My education and employment is in the biomedical sciences. To practice in my field, I had to pass a grueling board of certification exam, secure professional licensure, and must maintain my license with continuing education. My credentials are conferred by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. I am actually a scientist, albeit a largely heterodox one. All of that was stated to preface the following:
I never fail to be impressed by how many people with absolutely no background in science or medicine have done their own research and are self-taught on complex topics to an extent that puts so-called experts to shame. Even before self-educating, these same people were able to discern how very wrong things were, while vast numbers of the post-bacc’s and the credentialed were bamboozled. I am delighted to have smart conversations with laymen about scientific and medical matters. I’m also a bit of a contrarian and am wont to argue with advanced degree holding education elitists about the fact that there are many paths to knowledge, with formal education becoming an increasingly inferior route. The Ph.D.’s and other post-bacc’s among my friends and acquaintances are truly some of the most ignorant individuals I know.
Even as I try to help others see the truth, I tell them to NOT simply take my word for it and to do their own research. Don’t accept anyone’s interpretation of something (such as studies or data analyses), go to source material and analyze it. Learn to read and interpret scientific papers. I thought my eyes were fully opened, yet I am still discovering how much of my university education was based on fallacies. While my studies provided a very valuable foundation, it’s no exaggeration to say that my true education has happened post-university through self-directed, informal study.
While reading this I was reminded of every nauseating DEI propaganda course I had to endure, where one is told to accept that it’s “Impact, not intent.” What an utterly maddening and ridiculous assertion. Clearly, no matter how carefully one phrases something, there will always be someone who misinterprets and takes offense. Of course, as you point out, it’s not really about protecting anyone. It’s purely a control tactic. (Before I had to leave NY because of “vaccine” mandate noncompliance, I had the pleasure of working with someone who became a great friend. We would revel in our political incorrectness, laughing to tears through our shift and joking that we should have been fired many times over for violating every HR harassment policy. I really miss those days.)
Language manipulation is truly one of the most dangerously effective tools wielded by our would-be subjugators. The following, or some variation, is oft-quoted: “Control language and you control thought; control thought and you control action; control action and you control the world.” (Peter Kreeft)
Excellent, beautifully-expressed analysis. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for your eloquent, insightful comment. Not only did you brilliantly build out the ideas I was exploring, but your unique experiences and perspective really add a lot as well. And that is a great quote from Kreeft. I love your story of the Before Times, reveling in the simple joy of politically incorrect comedy haha. At least you made a great friend there :) I'm sorry to hear that you too have been displaced and subjected to DEI propaganda along with the rest of us Heretical Sane.
For example, in my review of GotG3 (I know; it surprised me too haha), I noted that:
"The issue at hand is not that all forms or any amount of intellectual inquiry or scholarly pursuit are intrinsically iniquitous. For example, I, too, would prefer that the person who engineered an airplane I’m about to board had read a book or two on aeronautics, and every time I listen to BBC’s excellent In Our Time podcast I am very grateful for all the scholarly guests who have devoted their lives to often delightfully obscure topics.
But your comment reminded me of that because I respect your effort and dedication in achieving excellency in your field while still allowing that other people can actually learn things and think critically too! I am sure some people will read my article as a unilateral diatribe against knowledge, education, expertise, etc... but that is, of course, not the case. Your comment is a fantastic example of what we should all strive toward.
You are generous with your praise, thank you. The events of these past 4 years have been an eye-opening period of rapid learning for me as well. I am confident of my abilities in my areas of study and the subjects I am passionate about, but I am also driven to continue learning and growing. Degree-holders and the credentialed have not cornered the market on intellectual growth, learning, or expertise. (Often quite the contrary.) I think the smartest people recognize and embrace the reality of how much they have left to learn.
