The truth, you don't say (.)(?)

Everyone knows the truth is a slippery commodity. It is all in the packaging, in the spin. I was watching the commercials during one of the networks' evening news broadcasts the other day and this is who the advertisers were and what they were selling:

1. A national oil producers' association – shale oil production
2. A national coal producers' association – “clean” coal
3. A Big Pharma member – “big” pills
4. A retirement association – their organization
5. An insurance company – You need them more than ever now
6. An investment firm – Your retirement money is safe with them

They all touted their information as “the truth.”

1. The national oil producers' association – No mention of flaming water faucets
2. The national coal producers' association – “Clean” coal seems to be an oxymoron to me
3. The Big Pharma member – They warned about it working to well
4. The retirement association – No mention of their insurance connections
5. The insurance company – They are better than the less expensive e-surance brands. (Now that they have their own e-surance brand.)
6. The investment firm – They didn't need to mention Lehman Brothers or the global financial crisis.

As a writer it is often what you leave out that matters. Here is an example:

1. The sun was shining.
2. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.
3. The sun was shining, the ground was baked and cracked.

From connotations of hope, of spring, of drought it's all right there. The truth be told it was all three things: The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the ground was baked and cracked.

Save that receipt when you open the package, maybe you can return it if its not what you thought.

George W. Parker