Truth (and Advertising)

Vegan steak sauce?

Do we always trust advertising?  Are product labels deceiving?  Is it good to be skeptical to what salespeople say?  In our world, it is normal to emphasize the pros and minimize the cons.   However, this sometimes conflicts with consumer expectations.  While the Market corrects this and inferior products drop out of distribution, it takes time to do this.  In web sites such as Yelp, consumers have a say, to either get back at a company, or to warn fellow consumers of deficient products or services - And to promote the exceptional and excellent ones.

When I was a young kid, our family traveled to Rockaway, Oregon and rented a house there.  One day, I remembered arguing with a boy who ‘set up shop’ outside on the main street (Hwy 101) selling plain old rocks.  These were like rounded river rocks, but very ordinary.  But he said the price, and I couldn’t believe it.  These were not agates like in the shops beside him.  He was not convinced that his rocks were really cheap, so I went on. 

Another time, I remember my mom had a frozen pie to serve but she had to let it thaw first.  On the box, it said “ready to serve”, but it really wasn’t.  So, I became so concerned about other people would buy the pie, thinking that they could eat it when they came home from the store, and be disappointed when they found they had to let it thaw over night.  So, I wrote to the pie company, a major pie manufacturer such as Mrs. Smith’s Pies.  I got a reply back, and the company representative liked my suggestion to change the ‘ready to serve’ on the box to ‘thaw and serve’.  You see, ‘ready to serve’ might have been an industry term, understood by manufacturers, it did not translate well to consumers.

These two incidents illustrate my inclinations growing up.  Before making a major purchase, I want to check out the different shops, the different models, the reviews and the ratings.  I like to read up on current issues.  I realize that like with sales, in politics, people can also spin and leave out some facts.  One can change a story by playing with numbers.  

Critical thinking is important.  It is come by living through being disappointed by things that were bought, even being ripped-off by scam artists. I want to warn others so as to avoid these negative experiences.  But sometimes, my warnings are taken as the negative.  So, like with the boy with the rocks, I move on. 

It is my love for others that motivates me to warn others.  But such thinking needs to be balanced with praise for the excellent.  As Phil 4:8 says, the mind needs to be exercised to think on the positive things.  And this is written by Paul who also wrote of many negative experiences that he had.  It seems Paul realizes he needs to balance his thought life with the positive realities.  

When reading the Bible, I am free to think and question how things fit together.  I believe there are no contradictions.  There are logical explanations that resolve some difficulties, but there are others that only God knows the answer. On the other hand, there are a multitude of things to thank and praise God for.