What is that saying about anything worth doing is worth doing well? Fortunately for me, I love to science and I desire to help others. My profession requires pretty specific and often intensive knowledge of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, statistics, immunology, hematology, hemostasis, immunohematology, anatomy and physiology, and so much more. As I was opening the lab today, going through my autopilot routine of bringing up analyzers, performing maintenance on those analyzers, making calibrators, performing quality control, and a myriad of other things, I thought about what I do from the perspective of trying to explain it to someone with zero knowledge of what medical laboratory scientists actually know and do. I couldn't stop thinking how cool and interesting my job really is. And, as I said in my comment above, it gives me a good foundation - along with a biotech certificate and some limited experience in research - for educating myself on other matters.
I agree with your perspective on "credentialism" - just because the obsession is there, and confidence in credential-holders may often be unwarranted, that does not, by default, invalidate the value of credentials and/or expertise. Balance is a good thing. There are people I respect for their accomplishments and expertise, and whom I am confident are worthy of trust. I cannot possibly educate myself sufficiently on every specialty, profession, or topic to achieve a level of proficiency rendering "experts" unnecessary. It's a shame that the term "expert" has become something of a dirty word. There are many things on which I must defer to the mastery others have achieved, but not in the sense that they are infallible or that their knowledge and abilities should never be questioned. Questioning is a good way to keep ourselves and others accountable. At some point, however, I have to be able to trust that there are authentic people who actually know their stuff. In the field of medicine, this is more challenging, because physicians have been granted demi-god status. They are not to be doubted or questioned! I was disabused of those notions many years ago. First, due to my own experiences with health issues. Again, after entering this profession and interacting with physicians, some of whom have little idea why they order the laboratory testing they do, or what the significance is, it's just a standard protocol they were taught to follow. (Never mind that outright fallacies are taught in med school.) Obviously, there are always exceptions, but I am very disenchanted with physicians, particularly in the realm of conventional medicine. But this is a whole topic of discussion in itself, so I'll leave off for now.
I could go on and on, but I shan't. Your writing style, thoughts, perspectives, and topics of discussion are things I really groove on. I sense a bit of a "kindred spirit" vibe here. We will have many more interesting discussions, I am certain. (And I will be reading both posts you linked - thank you!)
Excellent piece! Great point about using words like “Diseased” and “Vermin”, they cause an involuntary sensation of disgust in us when we hear them. Even if we know better and dismiss the claim, that initial reaction is visceral.
Precisely! That involuntary visceral reaction/resonance is key, regardless of our eventual (if we're lucky ha) logical processing of the presented information, and people have exploited that "back door" to human linguistic/behavioral programming for a long time, as I see it. People like Bernays just refined and updated the process. (And I don't mean to intimate that we all become purely logical Vulcans here haha; emotions are vital to humanity as well... just that they are being manipulated on a near-constant basis in order to control us. And I believe we can "logic" ourselves into some real binds too, but that's a story for a different day!)
Thanks again for reading and for the gracious comment :)
Certainly the most serious piece you have ever published. It methodically points out all the lies and propaganda used by the charlatans in government and scientific “experts”. Congratulations on your achievement.
Thank you, Angela. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to give it a read and for sharing the kind words. It is just my small contribution in the larger movement to chronicle and expose the charlatans of which you speak, but if it can be of some service in that cause, then I am grateful and humbled. Truth be told, there is still so much more I wanted to say on this enormous topic, but this article has been stewing on the back burner for *a long time*, and I figured it was best to finally release it in some form to at least get the ball rolling, as it were.
Though I still contend my assiduous documenting of Chris Christie's hot dog obsession is my most serious piece, and what will likely finally net me that Pulitzer lol
Imagine a herd of wild horses somewhere on the American prairie. The horizon appears limitless, broken only by a distance stream or a random copse of trees. The grass is plentiful and the water is fresh. There are predators here but they are recognizable for who they are. Change comes suddenly one day when the herd is attacked by another herd of horses with other animals riding on their backs. The wild horses flee from their pursuers in terror, not realizing they are actually being steered into a fenced enclosure. Being wild horses they don’t understand how to escape their trap by simply working together to push the fence down. They are only horses after all.
