How Bill Gates counts to ten
TL;DR Summary Note – I previously worked for Microsoft and was a member of the Windows 98 team. I also met Bill Gates on many occasions.
Denmark Fairy Tales: Denmark does not have a $20 minimum wage
TL;DR Summary In Part 1 of this review, we showed the claim that Denmark is the happiest country in the world because of the listed items is a logical fallacy; its not true. In this part, we learn that the $20 minimum wage claim is not true either. Part 1: Denmark is the world’s happiest nation because of the following reasons (Not true) Part 2: Denmark has a $20/hour minimum wage (No, it does not). Part 3: Denmark has a…
Denmark Fairy Tales: Is Denmark the happiest country because of this? No.
Almost every item on this social media propaganda poster is false. Yet this poster was widely distributed on social media and nearly everyone who saw, liked or shared it believes these items are true. First, the much publicized World Happiness Index is not based on any of the items on this propaganda poster. Second, Denmark does not have a minimum wage law nor does it have a 33 hour work week. Denmark does have free university but not for any of the reasons you probably are thinking of. Denmark has subsidized child care, not free child care. The only item that is almost correct is about health care that is free at point of service (paid for by high taxes) but does not cover dentistry, vision or all prescription costs.
Pilots silently demonstrate against "chemtrails" – HOAX
TL;DR Summary Shared into my FB stream today, purportedly showing that pilots are well aware of the dangers of alleged “chemtrails” but are not permitted to speak out, so they march silently in protest. TOTAL HOAX Photo was doctored from a photo of striking pilots carrying strike posters. You can see the original photo for yourself. STOP! Stop sharing sharing stuff like this that makes the sharer look like a gullible fool.
Clinton did not admit to taking a bribe from Bush to fund Iraq War
TL;DR Summary Hillary Clinton is accused of admitting to taking a political bribe from President Bush. It’s framed as a question to raise suspicion, without having to be true. Snopes says the claim is FALSE. This was shared into my FB and Twitter feeds today. This works as propaganda merely because it fits the narrative the target wants to believe is true, so it is quickly Liked and Shared. It successfully raises doubts about Clinton and transfers dislike for Bush…
1 in 7 Americans do not go to bed hungry every night
Every year, Feeding America puts out a fundraising campaigns making misleading, if not outright false, claims.
Obama not attending First Lady Funeral is not unprecedented; social media poster is similarly ridiculous
TL;DR Summary Conservative media said that President Obama not attending the funeral of former First Lady Nancy Reagan is unprecedented or wrong; it is neither. Defenders of Obama published this propaganda poster on social media but cherry picked the data to draw you to their desired conclusion. Why is the death of Jacqueline Kennedy omitted?
Logic will get you from A to B" – Einstein
TL;DR Summary This poster comes through my FB feed frequently: “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you Everywhere”-Albert Einstein. There is no evidence that Einstein ever said this. These “popular sayings” posters appear often, tend to contain fictional quotes or quotes out of context, or quotes attributed to the wrong person. From a propaganda perspective, they use appeal to authority or celebrity endorsement, but they often advocate nothing in particular. At best, they may be…
Online advertisers manipulate your brain using Behavioral targeting
The more that online advertisers learn about you, the more effective their targeted propaganda becomes in urging you to take action. A study finds that when consumers know they are being targeted they become even more receptive to the propaganda messaging!