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Do as I say, not as I do! Join us as we count down our picks for the most notorious figures whose actions betrayed their words. From politicians who preached integrity while orchestrating cover-ups to writers who condemned the very systems they secretly supported, these historical figures mastered the art of contradiction and double standards.
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00:00The core contradiction of the idea that all men are created equal and Jefferson being a slave owner.
00:05And that original sin being baked in that cake gnaws at us still.
00:10Watch Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for people whose actions completely
00:15contradicted their lofty words or public image.
00:18That's the moment where McCarthy
00:20incinerates himself on national TV.
00:22Number 10
00:25Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook
00:27The man behind Facebook dreamt of a tool for
00:30openness and global connection.
00:31Facebook will do more to keep you safe and protect your privacy.
00:35So we can all get back to what made Facebook good in the first place.
00:38Friends.
00:39Connect
00:40Connecting the world became his rallying cry, but behind the scenes, the world became
00:44a product.
00:45From Mark Zuckerberg.
00:46From Cambridge Analytica's data scandal, to revelations of selective
00:50censorship and algorithmic manipulation, Facebook's so-called image of freedom contrasts sharp
00:55sharply with its business model and history.
00:57And I want to bring attention to that.
01:00So that people understand that their data is being used improperly by this company.
01:05From countless accusations concerning the exploitation of user information, Facebook's claims to
01:09protect
01:10privacy are quite contradictory.
01:11Zuckerberg himself has been criticized for evading
01:15transparency,
01:16all the while demanding it from others around him.
01:18What was once promised as a platform
01:20to unite the globe is now arguably considered a reason that helped divide it.
01:25But I'm not sure that there's, like, an end point.
01:27I just think that there's a broader arc
01:30here.
01:31Number 9.
01:32Richard Nixon.
01:33He claimed to be the champion of law and order, but
01:35Richard Nixon's presidency crumbled under the weight of his illegal activities.
01:40Richard Nixon was also the only president to resign from office.
01:45He was forced out of the White House in abject disgrace.
01:48The breaking point of his time at the
01:50office was the Watergate scandal, revealing a network of political espionage and cover-ups
01:55orchestrated from within Nixon's own administration. The scandal placed him in a contrasting light.
02:00We have a mystery story out of Washington. Five people have been arrested and charged with breaking into the headquarters.
02:05of the Democratic National Committee in the middle of the night. While Nixon denounced corruption and dishonesty,
02:10his secret recordings and obstruction of justice exposed him as their architect.
02:15The assassination in 1974 from the presidential office marked the first ever in U.S. history.
02:20A fall of great moral consequence, Nixon, who once promised integrity, became
02:25the very symbol of deceit in American politics.
02:28Therefore...
02:30I shall resign the presidency, effective at noon tomorrow.
02:33Number 8. Henry...
02:35David Thoreau.
02:36This transcendentalist writer wrote about simplicity, nature and science.
02:40of self-reliance
02:41.
02:45poverty, simplicity, living outside the grid, living poor and devoted.
02:50He preached minimalist living, and yet Henry David Thoreau's life
02:55was far less rustic than his reputation suggests, enjoying many comforts of the city.
03:00As a civilization he so often criticized, Thoreau lived in a cabin by Walden Pond, which was
03:05a walking distance from town.
03:07Thoreau, when he was out here, he didn't want to spend his time
03:10working for money so that he could purchase possessions.
03:12He was out here to get closer to nature.
03:15So he didn't have much, but he didn't want much.
03:17This was all he needed.
03:18His mother would often bring him
03:20food and wash his clothes.
03:21Thoreau essentially talked the talk, but never walked the walk.
03:25While his writings inspired generations toward introspection and environmentalism, Thoreau's
03:30self-sufficiency is philosophically rich, but personally inconsistent, proving he
03:35even one of history's greatest idealists can struggle to live by their ideals.
03:40If there is one bottom line, it would have to do with the ability
03:45ability of not just Thoreau, but any person to kick.
03:50To start your own renewal, a new beginning in life.
03:55Number 7.
03:56Elizabeth I.
03:57Hailed as a monarch of tolerance, Queen Elizabeth I
04:00Conquered his reign.
04:01Queen Elizabeth's reign ushered in the English Renaissance.
04:03Queen Elizabeth I.
04:04Conquered his reign.
04:05Queen Elizabeth I.
04:06Queen Elizabeth I.
04:07The emperor of the Spanish Armada, Tudor defender of the Protestant faith, the head
04:10strong virgin queen who refuses to marry. The policies she enacted were meant to
04:15unify a divided kingdom. Her reign was marked by religious double standards, however.
04:20Elizabeth opposed persecution in theory, but also enforced harsh penalties on Catholic
04:25and dissenters who defied her Protestant rule. This resulted in the execution of several
04:30priests and rebels for their faith. Elizabeth became increasingly intolerant.
04:35of those with a Catholic faith. She saw them as foreign.