Over a period of time, the animals on the other horses attempt to ride the wild horses with a predictably low rate of success. But, because the other animals are too weak to travel long distances without any help, they eventually succeed in breaking nearly every horse to their control. Many of the horses become accustomed to carrying their burden and convince themselves they are happier now than when they were free. But some horses never forget and are almost impossible to ride.
The two legged animals, who are more cunning than smart, realize they can breed the horses and raise their offspring in captivity. From an early age, the weak two legged animals are always training the young horses to carry them where they want to go. They have never known freedom and they never will. But, they’re not to blame, because they are only horses after all. What is our excuse? Do not be the horse.
Thank you for this thought-provoking piece. It is especially useful for understanding those who deride and dismiss, but I think the manipulation of language and emotion affects more than the Indoctrinated who are actively aggressive in their promotion of the Party narrative (as per your examples). I have repeatedly experienced the Fearful and the Innocent, those who even when willing to listen and seemingly to realize that they are being deceived, lied to, poisoned etc., are powerless to convert their sympathy and intuition into action or agency for themselves and their loved ones. The effect of the truth on them is only momentary, they fall back into acquiescence or resignation - and in one case, perpetual prayer.
Thank you taking the time to give it a read, and to leave that thoughtful, insightful comment! It is a huge topic, for sure, and I had been chipping away at this one for longer than I care to admit haha. The day I finally released it the WaPo published ANOTHER article warning people about the dangers of thinking (I added it at the end of the case studies.), so fortunately/unfortunately it seems it is indeed still very relevant. It is heartening to hear that some of the observations and theories about linguistic corruption and indoctrination here ring true, perhaps even useful.
I had tried to touch on the confusion, frustration, and disillusionment these tactics inculcate in larger society, and the "Fearful and the Innocent" (as you aptly call them), but you are correct that the disempowerment of that latter group is well worth further attention. I'd posit the responses (or lack thereof) that you describe are largely a result of 1) the perception of the sheer, seemingly insurmountable, systemic scope of the enemy, both with respect to the Party and the Mob/Indoctrinated 2) the confusion and enervation caused by the unrelenting linguistic-conceptual warfare 3) and the Bernaysian emotional rewiring and learned helplessness. But there could well be more at play here. Ah, for example, 4) Being pumped full of destructive chemicals in our water, air, food, and "medicine." [Edit: 5) The constant distraction and placation of "panem et circenses," from sportsball to iPhones, Big Macs to Netflix.]
I'd have to think about it a bit more before venturing a ratio of Indoctrinated to Fearful/Innocent at this stage, but I do think that--if only as an additional ideological attack vector against the Party--finding ways to "white pill" that second group is a very worthwhile endeavor!
All of your 5 factors come into play, and often overlap, in creating and perpetuating the helplessness and in debilitating us - for example, smartphone overuse both exposes us to radiation or other waves, while at the same time the jumping about from one screen/hyperlink/topic/blog etc. to another affects our ability to pay attention and focus (in my own case if I spend too much time in front of screens, especially the phone, I get what is called ocular migraine, requiring 30 to 45-minute absolute pause, preferably in the dark!).
I revisited Roland Barthes and my old Linguistics textbooks after your mentions of de Saussure and Wittgenstein. I think that Barthes, together with Derrida and the whole deconstructionist movement, played a great part in removing the solid ground of linguistic (and hence also ethical) sense and meaning from under us. In some respects that was a good thing, as every authority (in all senses of the word) needs shaking up from time to time, but when that shaking up is weaponized to intimidate and scare in the interests of the powerful, then it is time to rebel and rebuild.
And yes, whitepilling the demoralized is a good idea. Laughter too!
I'm sorry to hear about the migraines. That sounds very painful. It can be hard to get away from all the screens!
And I agree with your assessment on all counts, regarding Derrida and Barthes, and the opportunistic weaponization of an otherwise neutral (or even positive) phenomenon. It may be that the Powerful at getting better at this, and in turn better at manipulating cycles and systems. That makes think of the Structuralist angle as well, and people like Foucault, whom I would add to your list. Much to consider, but no doubt that laughter is key to keeping perspective (and sane haha) through all of this :D
Great additional points! Number 4 is too often overlooked, but is a key component implemented many decades ago to achieve the agenda. Working in pharma-run conventional medicine, I am burdened to help people see how their health has been deliberately undermined in all those ways.
