I'm all googled out! Please help MeFites...

December 14, 2007 11:46 AM

Broken Promises: Looking for stories of the damage that broken promises can cause an individual. Can be personal (maybe childhood stories), read somewhere(biographies?), recommendations where to find them, etc. Preferably something that can be easily told within a couple of minutes...Any help is appreciated!
posted by stevyb to Human Relations (9 answers total)

Can you explain what this is for? It doesn't sound like it's just curiosity, and before people tell you their stories they might want to know if you're planning to use them in some public way.
posted by languagehat at 12:47 PM on December 14, 2007

First thing I think of: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
posted by shothotbot at 12:54 PM on December 14, 2007

oops, I don't think I read proper emphasis on "personal" in your question, do you want heart breaking tales of betrayal from our own personal experience?
posted by shothotbot at 12:57 PM on December 14, 2007

Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul has several short personal essays including broken promises steming from addictions. The other Chicken Soup books would too, but you would have to read a bunch of them to find stories dealing with broken promises.
posted by saucysault at 1:44 PM on December 14, 2007

When I learned who the tooth fairy actually was:
I caught my father as he entered my room and exchanged my tooth-in-a-box for a dollar bill. I didn't say anything though, in order to spare his feelings. I did, however, tell my mother as she tucked me into bed the next night. I made her promise not to tell my dad. Not five minutes later, he waltzed in making jokes about wearing a tutu. I wasn't profoundly hurt, but it did make me realize that my parents are a single entity, and thus telling one meant telling the other.
posted by nursegracer at 2:24 PM on December 14, 2007

This is all you need. Fry tells the dog he'll be right back. So the dog waits...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:48 PM on December 14, 2007

OMG saddest tv show ever. (the link by Cool Papa Bell). Watch only with hanky.

In intro ethics my standard quickie example about promise keeping is similar: I promise you I will pick you up at the bus station, but I don't, and you're left there (say, in a rainstorm with no phone) just waiting.

Also breaking a marriage vow of fidelity is one that comes up often.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:42 PM on December 14, 2007

OR do you mean damage to the promise-breaker, like loss of other people's trust?
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:44 PM on December 14, 2007

Before he founded AA Bill Wilson wrote numerous promises to stop drinking to his wife in the family Bible. IIRC, there is even a picture in the AA published book, Pass it On. Is that the sort of thing you are looking for?
posted by shothotbot at 6:56 PM on December 14, 2007