Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America

by Nick Hanauer, Joan Walsh, Donald Cohen

Greedy corporate interests have been lying to us for centuries. Here’s an illustrated, entertaining road map for navigating through their hypocrisy and deception

From praising the health benefits of cigarettes to moralizing on the character-building qualities of child labor, rich corporate overlords have gone to astonishing, often morally indefensible lengths to defend their profits. Since the dawn of capitalism, they’ve told the same lies over and over to explain why their bottom line is always more important than the greater You say you want to raise the federal minimum wage? Why, you’ll only make things worse for the very people you want to help! Should we hold polluters accountable for the toxins they’re dumping in our air and water? No, the free market will save us! Can we raise taxes on the rich to pay for universal healthcare? Of course not—that will kill jobs! Affordable childcare? Socialism! It’s always the same tired threats and finger-pointing, in a concentrated campaign to keep wealth and power in the hands of the wealthy and powerful. Corporate Bullsh*t will help you identify this pernicious propaganda for the wealthiest 1 percent, and teach you how to fight back. Structured around some of the most egregious statements ever made by the rich and powerful, the book identifies six categories of falsehoods that repeatedly thwart progress on issues including civil rights, wealth inequality, climate change, voting rights, gun responsibility, and more. With amazing illustrations and a sharp sense of humor, Corporate Bullsh*t teaches readers how to never get conned, bamboozled, or ripped off ever again.

Genres: Business, Politics, Nonfiction, Economics, Philosophy, Labor, History

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 31, 2023

Reviews

[David Dayen · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a reference book than a work of nonfiction. I'm going to do something on this at prospect.org that's a fuller treatment. For here, you can subtitle it "Lies My Corporation Told Me."

[Michael Muntisov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are we being deliberately confused or tricked by corporate narratives? Entrepreneur turned philanthropist Nick Hanauer and his co-authors think so. They argue that political or corporate elites resist reforms in order to preserve a skewed status quo that serves their interests.
In their book Corporate Bullsh*t, they present the Six Big Lies which form the foundations of “false stories, fake stories, but sometimes beguiling stories nonetheless – Soothing but toxic fairy tales” which are used to defend the corporate bottom lines.
The authors devote a chapter to each of the big lies. Quotes illustrating how each lie has been used are presented, many from more than one hundred years ago, and covering a variety of industries from coal mining, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and of course, the tobacco industry. Each chapter concludes with a specific case study to provide a more detailed insight.
The book is an easy and quick read. It is laid out clearly with quotes and sources referenced. Several cartoons break up the text.
This is not an academic or intellectual book, nor is it intended to be. For readers looking to go deeper, see my review of Dark PR.
Corporate Bullsh*t serves as a soft introduction to the narratives of political and corporate elites, and one that will help tune your ear to recognize and avoid the deception.
Full review can be found here: https://courtofthegrandchildren.com/c...

[Kevin Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book explores the insidious relationship between politics and big business. It is an attractive book with a whimsical turn-of-the-century aesthetic and includes newspaper clippings and illustrations.

Lately, we hear a lot about the corrupting influence of dark money in politics and how it is funneled in by special interest groups and political action committees. However, Corporate Bullshit reveals that this exchange of influence is a deeply rooted and systemic problem with a long history. It is astounding to read quotes from politicians who defend big tobacco, oppose the Civil Rights Act (because it would be bad for business), and attempt to minimize the effects of lead in paint and drinking water.

What’s truly remarkable is that many of the politicians quoted are still in positions of power and are still breathlessly exalting the benevolence of the free market. These big business shills continue to argue that almost all problems (social, political, economic, or otherwise) should be arbitrated by the free market. Corporate Bullshit provides the hind site required for us to see what a deregulated dystopian hellscape that would be.

[Ami Nosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully published coffee table book with attractively laid out pages.

The thesis is simple. In order to maximize profits, when faced with policy to protect human well-being, American corporations have cyclically used 6 phrases as an argument. These include "it's not a problem", "the free market knows best", "it's not our fault, it's your fault", "it's a job killer", "you'll only make it worse", and "it's socialism!"

The authors make a fair and fascinating point, and have numerous examples from throughout American history to back up their claims. Equally impressive is the extensive bibliography which allows the reader to research quotes and claims to take them in context.

With this in mind, overall, one star is taken away because as a work of non-fiction, this book is filled with fiery, charged language, making it more of a pundit piece than a solid work of political science. That said, as was mentioned in the beginning, this more likely to be marketed as an attractive coffee-table book than a serious tome for college level research.

Looking for the perfect gift for your anti-capitalist uncle? Look no further. This book will not disappoint him.

[Rosanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd consider giving this a five for content. There's some amazing research and great examples here. The topic is so important and there's great expertise here.

But the format of the book just makes me wonder if this was something of a vanity project. It is sleek & expensive & it seems like there would be so many better uses for this money. The data should be accessible & easy to read, and I don't think it is. I don't understand the odd shape for the book. My library doesn't have it on kindle so I don't know what that was.

I work in this field and we're having trouble finding funding so that might be part of my reaction.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a doctorate in history and I've been teaching it for about 20 years. This is a comendium of a lot of bad things that have been said about things like the income tax, social security, Medicare and Medicaid - in fact, ANYTHING that helps the average American make progress economically. The right has been beating a drum since the Civil War eded in opposition to any laws that would help the average American in his or her daily life. If Joan Walsh is involved in a book project, get it and read it. That's what I have to say about this book.

[Chrisgonzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real surprise this book exposes is not that corprorations and politicians lie, we all knew that, it's how brazenly unimaginative and lazily they do so, trotting out themes and tropes that should have been revealed as ludicrous decades ago. This book deserves a wide readership, to help start the avalanche of ridicule such pundits will earn next time they scream "socialism!" or "it'll cost jobs" to the most basic suggestions of change.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The authors are clearly passionate about their work and it comes through in the “take no prisoners” tone, clear language and great cartoons. It’s a short, quick read but I would have liked to have seen more recent examples of corporate lies and more information on how to combat them. Thank you to Edelweiss and The New Press for the digital review copy.

[Matthew Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read that gives a great pulled back vantage point and perspective on the same sentiments and scare tactics that have been used for over 200 years. Love all the old quotes saying the same things that are being said now. Communism is coming, America is becoming socialist, all businesses will die if minimum wage is increased, etc…

A great quick read.

[Marilynn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading and it goes quickly. We all get sucked into the semi-logical whinings of corporate America. This helped me stand back and think about things. I knew I didn’t believe their BS, but this gave me clear ways to counter many of their tired lies.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for achieving its aim of illuminating how powerful interests use deception and propaganda to maintain their wealth and power in the American economy and government. 3 stars for style, which is repetitive and dogmatic.

[Jon Jansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a long pamphlet. Struggles to make a very important point readable or interesting