“”Do you have a degree? In this specific subject? From what university?”
”You haven’t gotten accreditation from a Party-approved source?”
”Are you employed in that field? Are you an expert?”
”Why won’t you just listen to the experts?”
_———————-
I’ve gotten the above almost word for word at times for pointing out things like the bullshit in various TED talks, pointing out that to disbelieve the Ukraine narratives one just had to listen to the various things Ukraine was saying that contradicted common sense or other things Ukraine was saying or had been reported by the same outlets.
One doesn’t need expertise when observable reality easily contradicts core assumptions or expected consequences. Like a guy insisting masks work while his glasses fog up
"One doesn’t need expertise when observable reality easily contradicts core assumptions or expected consequences. Like a guy insisting masks work while his glasses fog up."
Brilliantly put. It really is astonishing how brainwashed people can be. I'm sorry to hear that you have dealt with that infuriating NPC dialog tree as well, but I appreciate you giving this a read and hopefully it provided a bit of catharsis if nothing else. I'm trying to get it out there to wake more people up to what we've been dealing with.
Great article AL! So much to process. The 2 things that stand out to me are the beetle in a box thought experiment, and the Sapir-Whorfian article you linked.
Thank you so much for the read and the kind words. I'm really glad you found it interesting. Wittgenstein's work and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis are definitely two fascinating (and vast) topics that had a big impact on me, so I'm really glad I was able to highlight them and synthesize them a bit here. I'm still working to process everything unfolding (and all the great works that came before me) and evolve my thinking here as well!
And, yeah, Yarn is one of my favorite sites for grabbing quick memes haha. It is like having every show and film diced up into little bite-sized bits! I honestly don't see anyone else using it, but I swear by the thing.
Thank you for the read and for the very kind words. I sincerely appreciate it. I am just trying to make sense of the situation as best I can, and perhaps add my two cents along the way.
Next, we need practical solutions, concrete actions we can all take. I don't know what those actions are, but there must be some good ways to break the spell. I'm sure the Bernaysian propagandists know, but they aren't going to tell us.
Totally agree. I think you and I and the others here discussing these topics, spreading awareness in various ways, and so on is something! But, I'm going to put on my thinking cap (or my They Live glasses haha) and try to work on some more pragmatic solutions as well.
They changed the definition for the word pandemic. Robert Malone is peeved that people deny there was a pandemic. He operates under the new definition BTW . He has tweeted about this.
High praise especially coming from the illustrious Jessica J! Thank you very much reading and for the extremely gracious comment. I'm really glad you enjoyed the article.
You are very kind. Your piece resonated so much with me I was starting to have flashbacks based on your examples, disgust and frustration leading the way. Frankly, I worried I was over the top, as I feel rather strongly about all of this.
If I do elaborate in a full piece, will you read it before I release it? I would appreciate it.
My apologies for the egregiously late reply. Somehow this last comment snuck by me! I would absolutely be both happy and honored to take a look at such a piece if you do decide to elaborate on your experiences.
My education and employment is in the biomedical sciences. To practice in my field, I had to pass a grueling board of certification exam, secure professional licensure, and must maintain my license with continuing education. My credentials are conferred by the American Society for Clinical Pathology. I am actually a scientist, albeit a largely heterodox one. All of that was stated to preface the following:
I never fail to be impressed by how many people with absolutely no background in science or medicine have done their own research and are self-taught on complex topics to an extent that puts so-called experts to shame. Even before self-educating, these same people were able to discern how very wrong things were, while vast numbers of the post-bacc’s and the credentialed were bamboozled. I am delighted to have smart conversations with laymen about scientific and medical matters. I’m also a bit of a contrarian and am wont to argue with advanced degree holding education elitists about the fact that there are many paths to knowledge, with formal education becoming an increasingly inferior route. The Ph.D.’s and other post-bacc’s among my friends and acquaintances are truly some of the most ignorant individuals I know.
