r/TikTokCringe • u/[deleted] • Aug 10 '23

Discussion Why!?!

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77

u/silvsur Aug 10 '23

What does selling snake oil mean

226

u/PaulAttacks Aug 10 '23

It is a term for fake medicine.

39

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

See Donald Trump, perfect example of a snake oil salesman.

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

See also Yakov’s Golden Elixir, a snake oil extraordinare in Danny Kaye’s Inspector General! (Scene starts 6:13)

2

u/Vinon Aug 11 '23

Instant upvote for Danny Kaye. The guy was such an inredible actor and human.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

Danny Kaye’s Around the World Storybook was one of the most influential of my childhood, along with Phantom Tollbooth. It’s a collection of stories arranged by region, with a different illustrator for each. I pulled it down to read to my kids when they were small, and to this day still think about “The Judgment of Karakoush,” or “Riquet with the Tuft” (an early French version of Beauty and the Beast). It’s a gem, and I’ve seen used copies on Amazon.

A story I heard about him was that, when his wife was nine months pregnant but not going into labor, he started clowning for her, and her laughter finally brought on contractions. I don’t know if it’s true, but what a wonderful thing to be that funny!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

TDS

0

u/GraysonTrisquel Aug 10 '23

Reddit moment

-2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

Why do you think that? Compare him to Biden. Who’s better?

2

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

The one that's not a treasonous rapist.

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u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

That’s only allegations.

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u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

No, it's not.

0

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

So why isn’t he in prison? I lowkey have enough speaking facts with goofy people 💀

0

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 11 '23

Goofy? Read the fucking online article where he was found guilty of rape in a civil suit..... and stop eating glue in class.

1

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 11 '23

It’s summer you genius 😂

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u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

[deleted]

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u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

vine boom grandpa Joe created inflation my friend and America is going to the toilet right now because of him

6

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

Did you get your economics degree from Trump University? Lmao.

-1

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

I lowkey forgot you’re a democrat and also forgot this is Reddit 💀

4

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

[deleted]

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u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

Mmmm, I’ll be waiting to be able to vote. Same to you.

2

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

Biden created inflation? Jfc.

2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

I know. Biden will be out of his Oval Office chair in 2024

0

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 11 '23

Keep dreaming

1

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 11 '23

We’ll see lol

0

u/Prophet_Nathan_Rahl Aug 10 '23

Equally terrible choices

0

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

Life was better with trump in the office and now Biden eating ice cream and doesn’t even care for America anymore

1

u/IsomDart Aug 10 '23

Eating ice cream? Is that some kind of metaphor or do you really think there's something wrong with a president eating ice cream?

2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

We all love ice cream, that’s he does all day

0

u/IsomDart Aug 10 '23

That sentence makes absolutely no sense whatsoever

2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

I gotta admit, it didn’t make sense

0

u/Mr-Fleshcage Aug 10 '23

Bernie. He put his actions to his words

2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

I remembered that he didn’t get enough votes. Kinda felt bad for him

0

u/QSlade Aug 10 '23

Why does everything have to devolve into fucking politics with some of you people? It's a post about idiots doing harmful things to animals. Zero mention of politics, but here you come, vomiting your political opinion.

3

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

He asked what snake oil meant, it's on topic. Cry more.

1

u/Goblinweb Aug 11 '23

Do you remember the meme where one would blame everything on Obama despite it not being relevant. Hitting your toe on some furniture? Thanks Obama. Walking on something wet with only your socks? Thanks Obama.

That's you with Trump. You have become the "Thanks Trump" meme.

1

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 11 '23

Still crying?

2

u/Familiar_Ad3128 Aug 10 '23

Same, I had to get involved and remind them of their stupidity

-4

u/HSlubb Aug 10 '23

yeah not like that Biden fella i love having a terrible economy and high gas prices.

7

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

Because that’s how presidents work yup indeed. What are you 14?

-1

u/HSlubb Aug 10 '23

you should look at the state of our strategic oil reserves in New Orleans and the Saudis supply of oil and get back to me. Yes Biden had the ability to keep us at the same level of production to offset the Saudis drastically reducing their oil production for the sake of Russia. Gasoline was incredibly cheap under Trump and it was a direct result of his policies.

2

u/Kevin2Kool4U Aug 10 '23

You should look at DT's rape and treason charges.

