History Main / HopeMongering

* In the COVID-19 pandemic, it felt like practically every commercial was either footage of people interacting through windows or on Zoom calls or just pan arounds of empty rooms with vague messages about “getting through this”.

* The COVID-19 pandemic. Literally every commercial was either footage of people interacting through windows or on Zoom calls or just pan arounds of empty rooms with vague messages about “getting through this”.

* Oh, GOD, the COVID-19 pandemic. Literally every commercial was either footage of people interacting through windows or on Zoom calls or just pan arounds of empty rooms with vague messages about “getting through this”.

** An enterpreneuring couple came up with a seemingly adorable idea during the campaign: [[http://www.thesockobama.com/ The Sock Obama]]. Of course, because of the UnfortunateImplications of having a monkey, even a sock monkey, represent a black man, there was some controversy. They initially took the site down due to the InternetBackdraft, but later gained some mysterious financial support and resumed business. There's a 50% chance it was White Supremacists having a grand vision of mocking Obama and 50% it was Obama who thinks that they're kinda adorable.

* [=FinallyFast.Com=]
* Lotteries.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCiTAJi1yRk This]] ''actual commercial'' for Chia Obama. Because nothing says, "I love America" more than a bust of the President with alfalfa sprouts growing out of his head.

* Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s [UsefulNotes/[CivilRightsMovement I Have a Dream speech]] would not fall under this trope, but [[http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/012102/met_king.shtml Alcatel using that speech to promote its brand]] is, in fact, Hope Mongering. It is also about as close as you can get to blaspheming against the history of a country.

* Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s [[CivilRightsMovement I Have a Dream speech]] would not fall under this trope, but [[http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/012102/met_king.shtml Alcatel using that speech to promote its brand]] is, in fact, Hope Mongering. It is also about as close as you can get to blaspheming against the history of a country.

* The 2008 United States Presidential race was unique for a lot of different reasons, not the least of which was the largely-agreed-upon inspirational nature of the Democratic candidate. BarackObama is the TropeNamer: "Hopemonger" was used in his stump speech as a way to characterize how his detractors might respond to his message.

''"New, from General Munchies, Gandhi-Os! You won't want to go on a hunger strike once you've had a taste of... Gandhi-Os!"''

** Ty Inc., makers of BeanieBabies, released two new dolls the week of January 20 named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia", Sasha and Malia being the names of President Obama's two daughters. They claim it was [[ImplausibleDeniability mere coincidence]] that these unusual doll names were released together the very same week the president took office.

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* The National Mint (which is a commercial company and in no way associated with the U.S. Treasury) sells coins to commemorate special events, like the Freedom Tower being built where the World Trade Center used to be. These coins are ''always'' sold as "patriotic" momentos, and owning one isn't just owning a coin that has no real cash value, but it's owning a piece of history, so we'll never forget! No national tragedy is too powerfully painful for them to exploit.

* Lotto

** Of course, while King himself may not have been a hopemonger, modern popular history does its damnedest to portray him and the civil rights movement in general as just one long string of impassioned speeches and heroic protests while ignoring the realities and ideological underpinnings of the movement. Every American knows the "I have a dream" speech... the time he said "something is wrong with capitalism" and suggested wealth redistribution and democratic socialism as an alternative,not so much.

** Of course, while King himself may not have been a hopemonger, modern popular history does its damnedest to portray him and the civil rights movement in general as just one long string of impassioned speeches and heroic protests while ignoring the realities and ideological underpinnings of the movement. Every American knows the "I have a dream" speech... the time he said "something is wrong with capitalism" and suggested wealth redistribution and democratic socialism as an alternative, [[DisContinuity not so much.]]

** An enterpreneuring couple came up with a seemingly adorable idea during the campaign; [[http://www.thesockobama.com/ The Sock Obama]], of course, because of the UnfortunateImplications of having a monkey, even a sock monkey, represent a black man, there was [[{{Understatement}} some controversy]]. They initially took the site down due to the InternetBackdraft, but later gained some mysterious financial support and resumed business. There's a 50% chance it was White Supremacists having a grand vision of mocking Obama and 50% it was Obama who thinks that they're kinda adorable.

* The 2008 United States Presidential race was unique for a lot of different reasons, not the least of which was the largely-agreed-upon inspirational nature of the Democratic candidate. Obama is the TropeNamer: "Hopemonger" was used in his stump speech as a way to characterize how his detractors might respond to his message.

** Ty Inc., makers of Beanie Babies, released two new dolls the week of January 20 named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia", Sasha and Malia being the names of President Obama's two daughters. They claim it was [[ImplausibleDeniability mere coincidence]] that these unusual doll names were released together the very same week the president took office.

** An enterpreneuring couple came up with a seemingly adorable idea during the campaign; [[http://www.thesockobama.com/ The Sock Obama]], of course, because of the UnfortunateImplications of having a monkey, even a sock monkey, represent a black man, there was [[{{Understatement}} some controversy]]. They initially took the site down due to the InternetBackdraft, but later gained some mysterious financial support and resumed business.
*** Mysterious financial support, eh? 50% chance it was White Supremacists having a grand vision of mocking Obama and 50% it was Obama who thinks that they're the cutest things ever.

** Of course, while King himself may not have been a hopemonger, modern popular history does its damnedest to portray him and the civil rights movement in general as just one long string of impassioned speeches and heroic protests while ignoring the realities and ideological underpinnings of the movement. Every American knows the "I have a dream" speech, the time he said "something is wrong with capitalism" and suggested wealth redistribution and democratic socialism as an alternative... [[DisContinuity not so much.]]

* [[=FinallyFast.Com=]]

* Post Shredded Wheat has an ad which is both an inversion and example of this trope. It starts out with a spokesman speaking of how progress isn't always a good thing, and instead favoring GoodOldWays.... of which their cereal is an example.

* Post Shredded Wheat has an add which is both an inversion and example of this trope. It starts out with a spokesman speaking of how progress isn't always a good thing, and instead favoring GoodOldWays.... of which their cereal is an example.

* Apple's ?Think Different? campaign, which featured archive footage of pretty much every popular public figure in recent history.

Hope Mongering can also apply to advertising for a product that shows optimal results, which often requires numerous unpleasant secondary requirements to the product: a commercial for a pyramid scheme will show the RidiculouslyAverageGuy with a convertable, a big house, and an attractive woman, not mentioning that to get that kind of money, you need to either hustle or do quasi-legal things, or both. As another example, weight loss or muscle gaining products will show (respectively) slender, shapely models and completely ripped musclemen who have supposedly used their products, not (or barely, as required by law) mentioning the hard work, exercise, and modified diet that goes into physiques like those in addition to the product. If they can avoid suggesting that [[ResultsNotTypical these results are not typical]], they will. What they're selling is unrealistic hope.

* "Blue Hippo will sell you the computer you need to get the job you dream of, for only $20 a week." [[supersecretspoiler: For 250 weeks!]]

[[quoteright:330:[[ThePretender http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/got_rich_and_you_can_too_598.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:I came to America on a boat. Now look at me!]]

* "Blue Hippo will sell you the computer you need to get the job you dream of, for only $20 a week."