Lies, damned lies, statistics and scams - I guess we love 'em

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0629-25.htm

This piece does a great job of articulating one of my main pet peeves with consumer culture as it is today. It's all of a piece, and its purpose is to habituate us into accepting lies and scams by overwhelming us with so many of them that they become normalized.

Changed cell phone providers recently and the guy taking my order, for 2 phones on a family plan, told me that there would be a $35 set up fee. So when I got the bill (after the 30 days that we had to cancel the plan) I learned that it was $35 for each of the 2 phones. The sales person could have explained this easily enough, but I'm sure it is policy and training for them NOT to explain. The point? Lay one more small scam on us that we have no way of redressing. Sure I could go down to the cell phone store and yell at them and call them names, but that wouldn't change anything. Once more I have been taken advantage of and can do nothing but accept it.

As this article does an excellent job of pointing out, there is a direct connection between these small scams and lies and the ease with which this country was able to accept the bullshit the Bushistas put out there about their sick ass war.

things?

. . . know their techniques, make anyone else aware who you can make aware is all I can come up with.