by Kathy Downey

Created on: October 15, 2007   Last Updated: August 13, 2008

Constant exposure to lies erodes our ability to trust, making us cynical and jaded. False advertisements are a big part of the problem because they consistently promise more than they have any intention of delivering. Have you ever been served a burger that bore any resemblance to the one pictured in the television ads? The chances are slim since the items photographed for those ads are not even edible. They are props, manufactured to please the eye. Everybody knows this and accepts it. Customers never even consider taking an unappetizing sandwich back to the service counter and saying, "Give me my money back. This burger looks nothing like the one I saw in your advertisements." Perhaps we should start doing just that.

We are definitely jaded, because we are so accustomed to lies that we are surprised by the truth. When a repairman shows up at the agreed upon time, I am shocked. If a clerk in a department store goes out of her way to help me find something, I am astonished. A manager who returns my call has me stammering in disbelief. These businesses all promise good customer service, but the reality is usually so different that we are amazed when it actually happens. Society has thrown away many of its standards in an attempt to move on to a new age where everything is exaggerated by advertising hype.

Even charities have joined the fray, asking for money, which rarely gets to the people who need it most. Expensive ad campaigns and wages for employees who choose careers in charity work account for a large percentage of the donations received by some charities. People become cynical when they sacrifice to give money to an organization, only to discover that the funds have been misused or wasted.

We are encouraged by advertisements to borrow money in order to have bigger and better things. No money down and low monthly payments, and we can have new furniture, or a car. Why should we keep making do with our old stuff, when all we have to do is sign on the dotted line? It sounds so easy, but many people get themselves deeply in debt, and they cannot escape the vicious circle created by the power of the media. Do we really need that sofa we bought on ten years credit? The reality is that changes in our lifestyle and fashion mean we will probably grow tired of it before we have even paid for it.

Advertising campaigns are about sales and making a product look appealing to the customer. Healthy bottom lines are more important than truthfulness. That is what drives our economy. In essence, our lives have become entrenched in untruths. Most of us have become so used to it that we do not give it much thought.

If we do not even expect honesty, why should anyone feel obliged to treat us honestly? Integrity is a word we do not hear much any more. Perhaps we should change that.

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