Society is built on lies. Some are so successful that it’s nearly impossible to convince people they’re lies, while others are so ubiquitous that we all accept the lies as normal.
Here are 14 of the most successful lies in history.
Precious Diamonds
Advertisers are often the biggest culprits in perpetuating lies. The diamond industry pulled a whammy on consumers by convincing everyone that a common stone is rare, precious, and valuable.
Terms & Conditions
How many apps make you acknowledge and agree to a massive list of terms & conditions prior to use? How many of you said you’ve read those terms when you really haven’t? Acknowledging the terms & conditions isn’t the biggest lie we all ignore.
Hard Work Pays Off
Society loves to push the lie that hard work pays off. This insidious lie has people blaming themselves rather than an unjust system if they don’t earn enough money to survive.
We Never Sell Your Data
Every company pretends it takes privacy seriously and won’t sell your data. Of course, they don’t say they mean “won’t sell your data without permission” and that you granted that permission when you signed the 2000-page terms & conditions without reading it.
Self-Regulating Free Market
Some folks want you to believe that a completely unregulated free market would regulate itself. We know that’s not true. A market without regulations would transform into a monopoly, subjugate people, and destroy the environment.
Trickle Down Economics
Trickle-down economics go hand in hand with the free market as crazy lies the masses believe. If we give rich people even more money, it will eventually trickle down. In reality, wealthy people horde their riches.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
We invaded an entire country over a lie. Iraq never had weapons of mass destruction, and it’s likely the people pushing so hard for invasion knew it.
Soul Mate
The idea that one person out there was made for you gives people a romanticized view of love and relationships. No one is perfect. Every relationship takes work.
Love Conquers All
Conversely, the lie that love conquers all keeps people stuck in failed relationships. They think everything will work out if they love the other person enough. Life doesn’t work that way. Love doesn’t pay the bills.
Vaccines Cause Autism
The lie that vaccines cause autism put humanity’s public health progress back by decades, if not centuries. We were on the cusp of eradicating even more diseases, but some are making a comeback because people refuse to vaccinate.
Religion
Thousands of religions claim to be the absolute truth and have millions of believers. Even if one is correct, that means the rest are built on extremely successful lies.
American Exceptionalism
America sold the world the lie that it’s the best country in existence. Meanwhile, we have the highest maternal mortality rate in the West, the worst healthcare system, a horrendous work culture, and a system designed to fatten the pockets of the uber-rich.
Welfare Queen
The welfare queen lie was perpetuated by people who wanted to end social services. They created this myth to stoke racist anger and manipulate people into voting against their self-interests. The truth is that white people rely on governemnt aid far more than any other race.
War On…
The US declared war on a ton of things: drugs, terror, crime, etc. The entire thing is just propaganda designed to invoke a specific reaction. The reaction makes you vote for policies allowing the government to give their powerful friends more money to “fight the good fight.”
We’re Surrounded by Propaganda
Propaganda surrounds us. It attempts to sway our thinking in both mundane and critical ways. Here are some examples of propaganda we see every day.
We’re So Tired of Explaining these Basic Concepts To Others
Sometimes, people just can’t understand basic ideas. We explain these concepts to others until our faces turn blue, yet they still can’t grasp them.
Why Love isn’t Enough
People always say love is enough and that there’s someone out there who will love you for who you are. Find out why that’s not true.
If America is the Best, Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?
Everyone claims America is the best country in the world, but other Western nations put us to shame. Here’s the cool perks other countries provide their citizens that we wish we had in the States.
More Everyday Lies We All Believe
Even the smartest among us fall for these everyday lies.
Source: Reddit