Do you ever wonder if you are being deceived in a major way?

In what context exactly? Could you maybe give us more details on your situation or story or a basis of reference so we can relate experiences of our own that we have had?

Isn’t that what marketing is all about?

i always kind of think that life is just a wacky experiment some control-freak bastard of a scientist is conducting on me.

@tiffyandthewall. If you find out who the control-freak scientist is and you want him eliminated, let me know. I’ll have him taken out. I have connections. :o)

Ha, yes, marketing. And politics.

Context. In my work, I have encountered disturbing evidence; very disturbing information with credible corroboration. If true, then it means there has been a massive effort in willful deception.

@LindaDT. Okay, now we have a frame of reference. As far as deception is concerned, I believe our government has done this to the public on many occasions. A glaring example is that many were deceived into believing many myths about the current War on Terror and justified reasons for invading Iraq. So, I have felt deceived by my own government, in a major way, and I have very little trust in it also.

In my current workplace, I don’t know if I attribute being ‘deceived’ as a common occurrence but I have had reasons to question the motives and practices of the back office personnel who run things on a daily basis. That in itself is uncomfortable.

I think I’d be exhibiting an uncharacteristic amount of gullibility if I thought someone who was gathering evidence that could expose a mass political and marketing deception would be writing about it on Fluther.

With what you have given us there is a wide range of possibilities and consequences

If you worked for Peanut Corp of America and found something about lying to Congress or willful or criminal behavior you need to gather information and get to a lawyer to prepare for a visit to a prosecutor and use your gullibility as an excuse for not speaking up sooner.

If what you are talking about is not criminal but rather company in-fighting where you might have innocently provided information and might look like you took sides. If you feel you were wrong you might tell the person what you did or you just might stay clear of the situation. In any case you may not be trusted by anyone in future.

If however, you find someone you trusted is going to harm your career you have to decide whether to fight or if things have gone too far, you might want to go peacefully or even take that person out with you.

I have always found it better to be the recipient rather than the source of information and you never share anything personal that can be used against you. And never take anyone’s word, instead find out about things from all sides,

Always.

Pardon the confusion, Jeruba, I wasn’t confirming that the issue was marketing or political. It’s not. Political, anyway.

Very well said, GalileoGirl.

@Grisson

Isn’t that what life in America is all about? ;)

@LindaDT, indeed I did think you were. Thanks for the clarification. So—misleading marketing, then? deceptive advertising? Now, that doesn’t sound like any kind of news.

“Marketing,” but not the business of marketing or advertising, Jeruba.

Okay. Well, I won’t try to guess.

At any rate, my answer to the original question is sure, I know I am being deceived a lot, all the time. I take it for granted. In the workplace, in politics, in business, in matters of publicity and entertainment, in religion, and practically everywhere you turn, people have things they don’t want known. Sometimes they dissemble, and sometimes they simply withhold. Sometimes it is to their advantage to manipulate our beliefs even if they’re not hiding anything in particular.

It isn’t okay with me, and I do loathe and abhor it, and I fight it in what small ways I can, but I am not always sure I know the Real Truth either. In the main there is not much I can do about it. For the most part it isn’t going to change what I do in my everyday life.

I’m curious what exactly you have found.

Thanks so much, Jeruba. We’re on the same page, for the most part. I’m dealing with the“not much I can do about it” part. I’m not easily discoiuraged, God knows why not with all of the things you’ve mentioned.

Actually, I have never wondered if I’m being deceived. I know that everyone I meet is honest and straightforward and truthfull all the time. I’m not kidding, either.

What a timely question for me! I just (3 days ago) broke ties with the SO…manipulation and deception abounded. I questioned him a few times about a few things, nothing. I even questioned my fellow flutherites, you were RIGHT on, people! One day last week, a random comment just clicked it all together. Whammo, single dude on the street. I hope I never hear his lying voice again.