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Abraham Lincoln once said, “Don’t believe everything you read online.” Of course, this is obvious satire, but you will still have a few people who will take the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
This is a popular theme in the Ate The Onion subreddit. With over 580,000 members, it collects screenshots of satirical headlines perceived as factual. The sad part is that the uninformed and gullible commenters featured on the page may have made a fool of themselves for the internet to see.
We’ve collected a few gems that are both funny and unfortunate. Hopefully, this list also serves as a gentle reminder of what NOT to do when surfing the interweb.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Dude Ate His Own Onion LOL
AisForRebel 1 year ago
Well he is known for giving out spoilers so he probably was genuinely afraid LOL
RELATED:
#2
Ice Was Not Frozen Enough
me McG 1 year ago
This is actually a true story, but what they left out is she was unfortunately mauled to death by a shoal of piranhas, foiling the attempted rescue.
boone williams 1 year ago
I thought it was highly agitated mutant sea bass
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Fluffy Griffin 1 year ago
The photo is fake. But this is how you rescue someone who has fallen through the ice. (Distributing weight across the ice as much as possible)
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Cuppa tea? 1 year ago
Wait till you learn about whole two ice hockey teams disappeared under their weight as ice was so thin.
#3
The Gay Ant That Makes You Gay
Sarah 1 year ago
This happened to me. I was bitten by an ant wearing a rainbow tshirt and it had the most gorgeous cheekbones. I am now a little bit gay.
Tamra 1 year ago (edited)
Ah yes, the new atheist agenda...gay ants. "Good christians" will now be avoiding picnics. 🤣🤣🤣
StretcherBearer 1 year ago
There goes the last reason to ever attend church: I may not agree with some of your religion but church grannies can cook like a m**********r😁
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xolitaire 1 year ago
chemtrail ants oh god XD now I imagine ants with tiny jet engines that release colourful trails
StretcherBearer 1 year ago
The ant Air Force uniforms would be fabulous for sure! 😁
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Miriah Williams 1 year ago
This person didn't bite the onion, it's as satirical as the post itself
The Onion is one of the first mentions when talking about satirical publications. The Babylon Bee, Cracked, and The Hard Times are also part of this genre.
However, many people are likely unaware of these websites. They are the ones who will likely fall for the blatantly sarcastic headlines that nonetheless pack a punch.
#4
Just Don’t Hold It Down For More Than 5 Seconds
sweet emotion 1 year ago
If it was that simple, I would carry a box of Q-Tips to work and to Walmart.
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Lotekguy 1 year ago
You really want to be toilet trained and learn to walk again?
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#5
Finally
DragonofMordor 1 year ago
Sure, it is satire. Not nearly satirical enough, though. There are plenty of ICE officers who would happily do this if they could get away with it.
Belladonna.dreams 1 year ago
Anyone else troubled by the fact that it wouldn't be surprising that this were true?
#6
What A Sick Man
Gabrielle 1 year ago
Nah, some of us athiests are that gullible. Also, there are plenty of religious people in academic roles.
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Christian Fuller 1 year ago
This story is full of falsehoods - this guy is clearly a huge anime fan.
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
"It's always god" .... I'm just surprised you believed this was real in the first place.
In this day and age of technology, anything can be disguised as a “credible” internet source. And many young consumers have become susceptible. According to a 2023 survey, a third of Americans aged 18-29 turn to TikTok for information about current events.
But why does it seem easy for many people to believe what they see online? According to journalist and global speaker Dr. Kalev Leetaru, part of it is the changing times.
#7
Woah Dude
#8
Got A Live One - Seen This In Several Subs Now
WednesdayAddams'HashbrownOrder 1 year ago
Potato jokes never cease to be funny, do they?
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Major Harris 1 year ago
"rufus" from the movie, "dogma"- "Mary gave birth to CHRIST without having known a man's touch, that's true. But she did have a husband. And do you really think he'd have stayed married to her all those years if he wasn't getting laid? The nature of God and the Virgin Mary, those are leaps of faith. But to believe a married couple never got down? Well, that's just plain gullibility"
Professional Bastard 1 year ago
Huh. Guess you could call that... spud love(please don't hate me, I already hate me enough for the two of us)
Raymond Smith 1 year ago
What a total waste of a perfectly good life. And to think you dont get a second chance at it. They going to their graves in pristine condition, Im going into mine wrecked, and on the verge of death sliding in sideways saying "Dang what a ride".
#9
Why Though
In an article he wrote for Forbes, Dr. Leetaru blames the downfall of the “traditional gatekeeper model.” Society has always taught its citizens to accept all types of information at face value as long as it comes from reputable sources like the government, mainstream media, and academics.
