“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
— Attributed to Abraham Lincoln
Here’s a quote nearly everyone recognizes, yet few realize it’s attributed to one of our most serious and revered presidents — Abraham Lincoln.
If he said it, it must be true. Or was it Washington who couldn’t tell a lie? Or both? What a time it must have been when presidents either wouldn’t or couldn’t spin the truth. Perhaps the whole country was a giant No Spin Zone.
Just tell it like it is, Honest Abe. And by all accounts, he did.
Back then, modern marketing and spin techniques had yet to be crafted by slick psychiatrists and MBA-toting “Masters of the Universe.”
A person’s word was their bond and honor. Words mattered.
They still should — but unfortunately, they don’t. Americans have developed a taste for news, facts, and information wrapped in neat, comfortable packages that reinforce their beliefs or soften unpleasant realities.
The truth too disturbing? No problem — just call it an “alternative fact.” If George Carlin were alive today, his head might explode.
Take last week’s SpaceX launch. Another massive Starship rocket took off, and approximately 10 minutes into the flight, the primary rocket abruptly exploded, scattering debris over a swath of the Caribbean and temporarily shutting down four U.S. airports.
This marked the second Starship explosion in a row — another spectacular failure raining junk down on Earth.
Yet SpaceX’s official statement framed it this way: “The vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost.”
A rapid unscheduled disassembly? No problem, folks — just a little fireball of debris hurtling down from the sky. Sounds routine, doesn’t it? Nothing to worry about.
No! The rocket blew up — for the second time in a row — causing chaos in its wake.
“Rapid unscheduled disassembly.” And here I thought that was the reputation of the United States of America …
This obsession with spin isn’t confined to corporations or tech billionaires — it’s everywhere. We insulate ourselves from discomfort at our own peril.
Consider the latest directive from California’s State Board of Education regarding standardized testing.
In an effort to “improve student and parent morale,” they’ve revised performance assessment grading. The old system, which used terms like “Standard Exceeded,” “Standard Met,” “Standard Nearly Met,” and “Standard Not Met,” was deemed too discouraging.
So, it’s out with the old and in with the new: “Advanced,” “Proficient,” “Developing,” and “Minimal.”
“Advanced” and “Proficient” are fine. But “Developing?” That’s just a dressed-up way of saying “Substandard.”
And “Minimal?” That’s the new “Fail.”
Sugarcoating student performance doesn’t help kids — it harms them. If students and parents aren’t confronted with reality, they won’t take the necessary steps to improve.
Watered-down labels won’t prepare struggling students for the real world, where being unable to perform basic math or write a coherent sentence has real consequences. “Minimal” sounds like “good enough,” when in fact it should be an urgent warning: “This student needs immediate academic assistance!”
Some may argue that blunt grading is insensitive or anti-DEI, but it’s not. Honest assessment provides the clarity needed to intervene and help struggling students succeed.
Feelings are important, but they don’t improve math scores.
A struggling baseball player doesn’t get better by pretending his batting average is higher than it is — and the same applies to education.
Words matter. Cutting through the spin matters. Eliminating spin entirely would be best, but it may take a generation to recondition Americans into accepting uncomfortable truths.
The rocket blew up. Junior is failing. Get him a tutor or help him study.
When Donald Trump was recently asked about recession fears stemming from his policies, he replied, “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition.”
Translation? “Sorry, we’ve scared the tar out of businesses, and your retirement accounts just dropped 10%.”
We can’t fix reality unless we face it head-on. A nation addicted to spin is a nation lost. The only way forward is to take the truth straight — without sugarcoating.
Rockets explode. Kids fail and need help. Tariffs disrupt economies. Words matter. Let’s ditch the spin, embrace reality, and act accordingly to make ourselves successful again.
Gary Horton’s “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