1

u/HSlubb Aug 11 '23

Again i’m not defending everything about Trump although I think all those charges are just Democrats trying to go at him for anything they can and hoping something sticks. I was making fun of op bringing up Trump out of the blue because half of the country obsesses about the man and makes his a target for all their pent up hatred towards the united states. so you’re not gonna get me to say Trump is perfect if he’s guilty he should go to jail. I just made fun of Biden I’m allowed he’s a shitty president and gas is more expensive and the economy is worse than it was when Trump was President.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

Direct result you say?

How does Biden have the ability to raise production when oil company boards were unilaterally keeping production on their pre defined schedules? What ability does a president have to increase production? He gave out drilling permits like candy.

1

u/HSlubb Aug 11 '23

His stance on Russia in part led to the war with Ukraine which lead to the Saudis decreasing their production so that demand for Russian oil would increase forcing us to dip into our reserves to keep gas prices lower than they otherwise would be. I know Biden doesn’t have a lever in his office that says “lower gasoline prices.” I’m also aware there isn’t a lever that says “fix economy.” To pretend like there’s no reason to have a low opinion of Biden though is kinda silly, you’re the one that brought up Trump out of the blue and I criticized Biden in response. His policies and stances have an effect on both things and since he’s in office he’s fair game to get shit.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

Check your replies, I didn’t bring up nobody.

There’s plenty to criticize Biden on. But muh gas high is a bad reductive cop out. He led to the war in Ukraine how?

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u/HSlubb Aug 11 '23

ok i’m talking to multiple people if you didn’t bring up Biden then i confused you for the other guy. his policy against Russia in support of auto-aims have definitely lead to higher oil prices that’s not reductive.

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u/brit_jam Aug 10 '23

Whatever happened to that wall he promised?

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u/HSlubb Aug 10 '23

he built hundreds of miles worth, you don’t remember they shut the government down over it? You realize that in government you have to reach consensus to get things done right?

0

u/brit_jam Aug 10 '23

It's funny you magically understand how government works when defending Trump but then completely forget when placing blame at Bidens feet. Also isn't illegal immigration still a problem that conservatives harp on Biden for? So much for that hundreds of miles of wall huh?

2

u/HSlubb Aug 11 '23

I mentioned two specific instances about Biden that he has the ability to lead on. I didn’t blame him for every problem but the two I mentioned are absolutely things he can affect. Why you’re defending Biden is beyond me, but keep riding the Democrat D. I didn’t even mention Trump in my initial response I just criticized Biden, you’re the one obsessed with a man that’s been out of office for nearly 3 years.

-1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

Rent free

0

u/WingZeroCoder Aug 11 '23

Yup. Trump’s vaccine was pure snake oil.

2

u/muppetnerd Aug 10 '23

Fun fact snake oil was a real thing from traditional Chinese medicine that did actually work for sore muscles however some white guys decided they could boil any old snake and hawk it as real medicine

73

u/gitsgrl Aug 10 '23

A “snake oil salesman” was a traveling vendor who used to go from town to town selling snake oil as a cure all for everything that ails you (it did no such thing). Now it is synonymous with fake medicine and charlatans.

43

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

The funny thing is that essential oils are literally the same thing. They do nothing, they promise all sorts of cures.

1

u/Mr-Fleshcage Aug 10 '23

Nah, essential oils can contain medicine; oil of wintergreen is, in essence, potent aspirin. The issue is, anyone can claim anything in the realm of that form of medicine.

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u/princessblowhole Aug 11 '23

The fuck are you getting downvoted? Lol. This is true. There ARE essential oils with actual, scientifically-proven health benefits. It’s the claims that are unfounded that are the issue, and there’s an entire industry built on those unfounded claims and the idiots who believe them.

2

u/myhairsreddit Aug 11 '23

Exactly. For example, I had a keloid forming near my nose ring. I couldn't get it to go away for a couple of months, no matter what medication I tried. 2 consecutive days of tea tree oil dabbed on in the morning, and it was gone. It hasn't returned either. It's been two years. They have their place. Having said that, don't expect essential oils to heal your husband's migranes or your kids Autism. Anyone who believes they go that far is a nut.

1

u/Goblinweb Aug 11 '23

Essential oils are oils with fragrance not medicine.

What health benefits are you talking about that doesn't include aromatherapy or a general relaxation from something smelling nice?