These days, many mainstream media outlets publish sensationalized pieces that push an agenda. And because the news comes from a supposedly credible source, it tends to become more believable.
#10
Spiraling Out Of Control
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
But bring a packed lunch and a lawn chair. Because it’s gonna be a bit before I decide I’m saved. And if some sacrificial wine happens. That’d be cool
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cadena kuhn 1 year ago
My brother was baptized by the power team. Which is like a Christian minister version of the American gladiators so this honestly wouldn't surprise me
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago
In the name of the father, of the son and of the holy spritaaaaahhhh ::splash!::
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
If you are having a stroke you are most likely to be a Catholic priest.
Pat Curran 1 year ago
I could get into a church with a waterslide. I bet the whole congregation would be doing baptism refreshers every Sunday!
#11
Reddit Bites Deep When It Comes To Confirming Their Own Biases
tw 72 1 year ago
Yeah, it's Idaho. Recently. one of the Idaho cult leader wanted female age of marriage lowered to 14.
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Binky Melnik 1 year ago
Now I feel like an effing idiot because this sounds entirely plausible. As a matter of fact, I’ve come to *expect* this sorta thing. What the hell is wrong with me? Why and how is this “satire”?
Auntriarch 1 year ago
You are in no way an idiot, it's plausible because it's happened before. At least once
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Zoey Miller 1 year ago (edited)
With the amount of churches that caught defrauding their parishioners and don't forget the pastor in St Petersburg Florida who got arrested for being involved with a multi-million dollar Home Depot theft ring charged under the Rico Act. That story would not surprise me as true.
#12
Meta AI Ate The Onion
The way we ingest information has changed dramatically over recent years. For empirical proof, Clearwater, Florida, native James McDaniel created and ran a fake news website for an entire month in early 2017.
According to reports, McDaniel, who was 28 years old then, wanted to see how naive people were when consuming online content. As he told Politifact in an interview, he was still surprised by how gullible people were.
#13
OP Fell For It Hook Line And Sinker
Binky Melnik 1 year ago
This one gave me a hearty laugh! 😆 (And it’s got nothing to do with the penile photo; I swear!)
Toothless Feline 1 year ago
This pic of the sub looks vaguely like a Fleshlight. Which is appropriate since the crew was screwed.
#14
Only If You Look Veeeery Closely, Can You See It’s Fake
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
Looks like the Swedish Chef 😂 scurdy chicken, scurdy chicken, do dooo de hurdy hurdy..
DudeFortitude (He/Him) 1 year ago
Okay, if you are talking about the Muppets, check out the Muppet Cypher by The Stupendium. They are a great music creator and literally my fave. (They are also non-binary!)
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Andy Frobig 1 year ago
Pretty awkward, pardoning one cherub and then carving another one a few days later
#15
Must Have Missed The Hashtags
Joseph Dixon 1 year ago
It's a shock that someone who idolizes the orange one would fall for something that's totally BS.
Hassel Davidhoff 1 year ago
^The irony of this moron calling liberals dumb, clearly a Trump supporter.
He used incendiary headlines that were evidently disingenuous. One example was, “Obama tweet: Trump must be removed, by any means necessary.” McDaniel and his team knew no limits with the ridiculousness of their stories.
The now-defunct UndergroundNewsReport.com gained a million views within a couple of weeks. And they reached such massive numbers even with disclaimers stating that the stories were “fiction and presumably fake news.”
#17
Om Nom Onions
SparkDragon 1 year ago
My concern is for the people they might take down with them ☹️
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
How many people died from that perfectly harmless virus, again? And how many had life-changing complications?
#18
A Refreshingly Harmless Chomp
Enuya 1 year ago
Funny thing is I'm 75% sure that I'd seen this very photo in one of BP's articles with "interesting history photos".
HTakeover 1 year ago
100% I've seen it floating around a bunch of those but it's completely fictional. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/neck-belt/
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Lady Vader 1 year ago
Better to feel like that than to not feel anything ever again due to not wearing it
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Lee Stone 1 year ago
Your trachea and larynx might disagree with your assessment here.
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McDaniel’s experiment got so much traction that it landed him in hot water. One article falsely claimed that actress Whoopi Goldberg had criticized the wife of a fallen Navy Seal for supposedly being an attention-grabber during a Congress speech by then-US President Donald Trump.
Goldberg allegedly made the remarks during an episode of The View, where she was one of the hosts. As a response, she threatened to sue McDaniel. The lawsuit didn’t go through, but the heated publicity urged the site’s creators to pull the plug.
