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Don’t You Dare Debunk Any Myths Here
I’ve always been very suspicious of those selling mysteries. They often have little to no interest in finding answers.
Our mystery sells. Don’t you dare solve it.
That is probably the most common unwritten policy of any money-making venture based on the unknown. The unknown is alluring, because it piques our curiosity. General curiosity levels may be about to hit an all-time low, but curiosity is still part and parcel of the human condition. Moreover, little mysteries sprinkled here and there make for harmless excursions down curiosity lane, and they are great distractions from the important questions that not many seem too keen on asking, never mind trying to answer.
Admittedly, the unknown isn’t by itself enough to build a business on. For that, we will need to offer either possible-but-not-definite answers or the possibility for the customer to form answers of their own. In any case, it is critical that the mystery remain unsolved. Mystery sells, and the more failed attempts to try and explain it, the more it will.
For instance, engine knocking was a problem for car manufacturers in the 1920s. It was a mystery, but an annoying one, not one that sold. After mixing petrol with almost any possible substance, the problem was…