04:40She didn't believe that they could be trusted. And this was compounded.
04:45by numerous plots against her life that were enacted by Catherine.
04:50Elizabeth's hypocrisy reflected the turbulent times that matched her reign.
04:55which was built on balancing political pragmatism with personal contradiction.
04:59The very queen…
05:00who had declared once that she had, quote, no desire to make windows into men's souls, built
05:05a supposed golden age where intolerance was hidden beneath a veneer of harmony.
05:10She reigned for over 40 years and she reigned independently. She didn't have a king.
05:15And she was very much in control of her kingdom. And I think that's her greatest legacy.
05:20really. It is her contribution to English queenship. All subsequent reigning queens have…
05:25to some extent, molded themselves on Elizabeth.
05:27Number 6. George Orwell.
05:30Animal Farm in 1984 condemned surveillance, propaganda, and state control.
05:35Coining phrases that now exist in the popular lexicon, like Big Brother and Thought Police.
05:40For the purpose for writing 1984 and inventing Big Brother, George Orwell.
05:45who witnessed and reported on some of the defining moments of the 20th century.
05:50Ironically, the author of these works, George Orwell himself, participated in a campaign
05:55of ideological policing, secretly providing the British government with information on individual
06:00levels he believed to be communist sympathizers. Orwell denounced totalitarian control in his faith.
06:05To be corrupted by totalitarianism.
06:10One does not have to live in a totalitarian country.
06:12The mere prevalence of the
06:15certain ideas could spread a poison.
06:17His contradictory actions did not stop there.
06:20Orwell was also involved in anti-propaganda works. Unfortunately, these works were eventually
06:25used by the government as propaganda tools. Orwell's betrayal of his own ideals is a
06:30chilling reminder that even the fiercest critics of power can become its instruments.
06:35For more than just a moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of victory.
06:40of trampling on an enemy who is helpless.
06:44Number five.
06:45Joseph Stalin.
06:46History is littered with world leaders who have made empty promises.
06:50Joseph Stalin is one among them.
06:51Ultimately, Stalin will be remembered as one of...
06:55the bloodiest dictators in history.
06:58Stalin preached for equality.
07:00...unity and the triumph of the proletariat.
07:02But his Communist Manifesto ranks among history's...
07:05darkest hypocrisies.
07:06While claiming to liberate workers, Stalin ruled with terror.
07:10Millions were imprisoned or executed during his paranoid reign.
07:13His government was one of censors...
07:15Stalin used terror as a political weapon.
07:19And so the great...
07:20terror is a term which is used to describe...
07:25a kind of campaigns of arrests and executions.
07:30That included everyone in the country except himself.
07:32The man who initially promised freedom from...
07:35oppression created a system that was defined by the same.
07:38In building what was essentially a cult of...
07:40personality, Stalin ruled through fear and deception...
07:43with his hypocrisy distorting...
07:45an ideology meant to empower his citizens.
07:47Dealing with someone whose share...
07:50force of personality is at the centre of the party and...
07:55he cannot be questioned.
07:56Number four.
07:57Mother Teresa.
07:58Revered worldwide for her...
08:00compassion toward the poor.
08:01Mother Teresa was a paragon of virtue.
08:03The world is calling you...
08:05a living saint.
08:07How do you feel about that when people...
08:10call you a saint?
08:11Nothing to feel about it...
08:12because we are all meant to be holy...
08:15because we have been created for that.
08:17Yet, behind her saintly image...
08:19lay troubling...
08:20contradictions.
08:21While she won a Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work, her missions provided...
08:25minimal medical care...
08:26despite massive financial donations.
08:28Reports suggested her clinic...
08:30lacked basic sanitation...
08:32and adequate pain relief.
08:33If you suffer...
08:35suffering...
08:36in the right way...
08:37then it can bring us closer to God.
08:40it can purify us...
08:41and sanctify us.
08:42But God has not created suffering.
08:45suffering...
08:46this...
08:47comes from...
08:48evil...
08:49that is in us.
08:50Mother...
08:50Mother Teresa believed suffering...
08:51brought people closer to God...
08:53favoring a philosophy that glorified...
08:55pain...
08:56rather than relieving it.
08:57While her intentions may have been spiritual...
08:59her methods raised...
09:00everlasting...
09:01ethical questions.
09:02As the world learned the truth...
09:03people questioned...
09:04whether Mother Teresa was truly...
09:05sincere in her efforts...
09:06was she healing the body...
09:08or simply sanctifying suffering?
09:10cannot make them feel...
09:11that they have an ability...
09:13they may even have the means...
09:15to improve...
09:16and change their lives.
09:17She...
09:18she's not bothered...
09:19with that agenda...
09:20she's only bothered...
09:20with the agenda...
09:21of trying to rescue their souls...
09:22and make them...
09:23a bit better...
09:24before...
09:25they go on...
09:26to the eternal life.
09:27Number 3...
09:28Thomas Jefferson...
09:29All men are...
09:30created equal...
