From Snake Oil to Emu Oil

The first chapter completely opened my eyes to propaganda. It surrounds us at all angles. I always fall for the "best makeup" ads where companies claim that certain products work miracles in lives. What a load of crap! The Listerine scandal made me realize that people that are involved in advertising will do anything to sell their product, even if that means deceiving the public and robbing them of their money. As far as the political spectrum is concerned, I knew that their campaign ads were mostly lies (if not extreme exaggeration). After reading about Moore's claim of Bush sending home Bin Laden's family on a plane while all American airports were grounded, it made me really think about the validity in everything that we read or see. Up until reading about that, I had no idea that that actually occurred post 9/11. I was a dumbfounded high school student at the time, and didn't really pay attention to politics. After reading about the accusation, it made me realize how much politics affects our daily lives. Even Michael Moore (devout Bush hater and liberal) was using propaganda against the president of our country. I think we as Americans are too much of a "give me" society and we buy into everything! As a capitalistic economy that is driven by consumerism, we feel as if we NEED certain products, love or hate politicians, and even believe certain ideologies that are forced upon us. The first chapter made me realize that I need to stop living under a rock and believe everything I see or read, and I need to check facts and do research on everything.