20 Lies We’ve Been Told
TWENTY LIES WE’RE TOLD
We’ve been lied to:
(1) We’ve been told bigger and faster are better….but taking time to reflect on small things often brings us the most joy.
(2) We’ve been told “whoever ends up with the most toys wins”….but we all know people with lots of toys and many of them are miserable.
(3) We’ve been told that if we work hard employers will pay a living wage and watch out for us….but they fight to keep wages low and move jobs overseas.
(4) We’ve been told to keep buying more stuff….but the majority of us are in debt.
(5) We’ve been told to consume more goods to keep our economy going….but most closets, garages, and storage units are overflowing with gadgets we don’t use or need.
(6) We’ve been told to supersize every meal….but most of us are trying to lose weight.
(7) We’ve been told to pay for another streaming subscription so we can watch 300 more channels….but television shows sure seemed better when there were just three networks.
(8) We’ve been told the media can’t be trusted….but newspapers are shutting down and news divisions must turn a profit for shareholders.
(9) We’ve been told racism, discrimination, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia were all things in the distant past….but we don’t want to teach our children about them.
(10) We’ve been told to have faith in religion….but more wars, thievery, and perversions have been carried out in the name of organized religion than anything else.
(11) We’ve been told education is a top priority….but we burden graduates with massive debt and celebrate college athletes as heroes.
(12) We’ve been told that big government is evil….but are led to believe corporations somehow have our best interest at heart.
(13) We’ve been told banks need bailouts and insurance companies are struggling….but every new downtown skyscraper and mega-stadium is named after a giant bank or an insurance company.
(14) We’ve been told loosening restrictions against drug use (marijuana) and gambling would produce terrible consequences….but the legalization of these vices has resulted in no significant negatives.
(15) We’ve been told being famous is an aspiration….yet most famous people try to keep the public away.
(16) We’ve been told to doubt scientists and ridicule experts….but trust “research studies” funded by the fossil fuel industry and listen to assclown podcasters.
(17) We’ve been told the military has gotten weak….but we spend more on national defense than the next 11 countries in the world combined.
(18) We’ve been told our country is exceptional and the greatest….but it frequently ranks someplace middle of the pack and embarrassingly low in many key categories of quality of life.
(19) We’ve been told the system is too soft on crime….but we imprison more people than any other nation in the world.
(20) We’ve been told “winning is everything”….but the happiest people usually have strong families, many friends, and achieve their success through cooperation and compassion.
It’s time to rethink our priorities and stop believing the lies.
