25 Intriguing ‘Open Secrets’ That Deserve Their Own Documentaries

Reddit is a treasure trove of discussions that often bring hidden truths and fascinating insights to light. Recently, a question posed in a popular subreddit asked, “What’s an ‘open secret’ that doesn’t have a documentary about it yet?” The responses revealed a wide array of intriguing and sometimes unsettling stories that many believe deserve more attention.

#1

Image source: GovSurveillancePotoo, Matthew Hurst / flickr (not the actual photo)

DuPont plants have a ridiculously high cancer rate for contractors/employees. Studies on titanium dioxide get buried.

#2

Image source: Poundchan, Prasopchok / unsplash (not the actual photo)

A company can sell you a printer and then render that printer inoperable if you decide not to also purchase the ink from them (in which said ink is being sold as a subscription service).

#3

Image source: Papagorgio22, Abog / wikipedia

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith adopted his 14 year old wife, so he could legally take her across state lines. Wrote about it in his memoir. Said it was consensual. Later became a judge on American Idol.

#4

Maga is a cult.

I’m not talking about Republicans necessarily. I am talking about the portion of Republicans willing to surrender their entire free thought to the whim of a charismatic leader.

The closest documentry would be the Alt Right episode of the Netflix docuseries “Web of Make Believe: Death Lies and the Internet”

Edit: For clarification, my personal definition for a cult is:

A high control group that follows a specifically tailored ideology which is used to abuse and manipulate followers for the benefit of the group leader and/or leadership.

Image source: impossibly_curious

#5

Image source: donrhummy, Phung Touch / pexels (not the actual photo)

The Supreme Court has been bought.

#6

Image source: Soggy_Height_9138, Michael / flickr (not the actual photo)

David Miscavige’s wife has not been seen in public since 2007. Miscavige is the leader of Scientology.

#7

Image source: effdubbs, Jonathan Borba / pexels (not the actual photo)

Private equity is destroying healthcare. They siphon every cent out and then close hospitals down.

Doctors and nurses are now laborers, not professionals. There won’t be much left in 20 years.

#8

Image source: irq, Rafael Cosquiere / pexels (not the actual photo)

Pilots aren’t allowed to fly if they’re depressed (treated or not) or taking any mental health medications, but most of them can’t afford to take off work until they get better (depression is chronic for many), so they fly regardless of how poor their mental health may be and keep it secret if necessary.

#9

The way old folks are treated in care homes.

Image source: Ducra

#10

Tiger King kind of covered it, but some states have really lax exotic animal laws. Lions, tigers, and bears are not pets. They are wild animals.

Image source: SnooChipmunks126

#11

Image source: Fuzzie_Lee

How some of the top fashion magazines send young models over to meet wealthy donors in hotel rooms who will ‘help’ them get the modelling contract they were after.

#12

Image source: biblio_phobic, HS You / flickr (not the actual photo)

Air-fryers are just rebranded convection ovens from the 90s.

#13

The new uranium mines that are being opened on Native American reservations in the Southwest US. Also the ones that are abandoned and the government refuses to clean them up. Not to mention a lot of Navajo Nation is still feeling the effects of the former Bennett Freeze where they couldn’t get anything fixed or anything new built on their land for over 40 years. A good portion of people living in Navajo nation in those areas affected by the freeze still don’t have access to running water and electricity in their homes.

Image source: mac9426

#14

Just how much bribery and effort coordination go into lobbying on Capitol Hill.

Image source: virtualadept

#15

How recycling is essentially not a real practice. I mean maybe there is something about it but I feel like everyone I know recycles so much of their trash and over 90% if not all of it ends up as trash. Piles and piles of trash.

Image source: Puzzleheaded-Fly402

#16

Image source: simongurfinkel, Dennis Jarvis / flickr (not the actual photo)

The province of New Brunswick, Canada is basically the play toy of a small handful of wealthy families (Irving, McCain, Oland). The government is just there for show.

#17

Image source: adisgo, Nataliya Vaitkevich / pexels (not the actual photo)

Powerful people using tax havens to avoid paying taxes. While there have been some documentaries on specific incidents or individuals, a documentary covering the system seems to be lacking.

#18

Image source: newhunter18, Michael Hart / unsplash (not the actual photo)

The Mormon Church is sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in stock and real estate. They do almost no charity work directly from those funds. The majority of the humanitarian funds the church claims are from an equivalent dollar value of labor from their members and another entirely separate charity arm which doesnt involve church contributions.

#19

Image source: urmaiidibear, Oregon State University / flickr (not the actual photo)

The prevalence of microplastics in our food and water supply is an ‘open secret’ that needs a dedicated documentary. the long-term health effects are still unknown, and it’s a topic that deserves more attention.

#20

Image source: Gealbhancoille, Matthias Zomer / pexels (not the actual photo)

There’s an industry that basically takes guardianship of elderly people by getting them declared incompetent, without their knowledge. They move them into nursing homes, sell off their homes and assets and take over their money. It’s like the title theft scam, but with people being taken over rather than just real estate. It’s brutal and frightening:

#21

I’d love to see a documentary on the PPP loan fraud during Covid (US). There have been a lot of news articles about it, but a deep dive that exposes wealthy people would be awesome.

Image source: ashleyz1106

#22

Image source: Ninac4116, Sincerely Media / unsplash (not the actual photo)

I’m surprised there isn’t a documentary on the quackery behind chiropractics. It was literally invented by a man hearing what a ghost said to him. Google that.

#23

Putin and Russia’s influence on social media around the world. I don’t think there’s been a documentary into just how deep it goes, and how prevalent it is.

Image source: writeorelse

#24

How the private prison industry basically got tons of local sheriffs departments into the prison industry, especially in the south by financing, building and training them to run jails and prisons for profit. It’s like a franchise, and poor people are the product.

Image source: deepsouthguy68

#25

Image source: diablette, Ayyeee Ayyeee / pexels (not the actual photo)

Backyard dog breeders could probably fill an hour.