These days we
seem to be afflicted with something that started out a few
years ago as creeping exaggeration and now has developed
into a full-blown case of out and out dishonesty.
What is particularly troubling is that untruthfulness is
too often now considered to be, smart business practice.
Lying skillfully is even the basic premise for a television
show.
Perhaps we expect and even
accept the fact that the cosmetics we buy can never live
up to the implied promises.
Based on our insatiable desire
to remain young and attractive, they are considered "hope
in a jar" and we overpay for the product because we
want desperately to believe in the promise. We may also
realize that many of the commercials for cars, food, clothes
and movies are greatly exaggerated and knowing this, alter
our expectations, accordingly.
But when our local trusted
banks deceive us by offering overdraw "privileges,"
omitting to initially mention that this same service is
actually a loan, entailing a double-digit interest charge,
then the line between exaggeration and dishonesty, has,
in my mind, definitely been crossed.
"Twenty-five percent
off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price,"
shouts the department store advertisement.
One wonders, did it ever indeed
sell for that original price?
We recently retired our 20-year-old
TV in favor of a newer, larger model and after diligently
checking out ratings and then prices for our chosen model,
we decided to pay a little more and deal with a reputable
store where we had purchased many other appliances in the
past. We paid an additional $50 for what the store termed
"delivery and installation." Turns out, installation
consists of merely setting the TV in place, even though
the Oxford dictionary and I would define install as "to
place a piece of equipment in position ready for use."
Unless you happen to possess an engineering degree (which,
incidentally, my husband does, but to no avail) you now
must spend an additional major sum to have a technician
from your cable company come to your home and make your
TV "ready for use."
Wordsmiths must stay up nights
thinking of new phrases to dilute or alter the true meaning
of a word. Political leaders follow the "commercial
spin" by consistently using words with unclear meanings
or employing phrases that are evasive at best and often
are the opposite of what is actually true.
Lately, for example, on the
federal level, we are asked to overlook what seems to me,
an enormous contradiction, a stated policy of compassionate
conservatism with a government caught exploring loopholes
to make torture a legal possibility. As for our state government,
even a 9-year-old knows that when someone does a really
big favor, they may well expect something in return.
Sadly, seniors are often the
victims of scams and even contracts that are legal but misleading
or misunderstood because of exaggerated claims or foggy
explanations.
One of the major reasons seniors
are so susceptible to false representations is that they
were raised in a simpler time of more open, direct speech.
Is it any wonder that our
youth cheat on exams, download music from illegal sources
and feel deception in business is OK as long as you don’t
get caught? Heads of corporations rise to position of prominence
by finding tax loopholes or favored trading contacts.
The line between what is accurate
and true, the responsibility of the seller to the buyer
or the elected to the voter, gets less clear all the time.
Jean Cherni
is founder of Senior Living Solutions, a retirement advisory
service. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or
15 The Ponds, Branford 06405. H. Pearce Company REALTORS®
is a full-service real estate company with more than 100
agents and branch offices in greater New Haven and the Shoreline.
Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North
Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings
can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com. |