Even as I try to help others see the truth, I tell them to NOT simply take my word for it and to do their own research. Don’t accept anyone’s interpretation of something (such as studies or data analyses), go to source material and analyze it. Learn to read and interpret scientific papers. I thought my eyes were fully opened, yet I am still discovering how much of my university education was based on fallacies. While my studies provided a very valuable foundation, it’s no exaggeration to say that my true education has happened post-university through self-directed, informal study.
While reading this I was reminded of every nauseating DEI propaganda course I had to endure, where one is told to accept that it’s “Impact, not intent.” What an utterly maddening and ridiculous assertion. Clearly, no matter how carefully one phrases something, there will always be someone who misinterprets and takes offense. Of course, as you point out, it’s not really about protecting anyone. It’s purely a control tactic. (Before I had to leave NY because of “vaccine” mandate noncompliance, I had the pleasure of working with someone who became a great friend. We would revel in our political incorrectness, laughing to tears through our shift and joking that we should have been fired many times over for violating every HR harassment policy. I really miss those days.)
Language manipulation is truly one of the most dangerously effective tools wielded by our would-be subjugators. The following, or some variation, is oft-quoted: “Control language and you control thought; control thought and you control action; control action and you control the world.” (Peter Kreeft)
Excellent, beautifully-expressed analysis. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for your eloquent, insightful comment. Not only did you brilliantly build out the ideas I was exploring, but your unique experiences and perspective really add a lot as well. And that is a great quote from Kreeft. I love your story of the Before Times, reveling in the simple joy of politically incorrect comedy haha. At least you made a great friend there :) I'm sorry to hear that you too have been displaced and subjected to DEI propaganda along with the rest of us Heretical Sane.
Your comment reminded me: I've talked about this obsession with "credentialism" elsewhere (https://honestlyre.substack.com/p/calculating-the-anti-life-equation), and I have also touched on the notion of moderation when trying to combat it.
For example, in my review of GotG3 (I know; it surprised me too haha), I noted that:
"The issue at hand is not that all forms or any amount of intellectual inquiry or scholarly pursuit are intrinsically iniquitous. For example, I, too, would prefer that the person who engineered an airplane I’m about to board had read a book or two on aeronautics, and every time I listen to BBC’s excellent In Our Time podcast I am very grateful for all the scholarly guests who have devoted their lives to often delightfully obscure topics.
This is an issue of balance."
I think you may get a kick out of that post, actually. (https://honestlyre.substack.com/p/movie-review-guardians-of-the-galaxy)
But your comment reminded me of that because I respect your effort and dedication in achieving excellency in your field while still allowing that other people can actually learn things and think critically too! I am sure some people will read my article as a unilateral diatribe against knowledge, education, expertise, etc... but that is, of course, not the case. Your comment is a fantastic example of what we should all strive toward.
You are generous with your praise, thank you. The events of these past 4 years have been an eye-opening period of rapid learning for me as well. I am confident of my abilities in my areas of study and the subjects I am passionate about, but I am also driven to continue learning and growing. Degree-holders and the credentialed have not cornered the market on intellectual growth, learning, or expertise. (Often quite the contrary.) I think the smartest people recognize and embrace the reality of how much they have left to learn.
What is that saying about anything worth doing is worth doing well? Fortunately for me, I love to science and I desire to help others. My profession requires pretty specific and often intensive knowledge of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, statistics, immunology, hematology, hemostasis, immunohematology, anatomy and physiology, and so much more. As I was opening the lab today, going through my autopilot routine of bringing up analyzers, performing maintenance on those analyzers, making calibrators, performing quality control, and a myriad of other things, I thought about what I do from the perspective of trying to explain it to someone with zero knowledge of what medical laboratory scientists actually know and do. I couldn't stop thinking how cool and interesting my job really is. And, as I said in my comment above, it gives me a good foundation - along with a biotech certificate and some limited experience in research - for educating myself on other matters.
