Making Things Sound Better Than They Actually Are.

One of my biggest pet peeves? One of the things Americans do most: make things sound better than they actually are. Now I admit, I'm not immune to this disease either, but I do try to present things the way they actually are. I started thinking about this at a show choir competition yesterday, when they were announcing awards. "And fifth runner up goes to..." Why say "fifth runner up"? Everyone knows that fifth runner up means sixth place. But by saying "fifth runner up" instead of "sixth place" the human brain hears the "fifth" part and instinctively knows that 5 is better than 6.

This policy of "making things sound better than they actually are" goes hand-in-hand with American Consumerism, which I could go on and on about. Think about it. Often times, stores make their prices with 99 on them: $2.99, $99.99, $49.99, whatever. It helps stores because when they make the price $2.99 instead of $3.00, the brainwashed American hears or sees the 2 instead of the 3. There's probably some psychological explanation for this that haven't studied yet (because I haven't taken AP Psychology), but all I know is that it's annoying. I would much rather see something for what it actually is, then try and be cheated into believing it is better than it actually is.