Four years after its short tenure, the domain is currently for sale for $8,395. That says a lot about its name value.
#19
Maybe Dash Mcintyre?
Tamra 1 year ago (edited)
Again, it's believable that someone would say this. I can totally understand someone falling for it. 😂
keyboardtek 1 year ago
I was an organ technician. I heard the stupidest things in churches while working on the organs. One deacon told me not to play Jazz on the organ because the bible says jazz is the music of the devil. Uh, I think jazz was created a few thousand years after the bile was written.
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William Diedrich 1 year ago
Why are they trying to threaten us with a good time?
Load More Replies... Myoviridae 1 year ago
Darnit! I don't listen to Taylor Swift. How the heck am I supposed to become a feminist freedom fighter now??!!
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
The next sermon: "The depravity of our country has fallen to the place where all of the men will enjoy being pegged."
Zoey Miller 1 year ago
Just remember Pat Robertson said gays and feminists were responsible for 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina....
Lady Vader 1 year ago
🎵 "I lost a bet to a guy in a chiffon skirt, but I make these high heels work"
Load More Replies... #20
Clayton Calls Bulls**t On Tragedy Of 42 Million Victims
#21
The Website Formerly Known As Twitter Ate The Onion
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
There was a big slowdown in births in the US in the early 70s. You're welcome
Unfortunately, misinformation does get more traction than facts. In 2018, research found that fake news on Twitter spreads around faster to a broader audience.
Experts aren’t blaming the bots. Instead, they fault actual users who share it around and give it more mileage.
#22
Because R/Fingeredtheclickhole Isn’t A Thing
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
Our local statute had on it that you could take the tail of a grey squirrel to the town hall and demand payment for it, we used to have large populations of native red squirrels until the larger grey squirrel took over their habitats, if you rounded up grey squirrels and killed them there was money to be made. They got rid of the rule in the late 80s, long after the grey squirrels had taken over. We’ve now only got small areas of red squirrels left sadly.
Crouching hippo hidden panda 1 year ago
There was a town in India that did this with snakes, until they discovered that the locals were breeding the snakes and then turning them in for profit
Load More Replies... Historyharlot93 1 year ago
I’ve never had squirrel, but my father and grandfather hunted them, and some of my older coworkers, and they all swear they’re pretty delicious eating. I’d think they’d be kind of stringy, and probably greasy considering they fatten on nuts and seeds.
rullyman 1 year ago
I like it. It's inbetween chicken and rabbit. Just like rabbit it's lacking essential fats though
Load More Replies... Geordie Girl 1 year ago
If you do this, make sure to take them to W. Buffet to get your moneys worth!
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
I'm pretty arrogant but even I know better than to argue with Warren Buffett
#23
I’ll Sue You (For Satirical Twitter Posts)!
G A 1 year ago
No, she wouldn't. Read her comments. She just wants women to be safe from men who pretend to be women in order to predate on them.
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Lemony 1 year ago
I'm not a fan of Rowling's books (just not my thing), but she's undeniably witty and eloquent. She doesn't gain anything from speaking out about the issues she's cared about; she only does it because it's what she believes in. She also went from being a billionaire to a millionaire simply because she gave away her money to charity. Amazing woman.
Emie N. 1 year ago
She's a transphobe who has been open about her hatred for several years now.
Load More Replies... #24
The Peasants Are Revolting!
Zoey Miller 1 year ago
I could see that, we've had people complain about black customers at Costco with "how can they afford it on a welfare" usually a middle aged white women complaining saying their card is a forgery.
Isak Nygren 1 year ago
This is close to reality. During the pandemic a couple of rich people in Sweden complained that everything got so expensive that they had to shop at Lidl instead. That was only one couple that said that in the media.
But even with the growing awareness about fake news, experts still deem it necessary to remind the public about haphazardly consuming information online. A group of librarians from the Evanston Public Library shared some advice.
The most important tip is to check your biases. We’re naturally drawn to news articles that align with our beliefs. But Assistant Director Heather Norborg urges asking one crucial question: “What is the writer’s bias?”
Such critical thinking can help us better assess a piece of news and prevent the immediate jump to conclusions.
#25
Boeing 7.37
G A 1 year ago
Always wanted to see a pilot bring his labrador onboard and watch the passengers faces...
Gabby Ghoul 1 year ago
Boeing did make a short version of the 747 known as the 747SP. Not ridiculously short, but shorter nonetheless.
Hassel Davidhoff 1 year ago (edited)
Once again, a Trump supporter falls for obvious BS. It is almost as if it is a cult filled with morons. Oh wait a minute...
