"America is living in spin" ~ Thank You For Smoking (2005)

Although this post may diverge from the blogs central theme, I am going to take the liberty of adding "lying to the public" to the seven deadly sins. In this day and age of media overload, the average American is bombarded with so much "breaking news," it is becoming difficult to discern what is relevant from what isn't. Although this nation is possibly more educated in current events than it has ever been before, the average American does not have the time to investigate the accuracy or the significance of the majority of these "news stories." This then invites us to recall Richard Vatz's concept that the rhetor is responsible for the accuracy and the relevance of that which he or she chooses to make salient. The problem with this system then, does not find itself with the people or the obscene amount of available information, but rather with the rhetors who "spin" information and news to promote their own self-interest or the agenda of the agency they are employed by. An anecdote that corresponds and reenforces this idea involves an argument between President Lincoln and one of his colleagues about civil war reconstruction. It goes something like this :

"President Lincoln, frustrated by a seemingly endless argument with one of his colleagues over antebellum reconstruction, made a final attempt to reason with the man. 

'tell me sir, how many legs does a cow have?' said Lincoln.

'why, four." Said the man 'Why do you ask?'

'Now suppose we call a tail a leg also, how many legs would a cow then have?' 

'Five of course'

'You see, thats where your wrong.' Said Lincoln 'Just because you call a tail a leg, doesn't mean that tail is a leg.'"