There’s a general acceptance that we need lawyers, that we need commercials, and that diplomacy and tact are important to most people.

Yet spinning the truth is often seen as an unnecessary evil. Lobbyists are often perceived negatively. Journalists half-jokingly refer to the public-relations sector as “the dark side,” and there seems to be a widespread sense that really, we’d be better off if every politician and CEO could just be honest, always.

Maybe. But in an infinitely complex world, everyone’s grasp of reality is at least slightly distorted, and spin and propaganda are just the logical extension of everyone’s inevitably flawed worldview. Unless one believes in human perfection, spin is unavoidably crucial to our way of life.

In an imperfect world, spin is necessary to package products, promote potentially useful ideas and defend innocent people in court. The propaganda that constantly surrounds us is an example of Darwinism for opinions and beliefs, not to mention an exercise of the First Amendment.

And at the micro-level, everyday personal interactions are a metaphor for just how important spin is to our existence.

Outward appearance, music choice, sense of humor, etc., are usually influenced by standards of marketability to our groups of choice. Facebook is an easy example of this — it’s essentially a social resume.

Any polite conversation requires abiding by social norms, which often requires slanting communication to a specific format. Spin isn’t necessarily outright lying. It can be simply saying an insincere compliment or steering a conversation. Through positive thinking, we even manipulate facts in our own minds to increase our likelihood of success.

Adjusting reality with a positive twist is also crucial to good impressions, as evidenced by job interviews and first dates.

I’m not criticizing here: All of this spinning and self-marketing is mostly beneficial and not just to our employment. We’re inherently “social creatures,” so mainstreaming ourselves to interact better with others can improve our quality of life.

This should be a moot point concerning our personal lives. But in the bigger picture, it’s hotly debatable: Does spin, marketing, public relations and general fact manipulation benefit our society?

A democracy like ours demands competing interests of marketing and truth adjusting. Furthermore, no business, university or government could function without a public relations strategy. A free society dictates that virtually everyone should have the right to compete in the free market of ideas.

Complete honesty just isn’t always good enough for our means, and we all need to utilize our strongest possible persuasive measures. There should be appreciation for the communication professionals and lobbyists that promote and defend the businesses, universities and other institutions that we depend on. It’s all just capitalism at work.

After reporting a few hundred news stories for The State Press and other Phoenix-area publications, it’s somewhat ironic for me to write this. It goes without saying that I’ve never tried to slant a news story. Spin should have no place in the news media, and its prevalence makes objective journalism even more important.

Still, we all require a little spin at almost every level of our everyday lives. The next time someone criticizes you for being too “transparent” about your intentions, they’re reminding you of this fact.

Reach Matt at matt.culbertson@asu.edu.