Redditor 6FeetDownUnder was eager to learn which conspiracy theories and propaganda people continue to believe, despite it's being definitively proven false, leading them to ask:
"What is something debunked as propaganda that is still widely believed?"
The Muddled Meaning Of Propoganda
"That propaganda is necessarily misleading or false."
"Propaganda is simply a method of directional persuasion."
"Can it be false or misleading?"
"Without question."
"But it can also simultaneously be factually unimpeachable and rhetorically suggestive."- dreamrock
Who Was Really Responsible For 9/11
"That the 9/11 hijackers were sponsored by Iraq."
"In reality, 15 of the 19 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia and 11 of them received large amounts of money from members of the Saudi royal family shortly before the attack."
"In 2016 the Obama administration, under pressure from the families of the 9/11 victims, tried to investigate Saudi Arabia. In response to the JASTA act."
"Saudi Arabia threatened to sell $750 billion worth of American assets they own."
"This would destabilize the dollar."
"The 9/11 Commission’s final report stated that it found 'no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded' al-Qaida."
“'This conclusion does not exclude the likelihood that charities with significant Saudi government sponsorship diverted funds to al-Qaida'."- Ctheo27
It's All Lies!
"Lie detector tests."
"They are easily rigged/straight up false most of the time and were outlawed from being used in court as evidence back in the 70s."
"idk why when Youtubers or sh*tty reality TV shows use them many people treat their answers as factual."
"They aren’t."- Conscious_Day2425
The Truth About McDonald's Coffee
"Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants, also known as the McDonald's Coffee Case."
"In case you never heard of it, a woman sued McDonald's because the coffee was too hot and caused injury when she spilled some on herself by accident."
"McDonald's spent millions on smear campaigns trying to make her look like some sort of idiotic buffoon who filed a frivolous suit."
"Tons of corporate influence was applied in the media to villify her."
"Ask most people, they think she lost and McDonald's won."
"Only that's not what happened."
"The coffee was between 180-190F (88C), far higher than safe temperature and far higher than competition."
"She suffered major third degree burns resulting in an 8-day stay in the hospital and skin grafts."
"A jury awarded her $200,000 in medical injuries and $2.7 million in punitive damages against McDonald's."
"Later reduced by the trial judge."
"The parties settled without disclosure out of court during appeal."
"Basically, McDonald's was completely in the wrong and scalded this woman, and the court found them liable, but smear campaigns made her look like a moron and losing party."- Kent_Knifen
Glitch Mcdonalds GIFGiphySome People Just Have High Standards
"That napoleon was short."- NiallCCFC17
Nope, Just Annoys Other People...
'That cracking your knuckles causes arthritis."
"Science nerd Donald Unger cracked the knuckles on his left hand only for 50 years, no arthritis."
"Suck it Nana."- Unable_Version_3955
Just Read The Label
"That plastics are easily recyclable, and that MSG is bad for you."- AZSnake
Climate Change Sustainability GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphyNext time you hear something whose validity is questionable, seriously evaluate who you heard it from, and then do some research of your own.
After all, facts are facts.
And no, there are no "alternative facts".
The opportunity for a company's big marketing push can be subliminally buried in viewers' favorite shows, while other programs are less discreet about shoving their products or ideas down the audience's throats.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Ponymations asked:
"What piece of media is just straight up propaganda?"
TV shows are easily convenient places for propaganda.
Dedicated TV Station
"in my country philippine we got tv station 'net 25' and 'smni sunshine'. pure government propaganda channels run by cults who have deep connections with Ferdinand marcos."
– betawings
Undercover Boss
"At this point, any worker should know if they see a middle aged white guy or woman with a bad wig, make up, and a camera crew behind them should be able to figure out they're on Undercover Boss."
– finmoore3
Hotel Promotion
"Ugh. Even if we were to believe that stuff wasn't staged and people were genuinely surprised to discover it was their boss, it's often a puff piece for the company where the undercover boss finds some problem and takes decisive action to fix things up, and they are shown to be kind and compassionate as they listen to their employees troubles in their private lives and then with the massive life changing gift at the end."
