Deception 101
It appears that Naive Americans have become very accustomed to deceive each other. Deception is at all levels high and on all subjects. At the top of the list we find career politicians, followed shortly by preachers, business people, etc, etc, etc. Deception continues all the way down to our homes with kids and spouse (assuming you are married and have children).
From http://encarta.msn.com the definition of:
Deceive: Transitive verb; intentionally trick or mislead somebody: to mislead or deliberately hide the truth from somebody.
The reader should note that the definition has nothing to do with legal terms used in a court of law (note that Naive Americans use the term “court of law” as opposed to “court of justice”). The definition is simple and direct.
From the same source on a closely related word:
Lie: Deliberately say something untrue: to say something that is not true in a conscious effort to deceive somebody.
Lie: Be deceptive: to give a false impression.
As one can easily rationalize, unless you are an attorney, that deceiving is the same action as lying. Well perhaps you do not have to be an attorney to arrive to this simple conclusion. It appears that our entire society has embarked in a deception voyage, which does not appear to have an end in site. If you disagree, then as mandated by this site, let’s review some examples, which might help one, arrive to the proper conclusion.
I was shopping for groceries over the weekend and among other items, was in need for fruit juice for my grand daughters. I picked up a pack of “Northland 100% Juice Cranberry Pomegranate” http://www.northlandjuices.com. I have to confess that the kids liked the juice. Before tossing the first empty container, I took a look at the ingredients. You can do the same by going to the Northland web site. They list them there. For your pleasure and enjoyment and more important, to make a point, the list follows:
100% juice from apple, grape, pomegranate and cranberry juice concentrates (filtered water, juice concentrates), vegetable color, natural flavors, citric acid, fruit extracts (grape skin, blueberry, pomegranate, cranberry, red grape & apple), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin A palmitate, vitamin E acetate.
First and most important, I am confident that the good folks at Northland have made sure they follow the law as to what they are allowed to print advertise. As mentioned above, my grand daughters like the product so my wife and I will purchase it again when the time comes. That said, lets take a look at: 100% represents the whole. There is no room for absolutely anything else. In this case 100% juice also contains things that cannot be passed or confused by juice. Perhaps this is just wording and I might not have achieved the mastery of the English language as the people that wrote the labels. If you look the main label on the front of the container is reads: “100% Juice Cranberry Pomegranate”. I believe it should read: ”Apple Juice” and in small size font: ”including some cranberry and pomegranate juice”.
If you watch TV at all, you probably have watched repeatedly ads for Plavix www.plavix.com. If you have not, the web site has a milder ad. Plavix is a prescription drug aimed at reducing your chances of having a heart attack or stoke. If you were somewhat experienced (not to say an older folk) you would probably feel compelled to call your primary physician and explore the need to start taking this drug. If you do so, make sure you read and discuss with your physician the disclaimers. In my opinion they do a better job to discourage a Naive American from taking the drug than the commercials. But that is just my opinion.
Once again, the ads, literature, etc, etc, etc regarding Plavix are following established guidelines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but many Naive Americans might be “deceived” into taking a drug that might easily be avoided by proper exercise and nutritional habits. Yes, I know, it is easier to take a pill and ignore the rest.
Speaking of pharmaceutical companies and taking pills, last weekend, as usual, I watched “60 Minutes” on CBS. There was a segment that called my attention. It is relative common knowledge that a glass of red wine (yes, red wine, not an apple) a day helps reduce heart deceases. It appears that there is a substance in the skin of red grapes called resveratrol that is believed to be the reason. One of the two founders of the startup company that is in the process of developing a pill that concentrates the substance (probably in synthetic form) stated that a single pill contains the equivalent of 1,000 bottles of wine. A standard wine bottle typically holds four glasses of wine. I can clearly see how the conclusion came about by observing French people drink thousands of red wine bottles a day for years. As long as the startup company continues to follow the scientific approach and is able to reach to the proper conclusions, all is well. I have to congratulate the founders for their hard work. A pharmaceutical giant recently purchased the start up company for about three quarters of a billion US Dollars. I believe we will soon be watching ads on TV instructing Naive Americans about the benefits (and side effects) of this new drug.
This Naive American calls on fellow Americans to reflect about the consequences of what we say, how we say it, and what we do not say. Deceiving people will sooner or later catch up with our society. At this rate perhaps some Naive Americans might stop believing on what career politicians, preachers, business people, etc, etc, etc tell us.
