Three Common Lies

We are lied to all the time. When a politician says "no new taxes," we know he is lying. On the other hand, there are the more subtle lies that aren't so easily spotted, like the three described here.

Larger Sizes Are Always Cheaper

At one time it was mostly true that you could save money by buying the larger size of something. It makes sense, after all. A manufacturer can reduce the cost of packaging per item or per ounce by having more items or more ounces in a package. Therefore they could pass on some of those savings to the consumer.

Consumers then, got used to the "family" or "institutional" cans, jars and packages of food costing less per ounce. However, some retailers have recently been overpricing large items, so they actually cost more per ounce or item than the smaller sizes. They know that many will assume the larger sizes are the better buy without doing the math. The lesson? Check out that price per ounce or pound.

Alternative Medicines Are Dangerous

They are dangerous compared to what? People make judgments on these things according to what "truth" will most benefit them when others believe it. It is natural then for health "professionals" to disparage natural medicines and alternative medical treatments. This does help them keep more of their profits after all, doesn't it?

What they don't do is look at the evidence objectively and holistically. This means looking at potential benefits and risks, but it also means comparing these alternatives fairly to the traditional approaches. It is a common attitude among humans to accept risky things with which they are familiar, and denounce the risks associated with less dangerous things that are "new," or "unapproved."

For example, thousands die on the operating table every year from risky surgical procedures and no one says a thing. Death and other nasty side effects are an accepted risk of modern medicine. However, if one person dies or has a headache from after using an herb - even if thousands have been saved by it - there are calls for it to be banned. All medical treatments have their risks, but let's be fair in our comparisons.

Statistics Are Objective

The "objectivity" in statistics is all in how they are used. People can measure things many ways, and the ways they choose will often be according to what they want to promote.

For example, suppose an oil company's profit on assets rises from 4% one year to 8% the next. Now, did profits rise by 4% or 100%? That depends on who's counting, and why. Both are true, after all.

Want to argue that the higher profits are not excessive? Well, rising 4% to an 8% profit still leaves them below the profit levels of most businesses, you could honestly point out.

On the other hand, they did make a 100% more money this year. A reporter or consumer's group could point this out, in order to to whip up an anti-oil company "story".

Discover more lies in the e-book "99Lies", part of the "You Aren't Supposed To Know" package at: http://www.TheSecretInformationSite.com/99lies.html

99 Lies | Three Common Lies