In response to "Weasel Words"

The last time I viewed the word ‘help’ with such distaste, it was in response to some ditzy airhead asking me to ‘help’ write her paper. But I got over that one quickly. I don’t have to see the essay in question every time I turn on the TV, or listen to it every time I turn on the radio. I am not bombarded with that particular lie every time I attempt to access some media or other.

Except, apparently, I am.

I suppose what irritates me about the entire thing is the specific manipulation of people and laws. Advertisements specifically designed to imply a message, rather than outright say it, still have a message they impart. In the literary world, it’s referred to as subtext, and people write essays about how it changes the meaning of plays. It seems that in the Advertising world, it’s referred to as fraudulent claims, and lawsuits are written over whether or not claims are explicitly stated. Now, I recognize that laws written around what a given piece of media made you ‘feel’ would be hard to enforce, but the current system seems geared towards encouraging the mentality that flat-out lying is a no-no, but truth from a certain view is perfectly fine. On consideration, if it worked for Obi-Wan Kenobi, I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised it’s worked for everyone else.