Speaking of conspiracies (see below), here's one of the all-time greats -- buying a new car. Edmunds, the people behind Edmunds' Blue Book, had the brilliantly subversive idea to send a journalist to work in a car dealership. The resulting story reads like the list of atrocities at Abu Ghraib.

Don't buy another car without reading this. You need to understand that the salesman at the dealership is your sworn enemy. His aim is not to help you, but to rob you. Stick it to The Man!
Confessions of a Car Salesman