Discussion SuspiciouslySpecificDenial / RealLIfe

IRL, the Soviet paper Pravda was notorious for its suspiciously specific denials. That is to say, the trope was a staple of jokes the Russian populace made about Pravda ("it was definitely not a bicycle that was stolen at a time which certainly was not 10:30; none of this took place, least of all in Vladivostok").

The newspaper itself could be relied upon to lie about everything; it was rather the *choice* of topic that showed what the politbureau was most worried about during any given week ("tractor production is up! our ships are all afloat! nuclear safety is paramount!").

(Pravda is Russian for truth, but only in the sense of what is warranted bu authority, whereas the real truth is called Istina.)

IRL, small children will routinely commit suspiciously specific denial because their misdemeanour weighs so heavily on their untutored minds. This suggests that it can be endearing in characters that are children or otherwise naive.

Courage to Heal - what is the deal with the cryptic remark on this book? Read the book years ago, and while I may have forgotten whatever is (not) being referred to, nothing is coming to mind that is in any way related to this trope.