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
Make us preferred on Google

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

Montana Jordan and Emily Osment
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

'Young Sheldon' Star Explains Why She Asked For An Intimacy Coordinator On The Show—And It Makes Sense

Entertainment journalist and Glamour magazine Senior West Coast Editor Jessica Radloff's new book, Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, shared a story about actor Emily Osment joining the show in its fifth season that's drawing praise for her consideration for her fellow child star, Montana Jordan.

Osment, who began acting at age five, is one of a rare breed in Hollywood—a child star turned successful adult actor. It's a journey many kids have infamously stumbled on, but that Jordan has also successfully navigated perhaps in part thanks to Osment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Participants at the meeting of the furry scene Eurofurence in the Hotel Estrel in Berlin, Germany
Jens Kalaene/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Texas GOP's Bizarre Text Warning Voters About 'Weirdo Furry Socialists' Sparks Mockery

A Texas political action committee sparked online mockery after multiple people independently told the San Antonio Current they received a text message urging Texans to vote Republican to keep so-called "furry Socialists" from choosing their leaders.

The message was sent Saturday alongside a photo purportedly showing a man wearing a fox-tail accessory as he left a polling location in Collin County. The message identified its sender as Texans for Common Sense, a political action committee funded entirely by Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, a far-right organization backed by West Texas oil billionaire Tim Dunn.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norwegian national flag on flagpole; Donald Trump
Patrick Pleul/Picture Alliance via Getty Images; Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images

Norway Has Pointed Response After Trump Calls Them A 'Sh*thouse Country' For Not Giving Him Nobel Prize

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide responded after President Donald Trump slammed Norway as a "sh*thouse country" for once again passing him over for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navanetham Pillay, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who holds the distinction of being the first non-white female judge of the High Court of South Africa. Pillay received the honor "for her efforts to promote peace and international law."

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicki Minaj
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Nicki Minaj Is Now Being Floated As A Possible White House Press Secretary—And It's Beyond Parody

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had critics rolling their eyes after he shared a video of himself with rapper Nicki Minaj and floated her as the next press secretary.

Cheung's post comes as the White House continues to hunt for a replacement for Katie Zacharia, who was fired after just five days on the job.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexander Skarsgård attends the Los Angeles premiere of Black Bear's "Wicker" at Directors Guild Of America.
Maya Dehlin/WireImage

Alexander Skarsgård's Unexpected Confession About Finding The Grinch Hot Sparks Hilarious Reactions

Some people want a man who's tall, dark, and handsome. Alexander Skarsgård prefers green, hairy, and someone who hates Christmas with a passion.

It all went down during a Bustle interview promoting Wicker, when Skarsgård and co-star Olivia Colman got into a “hear me out” discussion that took an unexpectedly naughty turn.

Keep ReadingShow less