Long before IPA meant overpriced beer with a silly name, it was the Institute for Propaganda Analysis.
(I’d probably drink a pint of that actually).

In 1937, they identified seven classic techniques for swaying us simpletons.
Almost 90 years later, those tricks are pounding Red Bull mixed with meth.

Fake news. Evil regime. Toxic ex. Lazy Gen Z. Greedy Boomer.

Clickbait. Ragebait. Most of X. Trump’s entire communication playbook.

Loaded language designed to slap on a label and deliver judgement before evidence. (Feel, don't think!)

Politicians do it constantly.

So do we.

A friend recently moved departments. Before she even unpacked her mug:

“The boss is awful.”
“He’s two-faced.”
“Really difficult.”

Before she met him? Already ‘The Nightmare Boss’.

Short email? Rude.
Question? Aggressive.
Disagreement? Proof.

But what had he actually said or done?
Only vague answers.
Just the label, passed around like a dose of that thing you had that weekend…

“He’s difficult” takes two seconds.
“He interrupted me twice and dismissed my idea” takes effort.
And nobody likes effort. But labels remove the detail that a real conversation requires.

So, someone hands you a verdict?

Acknowledge it: “That sounds rough.”

Then move from adjectives to actions:

“What did they actually say?”
“What did they actually do?”

You don’t have to reject their judgement.

Just don’t swallow the label before checking what’s in the bottle.

⛔ DON’T SAY: “So he’s basically Hitler, then?”
(The internet has that covered.)

Some labels you fight.
This one, you run 26 miles in a beret to earn.

France took the marathon and made it aggressively French.

The Marathon du Médoc winds through Bordeaux: 42km/26 miles, 23 wine-tasting stops, plus oysters, steak, and ice cream en route.
Fancy dress is compulsory, so strap on a baguette costume and pace yourself.

This laughs in the face of Iron Man.

It’s so absurdly on-brand it feels like an event dreamt up by an AI prompt for national stereotypes.
Except it’s been running since 1985.

🇬🇧 What would the British equivalent look like?

Stereotypes are lazy when we use them to pigeonhole other people.
But invite someone to exaggerate their own culture?

Completely different conversation.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “What would the stereotypical marathon in your country serve?”
⛔ DON’T SAY: “French people really do just drink wine all day.”
(Especially at kilometre 35.)

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"Labels are for canned food... I am what I am — and I know what I am.”
(Michael Stipe, American singer/songwriter, 1960 – )

👇 Answer at the end.

Gen Alpha.

Raised online. TikTok for breakfast, screaming YouTubers for lunch, probably asking ChatGPT what's for dinner.
At least, that’s the stereotype (seems pretty accurate in my house).

But a new U.S. study of teens found something less futuristic.
And slightly less depressing.

80% said their parents influence which brands they like.

And Mum came out top.
Ahead of Dad, ahead of TikTokers, ahead of MrBeast and whatever celebrity just launched another energy drink or make-up line.

Amazon and Nike take the household crown, while McDonald’s unites parents and teens in greasy harmony.

And the influence runs both ways, too: 91% of parents say their kids affect which brands they like.
(Must. Buy. Sanrio…)

So much for kids being brainwashed by the algo overlords.

Looks like Mum got their first.

Misinformation: wrong, but innocent.
Someone forwards a dicey stat on WhatsApp, genuinely believing it.

Disinformation: wrong on purpose. Built to deceive.

The difference is intent.

The best bit?
Disinformation entered English from the Russian 'dezinformatsiya', Soviet intelligence language for deliberately misleading information.

Wrong information with a plan.
And a furry hat.

Even the word has a slightly dodgy past.
(And probably a dodgy accent to match).

💬 FOLLOW-UP: What’s the most convincing fake story you’ve ever fallen for?

HONOR Robot Phone has given the smartphone a neck.
Or an arm. Or is it a tiny head?

It pops out, tracks your face, boogies when the music starts, and waves back at you.
Best (worst?) part: at parties, it can set up drinking games and even spotlight who pays the bill.
Apparently that makes it ‘more fun’.

Your camera now has better social skills and worse boundaries than you.
Only $1500...

💬 FOLLOW-UP: Would you let your phone decide who pays the bill?

For when your brain needs a biscuit.

Two drag queens and a trans woman cross the Australian Outback in a battered bus called Priscilla. With lots of sequins.

💬 YOUR TURN: “Which film has the most unforgettable costumes?”

A) 😍 Love them — notice away (15%)
B) 🙂 Depends who's saying it (31%)
C) 😬 Depends what they're pointing at (39%)
D) 🙅 Hard no — leave my body out of it (15%)

💬 Your Two Cents

B: “They don't come often, but it's nice when they do, especially if I actually have made an effort.”
S: “No compliment will ever outweigh self-criticism."
B: “People talking about my body and my looks makes me super uncomfortable, it’s always been “you look… well” if I’m heavier and “you’re too thin” if I’m slimmer and why can’t people just wind their necks in and understand their opinion on my body is not actually required.”

Your feedback improves SpeakEasy.
Hit ‘reply’ – I read every email.

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