# Are There 'Hidden Persuaders' Among Us? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900 "2005-04-18T15:11:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/21 "2005-04-19T00:39:24Z")
That’s odd. Personally, I really want a coke. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/22 "2005-04-19T00:49:44Z")
Umm… how can one hide a [persuader](http://www.greatbigstuff.com/wrench.html) [without](http://www.lynneheitman.com/photoalbum/alvum-persuader-full.jpg) [people](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v65/GHOSTMP/persuader.jpg) [knowing](http://www.gemworld.com/Collectibles/Wrench-RR-MHold1L.jpg) they’re there? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/23 "2005-04-19T00:52:24Z")
What? Nobody has a sudden craving for spotted dick? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/24 "2005-04-19T01:54:35Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > I’m really thirsty, but I just don’t want to drink that you have a loose vagina if you drink Coke Pepsi® in the fridge. I drink Diet Coke…where is that echo coming from? from…from from ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/25 "2005-04-19T02:54:42Z")
On another message board I visit, frequented by several restaurant personalities and foodies, there have been a couple of attempts for unscrupulous restaurant owners posing as diners to try and plug their own joint. Generally, the attempts are unsucessful because it becomes blatantly obvious that the only posts a poster made were in regard to a single restaurant. OTOH, there have been several restaurant owners who have contributed significantly to the community and do not go out of their way to promote their restaurant and it is generally taken quite well. I think reputation will be the main filtering element to weed out hidden persuaders. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/26 "2005-04-19T03:13:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What? Nobody has a sudden craving for spotted dick? Always. I guess that doesn’t qualify as “sudden,” though, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/27 "2005-04-19T03:16:33Z")
Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Whut? You cannot find the hidden message in this post? Well, color me F8F8F8! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/28 "2005-04-19T03:17:29Z")
They’ve come to the wrong place if they actually want to persuade anyone of anything. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/29 "2005-04-19T05:25:57Z")
[Bodybuilding.com](http://Bodybuilding.com), about 95,000 strong, has (well, had. Haven’t been around there for almost half a year now) a much more serious epidemic of Hidden Persuaders. The forum is a part of a giant store, so you can imagine how many owners of little supplement companies hang around to ‘pimp their products’, as we call it there. A couple of the more reputable owners don’t attempt to disguise their affliations - they are scientists and contribute a lot to the discussions; their pimping is officially sanctioned and generally taken well by the population. As well, some of them are actually board members who started their own businesses after establishing a reputation as a member. No better way to promote in a tightly knit community like that than by word of mouth, IMHO. Much better this way than to be shamefully exposed, methinks, after you actually come up with a backstory like in an RPG and make friends on the board. Several Muscletech employees (you know, the folks who do those sixteen page ads in health magazines) tried this, and boy were we pissed. I think their entire IP series was banned. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/30 "2005-04-19T15:39:06Z")
I don’t think [this guy](http://www.comicskins.com/skindex/ff/DC/greycount_08162004/Persuader.jpg) stays hidden very well. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/31 "2005-04-19T15:42:07Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I drink Diet Coke…where is that echo coming from? from…from from Wow! This Diet Coke® _IS_ good! Hey! Where’d that loose vagina come from?! _::slinks off to find hermaphodite support group::_ ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/32 "2005-04-22T06:41:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What? Nobody has a sudden craving for spotted dick? Umm, no thanks, I like my current color scheme just fine. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/33 "2005-04-22T06:53:17Z")
It happens all the time on [sub]SMOKE[/sub] writing boards, where new members will [sub]SMOKE[/sub] register and gush about the newest book [sub]CAMELS[/sub] of some unknown author [sub]SMOKE[/sub]. They’re always horribly smoke transparent and we usually catch on because smoke they’re about as subtle as camel hammers. [sub]smoke[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/34 "2005-04-22T11:09:33Z")
For some reason I have the urge to smoke a spotted dick. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/35 "2005-04-22T15:02:19Z")
For some reason I have the urge to pretend I’ve been persuaded by one of the joke “hidden” persuasions from a previous post … but I won’t. I’m a free thinker, dammit! unless that’s just what they WANT me to think _gasp_ ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/36 "2005-04-22T15:10:56Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > For some reason I have the urge to smoke a spotted dick. _::insert your own spit-take joke here::_ ---
**Author:** ![NoPretentiousCodename](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@NoPretentiousCodename](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoPretentiousCodename)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/37 "2005-04-22T15:54:40Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > _::insert your own spit-take joke here::_ Or a swallow-take, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/38 "2005-04-22T15:59:39Z")
Reading over this thread, I have felt the urge to become a lesbian. Then go straight again. Then become a lesbian again. Then straight. I’m seeing spotted dicks and vaginas and craving a Coke. _Hidden agenda_! _Liberal media_! You _monsters_! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900/39 "2005-04-22T16:22:21Z")
:: tries to contain laughter :: :: spews Pepsi [sub]of course[/sub] over keyboard of new computer :: Personally, I think the bigger problem may be _agents provocateus_ intended to discredit dissenting political rallies by encouraging extremism… :: suppresses urge for British food, like Mom used to make :: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-hidden-persuaders-among-us/299900.md?page=1)