Spin. It is a powerful thing. People believe what they're
already prone to believing and if you word things in a
believable way, people are more likely to believe you. Used by
politicians, news media, wives, husbands and preschoolers alike
- It's nearly invisible when you know your audience right;
you're telling them what they expect you to say and they like
that; people like hearing what they want to hear. None of it has
to have any bearing on truth. But truth doesn't exist in a world
of spin. Does it even exist at all? Who knows. I suppose in the
end it comes down to the effectiveness of stories. Having a
strong BS detector is a good skill. Most people have simple
rules, "person smiles too much, must be lying/hiding something".
"the guy who says trust me, you shouldn't trust" but they're
only of limited effectiveness. In the end, you have to listen
for the holes. There's always holes. Pointing them out isn't
required, just noticing quietly is enough to help keep you from
completely swallowing a spin. I usually let people have their
stories and spins; makes ppl happy to believe I believe as
thankfully, most spin is mostly harmless ultimately. Mostly.
It's also led to divorce and wars and murder. Over-reliance on
spin becomes "YOU LIED TO ME!" and,well, that's trouble. If you
like spinning, toss a little truth in there sometimes, if
honesty is unpalatable. I like the taste of honesty but some
people find honesty as palatable as eating hair.
