Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain How Corporate Propaganda Has Been Completely Normalized By Society

People Explain How Corporate Propaganda Has Been Completely Normalized By Society
Dimitry Anikin on Unsplash

Few topics get me as riled up as unpaid internships. They can take up the time of a full time job, making it difficult for some students who may need additional sources of income.

At the end of the day an intern is doing work for a company and they deserve to be paid for their labor.

But it's crazy to think about how much companies have normalized this practice. How many students do you know who are or were burned out by the stress of their internship, their actual job, and the need to keep up with their assignments?

Companies have normalized a lot, by the way, thanks to having the resources to produce enough propaganda.


People shared their thoughts after a Redditor asked the online community:

"What is something that's considered normal today but is actually successful propaganda made by corporations?"

"Attaching..."

"Attaching health insurance to your job and if you have a family and leave your job, you're f*cked."

Ennion

Ah, yes. The United States is quite behind compared to most of the world.

"I don't ask my mechanic..."

""Ask your doctor if JDGYRHKX is right for you!" WTF isn't that his job? I don't ask my mechanic or plumber if I need a certain product. Pharmaceutical marketing is a total ruse."

patches181

I can't imagine falling for one of those commercials. They really boggle the mind of people in other countries.

"Politicians being..."

"Politicians being a middleman for corporations to influence government policies, instead of middlemen for the people to influence government policies."

OneTwoKnow

It's maddening, isn't it? But corporations are people, don't you know? At least in the United States.

"Sugar industry blaming fatty foods for obesity, sparking the low-fat trends and ignoring how bad sugar is for your health."

BlackSage8

Interestingly enough, being poor did wonders for my palate.

"People eating KFC..."

"People eating KFC during Christmas time in Japan because of KFC's marketing campaign that promoted their products as a traditional Western Christmas treat."

ClementinaGriffe

I heard about this from a Japanese person once and it blew my mind.

"Most products..."

"Most products made for the care of babies. Babies need very little in the way of furniture, gear, special foods etc. But people are so willing to buy so much stuff."

lexrp

The same is true for pet products too. It's a total money pit.

"Companies like Intuit..."

"Companies like Intuit have lobbied to make sure filing taxes can't be free and easy."

FunnOnaBunn

In Norway you only have to check the government’s calculations of your taxes and file any deviations or potentially unreported income/wealth.

They have it so easy.

"It was pushed..."

"Plastics Recycling."

"It was pushed by the plastics industry back in the early 70s when laws were about to be passed to deal with the environmental impact of plastics. In reality a lot of the plastics that have a little recycling symbol on them are not feasible to recycle at all."

"They are still pushing the lie to this very day."

FriendlyWisconsinite

When I learned about this, it filled me with rage.

"The way we celebrate holidays is much more of a production than it used to be - Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day. Just more excuses to consume crap en masse."

[deleted]

The commercialization of holidays is a big reason why so many people dislike the holiday season.

"Not discussing your income..."

"Not discussing your income with coworkers. At least in the US, employees are protected, so they are allowed to discuss income amongst each other without fear of getting fired for it. However, a lot of companies have kept the idea that it is taboo or that your job may be at risk for doing so and a lot of people still buy it to this day."

Chico119

Fun fact: Your employer can't stop you from discussing your wages. It is protected by law and you should do the work to keep such discussions as transparent as possible.

You're annoyed now, aren't you? It's astounding the amount of influence that companies have–and continue to hold–over our daily lives.

Have some thoughts of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less