occur in all walks of life where a touch of gamesmanship and bending (rather than breaking) the rules is the norm.

You see this, for example, on the baseball field when a pitcher suddenly loses his fastball or his control. The team needs to send in a relief pitcher quickly before the opposing batters cause too much damage. Since neither the manager nor pitching coach foresaw the pitcher's sudden demise, no one in the bullpen is ready. How does the manager correct this instance of poor planning? The manager signals from the dugout for the catcher to go to the mound and talk to the pitcher. The catcher doesn't have anything particularly pertinent to say. He's stalling for time while a relief pitcher hurriedly warms up in the bullpen. Soon the first baseman and shortstop wander to the mound to prolong the discussion. The plate umpire then trudges to the mound to break up the meeting. As play is about to resume, the manager may send the pitching coach to the mound to eat up another minute of time.

If the manager is lucky, the umpire may argue with the coach, as more seconds tick by. Eventually, the manager will slowly plod to the mound and send the pitcher to the showers, by which time the reliever is warmed up and ready.

Everyone in the ballpark knows the drill, including the umpire. The charade is part of the game and is usually entertaining.

Booking the table for three is the same harmless charade. It is part of the gamesmanship of dining in restaurants. It's a two-way street. Maitre d's are not totally honest or egalitarian when it comes to table availability. We all know they play favourites (especially with regular or powerful patrons). They make you wait even through you have a confirmed reservation and show up on time. They can be extremely arbitrary and vindictive about where they seat you. It's nice to be able to turn the tables on them once in a while.