Spin

There is lying, and then there is “spin”. Spin is when one over-accentuates a small piece of a given situation that is true to support one’s position while intentionally de-emphasizing the less savory aspects of current events. Two years ago I blamed the shortage of Copper River Salmon on a truck hitting a moose in the Yukon Territory while the larger truth was I sold everything I had to someone else for more money. Spin is ever-present in politics (see: “supply-side economics”, “I didn’t inhale” and “WMDs”. It is also extremely prevalent in advertising; we’re all used to it. No one thinks twice when Pontiac advertises its new car with all kinds of superlatives; we all know it’s going to be a piece of crap. But this time the car business has gone too far. I heard this on an ad for the local Hummer dealership:

“And your H2 and H3 Hummers run on the least expensive gas at the pump… REGULAR!!!”

To imply vehicles that get 10 MPG and 15 MPG respectively are fuel savers is more than egregious.

It’s an outrage.