"One episode I watched it was so obviously transparent. It was a guy with a chain of hotels and a massive ego talking about how he pulled himself up on his boot straps and how amazing his hotels are. He talked to some cleaner who basically said life was hard because she gets paid peanuts. So then he announced at the end he was giving her fifty grand or something, no announcement about raising the wages for the rest of his staff though!"
– Corka
About Forensics
"Anything dealing with forensics. A job in forensics is boring. You know when they match a fiber sample and can exclude it from 5,000 other samples? Someone had to compare the fiber in question 5,000 times and say, 'Nope, next.' Not to mention, the paperwork required is painful."
"Source: Three years working in forensics. To this day my signature looks like a doctors from all the chain of custody documents I had to sign."
– beanomly
Getting Into The Crime Lab
"I went to university in the peak of CSI’s popularity and forensic science was one of the most oversubscribed degrees at our uni, thousands of students, they were standing in the lecture halls. Someone explained that given the number of crime labs in the country the likelihood of any one of those kids getting into the industry was super slim."
– Z8pG2yQkZbGMJ
News Featuring Private Stock Owners
"Any news targeting stock owners. Not the big companies, but the private people who have a few thousand dollars worth or less. The way it works is some scandal comes out and it's designed to make people panic and sell, swinging the price down by a lot, some times half the price. Then big companies buy up billions of dollars worth and this swings the price back up. Then they sell it again making a fortune."
– Janfredrikjohansen
Sob Story
"America’s Got Talent. It promotes the idea that talent goes hand in hand with struggle, so much so that genuinely awful acts make it through on the strength of their sob story."
"People have a hard enough time accepting the work that goes into being a creative without having to attach a tragic backstory to it."
– SaltySteveD87
The Struggle Is Real
"That's why I can't watch American Ninja Warrior anymore."
"Once it got to the girl who equated beating the Warped Wall as equivalent with beating her cancer, I was out."
– -RUNPMT-
Sure, films are entertaining, but they're also pushing for more than just box
Push For The Navy
"I love Top Gun. It's a huge guilty pleasure of mine and I can't wait to see Maverick in theaters. That being said, it is 1000% propaganda for the Navy, to the point where the Navy had a lot of say in the script and they set up recruitment booths outside the theatre."
– The_Big_Daddy
Cost Of Getting Equipment
"To be FAIR, almost all western films that feature US military hardware are at least mild propaganda. DOD openly invites Hollywood filmmakers to 'loan' their equipment, giving them access to tanks, helicopters, planes, trucks, bases to film on, etc, provided it gets a say in how it's used, which basically means they want access to scripts, ask to make changes whenever they want, and reserve the right to pull their resources at any time, for any reason. Their general policy is that you're not allowed to cast [the US Military] in a bad light, and usually ask for at least a positive portrayal."
"All that equipment is SUPER expensive to get ahold of outside of this offer, so filmmakers will generally take the deal. Iirc they also provide pilots for planes and soldiers for extras."
– GilligansIslndoPeril
Google's Stake
"The Internship (2013)… just Wedding Crashers but taken over by our Google overlords. Praise be."
– 215487
It Still Holds As Hilarious
"The movie, Reefer Madness."
"Terrible movie, but hilarious today."
– TheSmegger
It's Triggering
"American Sniper. I’m still mad that I got tricked into thinking it was a movie about PTSD."
– LONGSWORD_ENJOYER
Missed Opportunity
"They really took The Punisher and f'ked up the message."
– KittyKenollie
How aware are you of some of your favorite shows shoving propaganda in your face?
Does it bother you or are you indifferent?
Some programs don't bother me with their deliberate endeavors.
The annual ABC Disney Christmas specials are just ploys to get viewers to get out to a Disney park.
Even though the show features various performing artists and A-list celebrities sharing their joys of what the holidays mean to them, it's really one big magical commercial to get kids to convince their parents to whisk them away to the happiest place on earth.
Sounds good, but who's paying?
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