Is it okay to lie to your friends about this? Viral video sparks debate

While the TikTokker clearly found humor in her friends’ solution to her chronic tardiness, her behavior — and that of her friends — sparked furious debate in the comments section.

“I would just stop inviting. Chronically late people get on my nerves,” one viewer chided.

“I feel like it’s just basic respect to show up on time if someone has something planned,” gushed another.

“How can you hold down a job this late?” wrote someone else, while others called the deceased individuals disrespectful.

“There’s nothing funny about being late all the time,” chimed in another person. “I just don’t invite people who are always late anymore.”

“From the friend who once started lying about what time to show up: The next step is *forgetting* to invite you,” someone else commented.

Etiquette expert Lisa Grotts told USA Today that friends need to discuss and understand what is considered “timely,” as everyone’s perception of what is polite can vary. Perhaps they grew up in a household where arriving within a 10-minute window was acceptable, while others may subscribe to the “if you’re early, you’re on time” mantra.

But someone who is consistently, extremely late may face greater consequences than lying about the time of their dinner reservation.

“When you’re late, it says your time is more important than everyone else’s,” Grotts explained. “It is not. If this kind of behavior continues, you may find yourself off the party invite list.”

Meanwhile, other TikTokkers didn’t think the lies or delays were that serious, admitting that they — and their friends — are often late.

“Friends are helping you,” argued one person. “I was the late friend and I worked hard for him. It is often stress from too many responsibilities/constraints. Never intentional, but an adjustable habit.”

“Oh I always do this for my late friend,” wrote another. “Love him though!”

“Mature doesn’t mean being mad at friends for making accommodations for chronically late friend,” someone else commented, despite users arguing that, now that the creator is lying, she might as well be later next time .

That said, such “accommodations” (where they extend) may not be the best policy, advised Brad Fulton, associate professor of management and social policy at Indiana University – Bloomington. He told USA Today that this is “mainly because lies often beget more lies.”

“Imagine if any of the friends would be upset if they found out that the dinner planner had communicated differently with each person,” Taya Cohen, a professor of organizational behavior and business ethics at Carnegie Mellon University, told USA Today.

While some online viewers vouched for confronting friends about their chronic tardiness, Fulton said it can be more work than it’s worth.

“If a person confronts a friend about his chroma tardiness, the friend may accuse the person of being controlling, citing that being on time is a cultural value rather than a universal value,” he said.