‘What is the single most successful piece of propaganda in human history?’ – 22 biased opinions that had the whole world hoodwinked

‘The bible. Two thousand years later and the world is still fighting over that propaganda.’
–RaptorGod

‘People in power deserve it.

This is easily the most successful propaganda, as it has endured millenia. Being born into wealth is, with very few exceptions, the only path to power and influence. Yet to this day, we buy into various versions of divine rite: “Great business man”, “Super genius”, “Workaholic”.

It is all bullshit mysticism. It is a slap in the face to people that work hard and do not become wealthy. It denigrates the actual geniuses of the sciences that are responsible for all the tech and health advances which make modern society possible, but never personally profited from their work.

There are exceptionally talented people all over this planet. Yet everyone at the top was simply born into wealth. Aside from that, they are disturbingly average in their capabilities.’
–SexualDubaiChocolate

‘Religion. The notion that you follow what some rich/powerful leader says, you will be rewarded in the afterlife.

The idea there’s an all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipotent creator, who gave you “free will” but then offers you only two choices: serve him, or suffer. And people buy into it. There’s no more powerful propaganda than religion.’
–AmericanScream

‘The idea that hard work always leads to success. Working hard matters, but luck, timing, and who gets opportunities matter a ton too and plenty of people get taught to blame themselves when the system’s stacked against them.’
–gustavnordh

‘That Napoleon was short. His height was usually given as 5 foot 2 but that was in French measurements which were different from British ones (the ones still used in the US today). In those he was 5 foot 6/7 which whilst a little shorter than today’s average was about the average of the time.

Despite this the term Napoleon syndrome is still used to refer to anyone who’s short and insecure about it.’
–Nothos927

‘That the US is innately the “good guy”, not that the world believes it, but so many Americans reflexively do.

America is a ruthless global empire with suzerains on the opposite ends of Eurasia, an entrenched military industrial complex, ideologically couched but ultimately facile justification for its actions in media for the assent of the masses, and works to ensure its control and countenance over the lanes of global commerce, the World Ocean.’
–Overload175

‘”Jaywalking.” In the 1920s the auto industry pushed the term to shift blame for pedestrian deaths away from cars. Streets used to belong to people. Now we apologize for crossing them.’
–_Olivia____

‘Telling people that eating carrots improves your vision when they were just trying to cover up the invention of radar.’
–Unlikely-Flatworm-48

‘A Diamond Is Forever. De Beers literally created the social requirement for diamond engagement rings out of thin air.’
–No_Lobster6960

‘Climate change is an individual problem.’
–LetrasetBoy

‘Trickle down economics. There is a class war going on, and the rich have been winning for decades.’
–canuck47

‘Poor people convinced by millionaires that billionaires need more tax breaks.’
–Cavewoman22