The need to impress

The reason for such exaggeration as James Henry tells is the need to impress, writes Gordon Parkes.

It would not impress if Canal & River Trust published it did not have many visitors a certain week as it was raining now would it?  Not very impressive.  Neither would it be so impressive if it published, truthfully, that there were not many visitors at the moment as it is freezing cold.

Does impress

So it sticks to the hundreds of millions a year that does impress—those that know no better at least.

Then there are the things it does not publish as it would hardly support its jargon of 'better by water', and that is the number of people that perish in the water, not so much 'better by water' for them.

It is all a matter of attempting to impress.