Is it a favor if you remind me you did it?

Is it free if you want something from me in exchange?

Is it mercy if you want attention for it?

Is it less honest and hurtful if I’m “just teasing?”

Is it less hot if we call it climate change?

Is it less vulgar if we call it mature?

Is it healthy because you call it “fortified” or “enriched?”

Is it less of a religion if we call it a relationship?

We play with words don’t we?  Marketing permeates everything.  Spin has seeped into every aspect of our lives.  Is this such a bad thing if we all know to look behind the words for the real truth? Or is it dishonest even if those we communicate with know our words aren’t telling the whole story?  Does the perception of the listener/reader determine whether our language, our twist on the truth, is moral?