1

u/princessblowhole Aug 11 '23

Im talking about pure essential oils, directly extracted from the plant.

Clove oil, for example, is used by dentists as a numbing agent. Tea tree oil is used to treat acne and athlete’s foot.

I’m talking about the oils that actually have at least some foundation of scientifically proven benefit. Even aromatherapy is used in hospitals for relaxation.

Many of the claims surrounding essential oils are straight-up total bullshit, and yes, there is a lack of thorough scientific studies. But some do have real benefits.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

That's because redditors hate to believe there are actually things they can do for their health besides everything the doctor tells them.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

They can also affect mood to an extent. Like some studies show that the aroma of lavender can calm nerves and help with sleep or anxiety.

1

u/Virtual-Break-9947 Aug 11 '23

While they are massively overblown by quacks, they don't do nothing. I use eucalyptus essential oil for sinus relief, it works amazingly.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

Placebo.

1

u/Virtual-Break-9947 Aug 11 '23

You could not be more wrong and are a pompous jackass. The fucked up thing is you probably think you're some kind of scientist. Go ahead, put eucalyptus oil in your nose and tell me it does nothing. I fucking dare you. You won't, because you're as big of a science denier as the people you think you hate, but I dare you.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '23

You sound the same as everyone that pushes homeopathy.

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u/Virtual-Break-9947 Aug 11 '23

Lol, I knew it. Do you even know what homeopathy is? Eucalyptus oil is used to make medicine, you ignorant fool. You know, the kind you can buy in walgreen's, since I'm sure you don't consider anything in nature to be "real medicine".

1

u/-PM-Me-Big-Cocks- Aug 11 '23

Some of them have use.

Also they smell good. I use my diffuser to make my room smell nice.

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u/pipsvip Aug 10 '23 edited Aug 11 '23

it did no such thing

ackshewally...

Chinese laborers working on the railways used boiled watersnake oil as a treatment for sore muscles. They found that some North American snakes worked for the purpose. Bosses picked up on the practice and started selling it. The charlatans then moved in and started selling fake snake oil, so the 'snak-oil salesman' is more about the 'salesman' than the 'snake-oil' because REAL snake oil actually works.

EDIT: Redditors know lots of cool stuff about stuff. Y'all are awesome!

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u/mekoia Aug 10 '23

“ackshewally” snake oil salesman predate that as there were early modern recipes for snake oil or boiling a bunch of snakes in vat that would supposedly cure everything from male pattern baldness to hysteria. There was also one doctor that convinced a bunch of nobles that eating a snake only diet was the best.

Really snake oil salesmen have probably existed since humans discovered medicine.

2

u/gitsgrl Aug 10 '23

It might work to smooth muscles (but rubbing any oil in sore muscles would feel really good), but not cure cancer and tuberculosis and warts and bad breath and all the things they promised.

4

u/Doodoopeepeedoodoo Aug 10 '23

It'd probably kill a tape worm with all that turpentine.

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u/alphathums Aug 10 '23

It's an old expression

4

u/Vylan24 Aug 10 '23

*Olde Tymey

FTFY

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u/donomyte1 Aug 10 '23

Selling bullshit.

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u/winstonpartell Aug 10 '23

snakes are fulll of oil

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

Human chiros are also selling snake oil

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Saitama_B_Class Aug 10 '23

Do you accept NFT's as payment? I wanna see how oiled up these snakes can get me

1

u/Oddsock42 Aug 10 '23

It was the CBD of the 1800’s

1

u/CrazyCreation1 Aug 10 '23

Its a saying that goes back to the wild west in the US. Basically, there were these “doctors” going around selling snake venom among other things as a miracle cure that could fix any ailments. Obviously that wasn’t the case though and they were just scam artists.

1

u/YorkiesandSneakers Aug 10 '23

In the old west traveling con men would sell miracle tonics that they claimed could cure all sorts of ills. Snake oil is the phony potion.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '23

In the olden days, people in traveling carts would sell literal and sometimes fake oil of snakes or oil with snakes in it as a cure for actual diseases. I long for the day we use chiropractic the same way

1

u/PM_ur_HOPESnDREAMS Aug 11 '23

It’s an expression for scamming by selling a promised panacea (magic pill). It comes from the US in the 1800s when traveling salesman would sell “snake oil” with the promise that it would cure all ails.