Why Lies Often Stick Better Than Truth

Fischman, John (October 5, 2012). Why lies often stick better than the truth. The Chronicle of Higher Education, LIX(6), p. A3. http://chronicle.com/blogs/percolator/why-lies-often-stick-better-than-truth/31048
submitted by Kathryn Whitehouse

Lies and misinformation are a sad artifact of our political process and much of our news sources. Opinions are given the same weight as facts, and even ideas that have been debunked as fraudulent, such as President Obama’s birth certificate as forged, and the alleged link between vaccines and onset of autism, continue to have traction. Fischman asks, “why do we like our slanted information and outright lies so much?” Because rejecting them is hard work, and it is easier to slot evidence into ideas we already hold.

So what has any of this to do with school libraries? Students may bring their own incorrect ideas to the library and approach their academics with an inadequate skill set or with baked-in information that is contrary to what they are willing to learn. Worse, their parents may come charging angrily into the library with misguided ideas on what types of books are unacceptable in your library and demand their removal. What can you do?

Colleen M. Siefert of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor explains the only way to persuade people to let go of erroneous information is to provide a plausible alternative (hopefully the truth). Alas, the recipient needs to be open to changes of view and willing to work through the process. And does anyone like to admit to being incorrect?

But in the absence of all that, this article provides a truly useful nugget of advice when communicating with patrons in the thrall of erroneous information. Here it is: Do not repeat the erroneous information back to the patron as you are discussing it. You run the risk of making the association even stronger in that patron’s memory.

So instead of saying, “It is not true that the Harry Potter series promotes satanism” you might say instead, “the Harry Potter series is filled with themes from folk tales and fairy tales, from Greek legends as well as from contemporary fantasy. Traces of Harry Potter can be found in hundreds of classic and award winning books also in this library. Our young readers are a lot smarter than some of us give them credit for, and they enjoy books that entertain them.” And instead of saying, “Our collection of GLBT fiction is not about promoting deviant lifestyles” you might say, “We are proud of our small collection of GLBT titles. Furthermore, these titles enjoy great support from the student body. GLBT youth are substantially more vulnerable to bullying and abuse, and are more likely to commit suicide. These books are all about providing information to GLBT youth and their friends so they can be safe, healthier, happier, and less alone.”

Or something like that. I’m sure you can devise something more clever. So use those diplomacy skills and bust some lies today!