I agree with your perspective on "credentialism" - just because the obsession is there, and confidence in credential-holders may often be unwarranted, that does not, by default, invalidate the value of credentials and/or expertise. Balance is a good thing. There are people I respect for their accomplishments and expertise, and whom I am confident are worthy of trust. I cannot possibly educate myself sufficiently on every specialty, profession, or topic to achieve a level of proficiency rendering "experts" unnecessary. It's a shame that the term "expert" has become something of a dirty word. There are many things on which I must defer to the mastery others have achieved, but not in the sense that they are infallible or that their knowledge and abilities should never be questioned. Questioning is a good way to keep ourselves and others accountable. At some point, however, I have to be able to trust that there are authentic people who actually know their stuff. In the field of medicine, this is more challenging, because physicians have been granted demi-god status. They are not to be doubted or questioned! I was disabused of those notions many years ago. First, due to my own experiences with health issues. Again, after entering this profession and interacting with physicians, some of whom have little idea why they order the laboratory testing they do, or what the significance is, it's just a standard protocol they were taught to follow. (Never mind that outright fallacies are taught in med school.) Obviously, there are always exceptions, but I am very disenchanted with physicians, particularly in the realm of conventional medicine. But this is a whole topic of discussion in itself, so I'll leave off for now.
I could go on and on, but I shan't. Your writing style, thoughts, perspectives, and topics of discussion are things I really groove on. I sense a bit of a "kindred spirit" vibe here. We will have many more interesting discussions, I am certain. (And I will be reading both posts you linked - thank you!)
Excellent piece! Great point about using words like “Diseased” and “Vermin”, they cause an involuntary sensation of disgust in us when we hear them. Even if we know better and dismiss the claim, that initial reaction is visceral.
Precisely! That involuntary visceral reaction/resonance is key, regardless of our eventual (if we're lucky ha) logical processing of the presented information, and people have exploited that "back door" to human linguistic/behavioral programming for a long time, as I see it. People like Bernays just refined and updated the process. (And I don't mean to intimate that we all become purely logical Vulcans here haha; emotions are vital to humanity as well... just that they are being manipulated on a near-constant basis in order to control us. And I believe we can "logic" ourselves into some real binds too, but that's a story for a different day!)
Thanks again for reading and for the gracious comment :)
Certainly the most serious piece you have ever published. It methodically points out all the lies and propaganda used by the charlatans in government and scientific “experts”. Congratulations on your achievement.
Thank you, Angela. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to give it a read and for sharing the kind words. It is just my small contribution in the larger movement to chronicle and expose the charlatans of which you speak, but if it can be of some service in that cause, then I am grateful and humbled. Truth be told, there is still so much more I wanted to say on this enormous topic, but this article has been stewing on the back burner for *a long time*, and I figured it was best to finally release it in some form to at least get the ball rolling, as it were.
Though I still contend my assiduous documenting of Chris Christie's hot dog obsession is my most serious piece, and what will likely finally net me that Pulitzer lol
If anyone deserves the prize, my friend,, it’s you! And I’m not talking First Prize dogs.
lolol :D
Imagine a herd of wild horses somewhere on the American prairie. The horizon appears limitless, broken only by a distance stream or a random copse of trees. The grass is plentiful and the water is fresh. There are predators here but they are recognizable for who they are. Change comes suddenly one day when the herd is attacked by another herd of horses with other animals riding on their backs. The wild horses flee from their pursuers in terror, not realizing they are actually being steered into a fenced enclosure. Being wild horses they don’t understand how to escape their trap by simply working together to push the fence down. They are only horses after all.
Over a period of time, the animals on the other horses attempt to ride the wild horses with a predictably low rate of success. But, because the other animals are too weak to travel long distances without any help, they eventually succeed in breaking nearly every horse to their control. Many of the horses become accustomed to carrying their burden and convince themselves they are happier now than when they were free. But some horses never forget and are almost impossible to ride.