#26
"Copywriting Fails"
Hmmm hmmmm 1 year ago
Well Liz truss managed to turn herself into a lettuce so you know
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Pat Curran 1 year ago
Just gonna chop 'em across the belly, or do it the hard way and go from head to crotch?
#27
Just A Nibble
Sanfransweety 1 year ago
Wow. I am so gullible. I forgot I was reading satire and my first instinct was intrigue? Smh
If you feel that what you’re reading lacks legitimacy, there’s a good chance it is some form of parody. Latino Engagement Librarian Miguel Ruiz said, “Trust is great, but consider the context.”
#28
Google AI Eat The Whole Websites
Binky Melnik 1 year ago
Just what we need: AI serving up fictitious and stupid health advice. I’ll bet it looks extra-reliable to dummies. 🙄
Polite Menace 1 year ago
Made by the people who brought you, "Oops, I Cr**pped My Pants!" Snl commercial, back at ya
Load More Replies... Geordie Girl 1 year ago
Who remembers those pebble look-alike sweets we used to be able to buy at beach resorts?
sweet emotion 1 year ago
SNL/John Belushi were promoting this all the way back in 1976 with Quarry Cereal.
#29
They Ate The Onion
Rayne OfSalt 1 year ago
Terfs created an AI to examine photos so they could "out" trans people - the AI declared all the terfs involved in testing it to be trans.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
Put decent doors on the stalls and who cares what bits you have. When you gotta go, you gotta go
Let’s turn the discussion over to you, dear readers. Why do you think it’s easy for some people to fall for fake news? And with AI’s growing prevalence, are things bound to get better or worse? Leave your comments below!
#30
That's A Big Bite
Upstaged75 1 year ago
In case you don't know who Daniel Penny is - he choked a homeless man to death on the subway.
#31
Sir, This Is A S**t Post
me McG 1 year ago
♫ Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down In a most delightful way 🎶
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
*bats the medicine jar under the sofa*
Load More Replies... #32
Twitter's AI Ate The Onion
RedMarbles 1 year ago
Well they shouldn't have tried to put him in it while he was wearing a plastic bodysuit after the coffin get wet and shrunk.
#33
AI Does Not Get The Concept Of Satire At All
#34
Don't Look Up
#36
How Strange
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
"... the Continental Army “took over the airports” from the British during the American Revolutionary War in the 1770s..." - an ex-pres who knew more than his generals. British general Cornwallis complained about the Continental Air Farce in a letter to his wife.
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
Hmmm....'Continental' you say - but Canberra's in Australia - this sounds suss to me.🤷🏻♀️
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#37
Munch Munch
#38
Who Needs Brakes Anyway
G A 1 year ago
Yet, it could equally be completely real. You have to throw an X Brick under your tyres to stop. £1K each.
#39
I Mean It's Not Even Good Photoshop
#40
High School Friend Triggered By Numbers, Math Wasn’t His Forte
#41
That's What Did It, Yeah
#42
Even Threads Has These Loonies
Rayne OfSalt 1 year ago
Seems like the person who posted this pic has completely missed the fact that commenter is telling a joke? r/AteTheOnion and r/wooosh in a single post, impressive.
#44
Safety First
Shark Lady 1 year ago
To be fair, there are certain airlines who would probably love to add extra charges for maintenance of a particular seat space.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
OK, but my fiber internet provider tried to get me to sign up to pay for "technical support" yesterday. I said no. I expect you to provide technical support for free as your product is technical. Give me a break. So sometimes companies do stuff that's close to this.
#46
These Hollywood Deviants
#47
Bull Crap News
Squirrel Chaser 1 year ago
I've never been so offended in my life! I'm literally shaking with rage! (Or giggles, I can't tell)
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#48
Tate-Supporting "Feminist" Has Views On Snow White 🤷
#49
Taking A Stand For Journalistic Integrity
#50
Hey...wait A Minute!
#52
"Investigative Journalism" It Its Finest, Ladies And Gentlemen
#54
His Satire Detector Needs Some Work Though
#58
It's Hard To Take An Article That Repeatedly Uses The Phrase "Do A Sex" Seriously, But Somehow Op Did
#59
Grandma Takes A Big Ol’ Bite
#63
A Lot Of People Eating This Onion (Me Included) Of A Chinese Satirical Propaganda Account
#66
Ate The Onion Using A Toy Dino Grabber
#67
Ah Yes, The Onion. The Paragon Of Tolerance
#70
Onions Are Delicious
Squirrel Chaser 1 year ago
None of those cities are a "center of commerce". Las Vegas, New Mexico has a population of 30,000, for example.