09:31these words...
09:32written by Thomas Jefferson...
09:33in the U.S. Declaration of Independence...
09:35are considered...
09:36the cornerstone...
09:37of liberty.
09:38The Declaration of Independence...
09:39is the most concise...
09:40articulation...
09:41of the idea of America...
09:42and how we were different.
09:43We're a nation...
09:44based on an idea...
09:45not a tribal identity...
09:47Jefferson was deeply influenced...
09:49by philosophers...
09:50Christopher John Locke's...
09:51ideals...
09:52of natural rights...
09:53and freedom...
09:54Still...
09:55Jefferson...
09:56failed to apply...
09:55those very principles...
09:56to his own life...
09:57In his estate...
09:58Jefferson himself...
09:59owned over six...
10:00hundred enslaved people...
10:01throughout his life...
10:02Jefferson is talking about...
10:03all men are...
10:04created equal...
10:05he's...
10:05there...
10:06with his wife's...
10:07enslaved...
10:08half-brother...
10:09Though he spoke...
10:10eloquently...
10:10democracy...
10:11reason...
10:12and justice...
10:13Jefferson...
10:14unfortunately...
10:15perpetuated...
10:16the very...
10:17oppression...
10:15that he condemned...
10:16in his speeches...
10:17and writing...
10:18The man who built...
10:19the country's...
10:20moral foundation...
10:21on freedom...
10:20profited from...
10:21bondage...
10:22in what is now...
10:23a very public study...
10:24in contradiction...
10:25of a central...
10:25figure...
10:26in American history...
10:27He wants...
10:28to be remembered...
10:29as someone...
10:30who defended...
10:31the people...
10:30liberties...
10:31that he stood...
10:33for...
10:34human equality...
10:35religious freedom...
10:35and education...
10:36and science...
10:37Number 2...
10:38Joseph McCarthy...
10:39The word...
10:40McCarthyism...
10:41was synonymous...
10:42with fear...
10:43and paranoia...
10:44during the...
10:45scare...
10:46In this committee...
10:47activities...
10:48may well...
10:49determine...
10:50for this...
10:50nation...
10:51will live...
10:52or die...
10:53It was attributed...
10:54to...
10:55and originated...
10:56from...
10:57Senator...
10:58Joseph McCarthy...
10:59thousands of Americans...
11:00of subversion...
11:01without any direct evidence...
11:02McCarthy...
11:03abused his power...
11:04in secrecy...
11:05and hypocrisy...
11:06McCarthy...
11:07is a person...
11:08who...
11:09for what he thought...
11:09for the right reasons...
11:10did all the wrong things...
11:11It was all for political...
11:12and personal gain...
11:13while the...
11:14is...
11:15destroying the lives...
11:16and careers...
11:17of many...
11:18in reckless witch hunts...
11:19McCarthy...
11:20justified...
11:21has been...
11:19in the name of loyalty...
11:20Today...
11:21the irony...
11:22is that McCarthy's tactics...
11:23mirrored the very...
11:24authoritarian systems...
11:25he claims to fight...
11:26he has become...
11:27the very thing...
11:28he despised...
11:29an oppressor...
11:30cloaked...
11:31in patriotism...
11:32I think...
11:33all the illusions...
11:34the comfortable illusions...
11:36that McCarthy...
11:37had cultivated...
11:38about himself...
11:39had...
11:39effectively...
11:40been dispelled...
11:41Before we continue...
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11:54number one...
11:57Winston Churchill...
11:59is hailed...
12:00as the hero...
12:01who stood against...
12:02Nazi tyranny...
12:03to many...
12:04he was the embodiment...
12:04of democracy...
12:05and freedom...
12:06he might be...
12:07an icon...
12:08in...
12:09written...
12:10but...
12:11in India...
12:12he is seen...
12:13actually...
12:14as...
12:15the...
12:16precipitator...
12:17of...
12:19mass killing...
12:22because of the...
12:23policies that...
12:24he advocated...
12:25Unfortunately...
12:26his time as Britain's...
12:27colonial leader...
12:28added another...
12:29shade to his legacy...
12:30one of...
12:31stark contradictions...
12:32Churchill...
12:33defended liberty...
12:34Europe...
12:35but...
12:36also...
12:37upheld...
12:38imperial policies...
12:39that...
12:40suppressed...
12:41millions...
12:42across...
12:43Asia...
12:44and Africa...
12:45from...
12:46Afghanistan...
12:48A lot of others...
12:49This is...
12:50A good nap...
12:51the...
12:53human...
12:57bomb...
13:06is...
13:11going to pass...
13:14for causing it what we can say is that he didn't alleviate
13:19it or send relief when he had the ability to do so.
13:24Blame him for prioritizing white lives and European lives.
13:29Over South Asian lives.
13:31Which of these figures do you think are hypocrites?
13:34Visionaries or misunderstood personalities?
13:36Let us know in the comments.
13:39Let us know in the comments.
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