The two legged animals, who are more cunning than smart, realize they can breed the horses and raise their offspring in captivity. From an early age, the weak two legged animals are always training the young horses to carry them where they want to go. They have never known freedom and they never will. But, they’re not to blame, because they are only horses after all. What is our excuse? Do not be the horse.
Fantastic comment!
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/170/474/521.jpg
Awesome picture. Keep up your good work.
Thank you, Rayzor. I shall! And you as well :)
Thank you for this thought-provoking piece. It is especially useful for understanding those who deride and dismiss, but I think the manipulation of language and emotion affects more than the Indoctrinated who are actively aggressive in their promotion of the Party narrative (as per your examples). I have repeatedly experienced the Fearful and the Innocent, those who even when willing to listen and seemingly to realize that they are being deceived, lied to, poisoned etc., are powerless to convert their sympathy and intuition into action or agency for themselves and their loved ones. The effect of the truth on them is only momentary, they fall back into acquiescence or resignation - and in one case, perpetual prayer.
Thank you taking the time to give it a read, and to leave that thoughtful, insightful comment! It is a huge topic, for sure, and I had been chipping away at this one for longer than I care to admit haha. The day I finally released it the WaPo published ANOTHER article warning people about the dangers of thinking (I added it at the end of the case studies.), so fortunately/unfortunately it seems it is indeed still very relevant. It is heartening to hear that some of the observations and theories about linguistic corruption and indoctrination here ring true, perhaps even useful.
I had tried to touch on the confusion, frustration, and disillusionment these tactics inculcate in larger society, and the "Fearful and the Innocent" (as you aptly call them), but you are correct that the disempowerment of that latter group is well worth further attention. I'd posit the responses (or lack thereof) that you describe are largely a result of 1) the perception of the sheer, seemingly insurmountable, systemic scope of the enemy, both with respect to the Party and the Mob/Indoctrinated 2) the confusion and enervation caused by the unrelenting linguistic-conceptual warfare 3) and the Bernaysian emotional rewiring and learned helplessness. But there could well be more at play here. Ah, for example, 4) Being pumped full of destructive chemicals in our water, air, food, and "medicine." [Edit: 5) The constant distraction and placation of "panem et circenses," from sportsball to iPhones, Big Macs to Netflix.]
I'd have to think about it a bit more before venturing a ratio of Indoctrinated to Fearful/Innocent at this stage, but I do think that--if only as an additional ideological attack vector against the Party--finding ways to "white pill" that second group is a very worthwhile endeavor!
All of your 5 factors come into play, and often overlap, in creating and perpetuating the helplessness and in debilitating us - for example, smartphone overuse both exposes us to radiation or other waves, while at the same time the jumping about from one screen/hyperlink/topic/blog etc. to another affects our ability to pay attention and focus (in my own case if I spend too much time in front of screens, especially the phone, I get what is called ocular migraine, requiring 30 to 45-minute absolute pause, preferably in the dark!).
I revisited Roland Barthes and my old Linguistics textbooks after your mentions of de Saussure and Wittgenstein. I think that Barthes, together with Derrida and the whole deconstructionist movement, played a great part in removing the solid ground of linguistic (and hence also ethical) sense and meaning from under us. In some respects that was a good thing, as every authority (in all senses of the word) needs shaking up from time to time, but when that shaking up is weaponized to intimidate and scare in the interests of the powerful, then it is time to rebel and rebuild.
And yes, whitepilling the demoralized is a good idea. Laughter too!
I'm sorry to hear about the migraines. That sounds very painful. It can be hard to get away from all the screens!
And I agree with your assessment on all counts, regarding Derrida and Barthes, and the opportunistic weaponization of an otherwise neutral (or even positive) phenomenon. It may be that the Powerful at getting better at this, and in turn better at manipulating cycles and systems. That makes think of the Structuralist angle as well, and people like Foucault, whom I would add to your list. Much to consider, but no doubt that laughter is key to keeping perspective (and sane haha) through all of this :D
Great additional points! Number 4 is too often overlooked, but is a key component implemented many decades ago to achieve the agenda. Working in pharma-run conventional medicine, I am burdened to help people see how their health has been deliberately undermined in all those ways.
