Insider threats can be witting or unwitting. But they both aid the adversary into achieving their goals. Today this is happening more often than people think.
Expanding on this topic.
On my previous article I mentioned that there is at least one elected leader who is repeating adversarial state-sponsored talking points verbatim. Sadly, that person is not the only one, and adversarial talking points are being parroted by too many people who have a significant level of placement and access in higher offices. And of course, this is music to the ears of those people leading nations who want to get rid of the United States of America as a premier world power.
What some people fail to realize is that they might have convinced themselves that they are actually working, or even sacrificing for their best interests, and the interests of their community. However, in reality they are being manipulated in ways they cannot begin to comprehend. And yes, it is designed to be cryptic enough for them to be confused. That’s also why this level of mass manipulation tends to be so effective.
We all have biases; some are more controllable than others. And based on the environmental circumstances, some of these biases might become invisible even to ourselves as we normalize certain traits – kind of like hiding in plain sight. This can be subtle enough that it goes unnoticed for years, sometimes it will be a bit starker, and an epiphany might follow.
For example, group mentality in their environment could prevent people from breaking their bias shackles. Instead, the desire to find the truth will be replaced with willful ignorance. Of course, the correct answer would be to warrant pragmatic analysis.
Make no mistake, the world is a lot more complex and intricate than what you and I (or any of us for that matter) are combined. And there are entities and people who are banking on the fact most people will feel so overwhelmed by even thinking about it that they will simply look away and let willful and blissful ignorance take the reins of their lives. That too its designed to be that way. There is no easier battle to win than the one the opponent forfeits.
But that is only one layer to the equation. The adversarial forces realized that it is easier to defeat their perceived foe if they are divided. And paradoxically, this division happens by “uniting” a core segment of those who will ultimately become divisive against everyone outside this “circle of trust.” The “circle of trust” will become a “circle of obedience,” and any outsider will automatically be viewed as a dissident, and from there things only accelerate exponentially.
It all starts with a Bias.
Biases are highly exploitable, and we tend to look at “other people’s biases” – and point them out – but we tend to be very lousy at seeing those very same biases affecting us when the mirror is presented in front of us. Why? Well, because it can be traumatic, it forces a person to see the reality of what they don’t want, or are not “quite ready” to confront yet.
This of course is wonderful for the propagandists who want to move your perception of what is acceptable or unacceptable. An insider threat can be witting, knowingly doing something bad. But often it is easier to persuade a person to do something stupid if they are convinced that they are vindicated to do whatever it is that they are persuaded to do. Even if this action is against others, or even their best interests.
People hate being pointed out that there is wrong, and that “egocentric” level of stubbornness can be extremely valuable to those who are manipulating us. A narcissist is paradoxically a person with very low self-esteem. And they can easily be manipulated if a bias – usually their own vanity gets stroked the right way. A certain compliment, a certain flattering “observation” – or whatever behavior or observation that can otherwise serve as a mechanism of defense for their ego should they be put on the spot. Those are incredibly powerful catalysts to move rhetoric into action.
How can this be achieved? It depends on the person, but if a person has an exploitable bias, then their proclivity to follow a charlatan’s lead will not be a bridge too far. In other words, if a person is already preempted to believe any sort of unfalsifiable narratives, doctrines, or even allegories – then by providing a fraction of plausibility for a more “defined” narrative it will be a lot easier to be accepted at face value. Even if the definition of this narrative is conjecture at best.
Pair that with the collective understanding or belief system from everybody else involved, and this will be a very easy transaction for any entity who wants to exploit the bias a person exhibits. The bias itself is almost irrelevant, it is more important for them to assess your willingness to accept something divorced from reality at face value. That’s how this insider threat manipulation starts. HLC