Spin
Humans are lie detectors.
We hear stories. We enjoy them. We try them on for size. We’re looking for falsehoods and we sniff them out.
We value the truth and we enjoy it. And we’re always wary about the occasional lie.
That’s why political season is just so w e i r d.
The spinners lie constantly. They lie with a straight face. They lie sentence after sentence, relentlessly.
Like the uncanny valley, we don’t really know what to do in the face of non-stop lying. Is this person an alien? Do they think we’re stupid? How are we supposed to respond to the onslaught of disrespect?
Some people suspend disbelief and just believe all of it. In an internet era, I’m wondering if that’s going to continue to be true. Once we see video evidence of a few lies, it all starts to unravel (or ravel, depending on your use of English). A cynic would say that the ravelling is a pleasure to watch, and the media enjoys it too.
But the spinners continue to spin, as relentlessly as ever. I wonder if this election is going to mark the end of classic spin or the beginning of a whole new class of even slicker lying.
And since most marketers follow the lead of politicians, I wonder what it means for the rest of us? Is there new slack for truthiness? Is the jaded consumer even more likely to stand by as marketers continue to fabricate falsehoods by the yard? I’m amazed at corporate spokespeople who utter complete falsehoods, rationalizing that it’s just their job.
All I know for sure is that it gives me a headache. I think there’s a huge opportunity for a trusted media source that takes on spin from all quarters and throws it back in the face of the spinner. Show them video of themselves from last week and ask them to respond. Oh, I’m probably just being a hopeful idealist.