“”Do you have a degree? In this specific subject? From what university?”
”You haven’t gotten accreditation from a Party-approved source?”
”Are you employed in that field? Are you an expert?”
”Why won’t you just listen to the experts?”
_———————-
I’ve gotten the above almost word for word at times for pointing out things like the bullshit in various TED talks, pointing out that to disbelieve the Ukraine narratives one just had to listen to the various things Ukraine was saying that contradicted common sense or other things Ukraine was saying or had been reported by the same outlets.
One doesn’t need expertise when observable reality easily contradicts core assumptions or expected consequences. Like a guy insisting masks work while his glasses fog up
"One doesn’t need expertise when observable reality easily contradicts core assumptions or expected consequences. Like a guy insisting masks work while his glasses fog up."
Brilliantly put. It really is astonishing how brainwashed people can be. I'm sorry to hear that you have dealt with that infuriating NPC dialog tree as well, but I appreciate you giving this a read and hopefully it provided a bit of catharsis if nothing else. I'm trying to get it out there to wake more people up to what we've been dealing with.
Great article AL! So much to process. The 2 things that stand out to me are the beetle in a box thought experiment, and the Sapir-Whorfian article you linked.
Thank you so much for the read and the kind words. I'm really glad you found it interesting. Wittgenstein's work and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis are definitely two fascinating (and vast) topics that had a big impact on me, so I'm really glad I was able to highlight them and synthesize them a bit here. I'm still working to process everything unfolding (and all the great works that came before me) and evolve my thinking here as well!
The unfolding process can go on forever, just a word of caution.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/5fe7a4d9-9153-4596-8240-4eb179dd925c
Cool site, very meme-friendly. Thanks to Russian Doll from Netflix, I can never unhear the actress from your link saying, "sweet birthday baby"
I still need to see that!
And, yeah, Yarn is one of my favorite sites for grabbing quick memes haha. It is like having every show and film diced up into little bite-sized bits! I honestly don't see anyone else using it, but I swear by the thing.
Damn good writing.
Thank you for the read and for the very kind words. I sincerely appreciate it. I am just trying to make sense of the situation as best I can, and perhaps add my two cents along the way.
You've described current problems extremely well.
Next, we need practical solutions, concrete actions we can all take. I don't know what those actions are, but there must be some good ways to break the spell. I'm sure the Bernaysian propagandists know, but they aren't going to tell us.
Totally agree. I think you and I and the others here discussing these topics, spreading awareness in various ways, and so on is something! But, I'm going to put on my thinking cap (or my They Live glasses haha) and try to work on some more pragmatic solutions as well.
Yes!!!!
Thank you! I am really glad you enjoyed the piece.
https://substack.com/profile/100124894-steven-berger/note/c-47499156
https://substack.com/profile/100124894-steven-berger/note/c-47718210
This is incredible. Great job and thank you!
You're quite welcome, and thank YOU for taking the time to give it a read and for leaving the thoughtful comment :)
I just want to expand on this article:
"The Mind Has No Firewall"
https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1871&context=parameters
They changed the definition for the word pandemic. Robert Malone is peeved that people deny there was a pandemic. He operates under the new definition BTW . He has tweeted about this.
Outstanding sir!
High praise especially coming from the illustrious Jessica J! Thank you very much reading and for the extremely gracious comment. I'm really glad you enjoyed the article.
I'm getting a vibe but it's cool. Lol. 😁 illustrious p'shaw. Brunh.
You are very kind. Your piece resonated so much with me I was starting to have flashbacks based on your examples, disgust and frustration leading the way. Frankly, I worried I was over the top, as I feel rather strongly about all of this.
If I do elaborate in a full piece, will you read it before I release it? I would appreciate it.
My apologies for the egregiously late reply. Somehow this last comment snuck by me! I would absolutely be both happy and honored to take a look at such a piece if you do decide to elaborate on your experiences.