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Category: Assertion

Do more people go to jail than to college?

Do more people go to jail than to college?

TL;DR Summary This type of quote is known as a “glittering generality”. The clearly implied assertion is that more people go to jail than to college but this is false. The quote makes for good propaganda but it is a lie. Comparing “instant in time” measures, there were 20.6M in college in the fall of 2012 to about 2.4 million in prison or jail or detention. 41% of those aged 18-24 are in college! Poster source: Occupy Democrats Even though the quote is…

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Logical fallacy: Linking a $15 minimum wage in 2022 to unemployment in 2015

Logical fallacy: Linking a $15 minimum wage in 2022 to unemployment in 2015

TL; DR Summary Occupy Democrats issued propaganda posters in 2015 proclaiming that in spite of a $15 minimum wage, Seattle’s unemployment has gone down and restaurants are booming, But the $15 wage does not take effect until 3 to 7 years into the future. This linkage is a logical fallacy.                 Poster 2 Source: Occupy Democrats.  Shared over 28,000 times. There is no connection between a $15 minimum wage and Seattle restaurants or unemployment in 2015…

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Denmark Fairy Tales: Denmark does not have a $20 minimum wage

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…

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Pilots silently demonstrate against "chemtrails" – HOAX

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.

The most spectacular example of social media propaganda – so far!

The most spectacular example of social media propaganda – so far!

TL; DR Summary This poster is elegant in its design, use of “anchoring” and logical fallacy – but the poster is a work of fiction and an outright lie.  Yet it successfully engaged System 1’s quick and intuitive thinking to lead viewers into a false conclusion, and whose viewers then quickly shared it with their friends, encouraging their friends to reach the same false conclusion. Read through to learn how false this poster is – yet why it worked as…

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Re-using historical photos to assert a false conclusion

Re-using historical photos to assert a false conclusion

TL;DR Summary Making the rounds on FB, this poster supposedly shows Europeans fleeing to North Africa to escape WW II. In reality, the photo is of Europeans (from Albania) seeking refuge elsewhere in Europe in 1991. A simple Google search confirms the story. Re-using historical photos and asserting the photo shows something other than what the photo actually shows is extremely common on social media. This propaganda method works because most people have no familiarity with the photos being used…

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Oregon is not giving free college tuition to everyone

Oregon is not giving free college tuition to everyone

TL;DR Summary This poster was widely distributed on social media propaganda web sites, often in conjunction with Bernie Sanders statement that he would like 4 years of college to be free for everyone. All other states should follow Oregon’s lead, they said. Based on the comments to this poster, as it circulated, most everyone who saw this believed it applied to everyone in Oregon, at any college. Alas, the poster asserts something that is not true.