Load More Replies... #71
I Made A Joke About Spanish Notation In My Parody Science Book And It Seems To Be Fooling A Lot Of People, Even After I Post The Full Page
#75
The Original Article, From Spacexmania, Is Even Labeled As Satire
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Carl Roberts 1 year ago (edited)
The Onion used to be funny. They used to make fun of everyone & everything (as it should be). But... now it's mostly just lame political jokes about one side's approved targets. That being said, the people that fall for their posts are still dumb as heck.
Rae Rory 1 year ago
At some point during 2020, the actual news become more absurd than anything the Onion could come up with. They had to run with something.
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Edward Clarke 1 year ago
I will admit to falling for an Onion article. They had one claiming that someone had spliced the gene for creating THC from Cannabis sativa into Poa pratensis (aka Kentucky bluegrass - i.e. a lawn grass). I searched for several hours on Google trying to find literature on this. I finally contacted the Onion and asked for their reference material. Which is when I discovered that the Onion was satire ( they were polite though ).
Douglas Tucker 1 year ago
I unfortunately now see many of the 24 hour TV's News shows, News journalists, and large circulation Newspapers from all sides as truth tellers only after I investigate the article or statement a little deeper (who, what, where, when, why and how) for more insight. Too many times, Fox, CNN, WSJ, and the NYT take on the appearance of The Onion and that is a problem. It is one thing for a news article to be proven incorrect and an apology issued but too many political news articles seem to be deliberately twisted to mislead the viewer/reader into taking the firm position of the writer and his team. And most of us should know that The Onion knowingly makes a living fooling folks and we should expect their many favors of horse poopy when enjoying their art. So be careful hearing or reading something in today's political times and passing it off as the gospel, it might pass the smell taste but still tastes like dung.
Michael P. 1 year ago
Check out "The Beaverton", the Canadian version of "The Onion" which is just as funny or even funnier. Their satire is realistic to the point that you can't tell their satire apart from reality anymore if you follow Canadian politics. Yes, they cover American and International politics too.
Judes 1 year ago
Australia has the Betoota Advocate https://www.betootaadvocate.com/
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Dan St John 1 year ago
Look at how many people buy the MAGA lies, day in and day out. Not surprising at all.
Richienotsorich 1 year ago
Miguel, don't tell us it's loads of incidents of people eating the onion then just show some onionlike articles without responses. If you trawled Reddit for 15 mins you could have come up with decent examples!
Carl Roberts 1 year ago (edited)
The Onion used to be funny. They used to make fun of everyone & everything (as it should be). But... now it's mostly just lame political jokes about one side's approved targets. That being said, the people that fall for their posts are still dumb as heck.
Rae Rory 1 year ago
At some point during 2020, the actual news become more absurd than anything the Onion could come up with. They had to run with something.
Load More Replies... Edward Clarke 1 year ago
I will admit to falling for an Onion article. They had one claiming that someone had spliced the gene for creating THC from Cannabis sativa into Poa pratensis (aka Kentucky bluegrass - i.e. a lawn grass). I searched for several hours on Google trying to find literature on this. I finally contacted the Onion and asked for their reference material. Which is when I discovered that the Onion was satire ( they were polite though ).
Douglas Tucker 1 year ago
I unfortunately now see many of the 24 hour TV's News shows, News journalists, and large circulation Newspapers from all sides as truth tellers only after I investigate the article or statement a little deeper (who, what, where, when, why and how) for more insight. Too many times, Fox, CNN, WSJ, and the NYT take on the appearance of The Onion and that is a problem. It is one thing for a news article to be proven incorrect and an apology issued but too many political news articles seem to be deliberately twisted to mislead the viewer/reader into taking the firm position of the writer and his team. And most of us should know that The Onion knowingly makes a living fooling folks and we should expect their many favors of horse poopy when enjoying their art. So be careful hearing or reading something in today's political times and passing it off as the gospel, it might pass the smell taste but still tastes like dung.
Michael P. 1 year ago
Check out "The Beaverton", the Canadian version of "The Onion" which is just as funny or even funnier. Their satire is realistic to the point that you can't tell their satire apart from reality anymore if you follow Canadian politics. Yes, they cover American and International politics too.
Judes 1 year ago
Australia has the Betoota Advocate https://www.betootaadvocate.com/
Load More Replies... Dan St John 1 year ago
Look at how many people buy the MAGA lies, day in and day out. Not surprising at all.
Richienotsorich 1 year ago
Miguel, don't tell us it's loads of incidents of people eating the onion then just show some onionlike articles without responses. If you trawled Reddit for 15 mins you could have come up with decent examples!
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