Tag: echo chamber

 

It is very easy to fall into the authoritarian’s propagandistic trap, it is designed to be easily assimilated.  If you’ve fallen for it this will help you escape.

 

Propaganda is designed to make you an obedient fool.

In my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, I go in detail about how this works, and how to defeat authoritarian propaganda.  It takes people, and by people it means everybody, and by everybody it means it starts with ourselves.  Yes, we can be the catalyst that will make it better or worse for everybody.

I wish I was being hyperbolic, but the fact is that some of the most dehumanizing authoritarian monsters in history were not very remarkable themselves until they got enough traction because others had certain exploitable biases, and from there these obedient fools became the muscle to impose whatever is it that these authoritarians were advocating for.  What is it that they were advocating for?  It did not quite matter, so long as it was against whomever or whatever they said they were against.

In every society people are going to be frustrated by something.  And this anger is largely irrelevant in the great scheme of things, but it will be crucial to convince people that they are on the winning team.  They are actually not in the winning team (all authoritarians ended powerless), but they are convinced that their “sacrifices” – of sacrificing others in dehumanizing ways is actually a justifiable move.  This is also happening around the world as you’re reading my words.

 

You’re actually disposable to them, but your rage becomes their currency.

Authoritarians will be posing as unifiers towards whatever group of chosen ones are playing ball along with the authoritarian – and will be extremely divisive towards anybody who was deemed outside this “exclusive circle.”  It is designed to be that way, they want you to see others as lesser human, or even rob them of all humanity, and also the propagandists will make you fear this dissenting group – while portraying them as weaker.

So, anybody with common sense would ask, which one is it?  Are they weak, or are they a menace?  Well, the enemy is actually the one advocating for divisiveness, because they want you to protect the leader, even if you sacrifice yourself – because now this dear leader becomes symbolic of whatever is it that you’re convinced it is the moral superior end-state – even if the dear leader advocates for crimes against humanity.

We’ve all fallen for a similar (hopefully not genocidal) trap at some point.  Think for example while in school picking on the weaker kid, or any outsider.  Fortunately, most people grow up from that immature phase and become decent to other people in their lives.  But that is not the case for everybody.  Propagandists don’t want you to mature, they want you to “feel like a grown up” – but they are keeping you subdued.

The trick is that the way they subdue you is by moving that hate and resentment towards other people.  The victims become scape goats for any shortcomings.  And shortcomings will abound, because authoritarians are not running a utopia, they are enslaving your obedience, and the moment you wake up they will push you away from the circle of trust before you realize what just hit you.

Authoritarian propaganda is designed to be that way.  How do you escape from that?  Don’t be divisive, understand the context so you can separate facts from fiction.  If you forget anything I’ve said, remember this – understand the full context, and realize why a narrative is being directed towards your anger.  HLC

 

Every commercial you consume with a political platform was not presented to you by chance.  There is a skill behind it designed to modify your behavior.

 

Understanding Advertisement for Propaganda.

Even when it comes to the “not so mundane” world of marketing, there is a lot of behavioral science to entice your impulse to buy or acquire a product or service.  Yes, that is why there is an entire industry whose entire premise is to present something to you in a way that it becomes irresistible, or to elicit a specific response – which can even be looking away from it.  I know, paradoxically THAT can sometimes be the intent.

For example, if you are a person who does not have a vast amount of disposable income, a very ornate package that goes well above your budget might not be as enticing if you somehow find that your environment gravitates to that particular shiny object.  You know the trope, too many people spend money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t even like.

Based on group mentality, the actual need for frugality or justified sense of opportune austerity will be overwritten – even if for a moment, and placing a person into actual unavoidable austerity.  Example?  Sure, a person who is broke, but goes out to party all night and spends north of $500 in alcohol just to regurgitate it all to a porcelain idol in a public restroom a few hours ago.  Did that activity sound like a good investment of time when you’re broke?

However, at that moment – even if there were some second guesses through the night if this broke person should be partying and spending their rent money, might have sounded very swell – because of the company they were [hopefully] enjoying.  With political propaganda it’s a similar principle, but a lot more complex and not so much on the nose as this example.  That is why it is so effective.

They are manipulating your demographics.

If you forget anything I say later, remember this “target audience” – this is how political messaging will be directed for propagandistic purposes to a particular segment of the population.  The difference with propaganda is that it is directly targeted to exploit your biases.  They don’t even care if you’re for or against their political leanings – they just want to know if you will play ball or not.

If you do play along, great!  They will find a way to make you feel like you are the smartest kid on the block and everything you interact with will somehow be magically agreeing with your version of “good” and demonizing the same version of “evil.”  The bigger your bias, the higher the proclivity for obediently following whatever is it that the pretty talking head is telling you to believe – because everyone else seems to agree with what you’ve led to see as an empirical truth.

If you do not play along, well – too bad, because they will either make you the enemy, or discredit you outright.  If you get inconvenient enough the character assassination attempts to you and anybody who agrees with you will follow.  The good news is that when you’re speaking the truth it does not matter if or how somebody tries to skew it, the truth will always come to surface, even if it takes a while to filter itself all the way up to the top.

However, the higher the level of propaganda in the environment, the longer the truth will take to surface, or to even be taken seriously by the collective – even if it is in plain sight.  Want another example?  Controversial influencers saying something that is demonstrably wrong.  You choose the topic, being science denial, cult-like behavior, divisive rhetoric, or a token dissident against their own demographics.  All those will gain following and copycats will follow suit quite rapidly, but why?  Because negative trends are easily assimilated and transmitted.  Which is actually pretty sad, but it happens.

For example, it is a lot easier to make a mess in your domicile than to clean a mess at home.  But if you’re keeping up with a proper balance then making a mess will not be normalized, and you will be more likely to police yourself before it gets unmanageable.

The same is true for propaganda, the more attention you pay to actual facts, and learn to distinguish from the noise and misinformation, the easier it will be for you to navigate yourself away from being bamboozled.  Much like some people can spot a scam miles away, while others – the more vulnerable ones, will fall for a scam with very little resistance.  HLC

 

Authoritarians unite a segment of obedient useful fools, but are divisive by nature to anybody who would not follow their misguided views.  Learn to defeat them.

 

We are easily defeated when divided.

When I wrote Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools and Woke and Proud the Charlatans’ Inconvenience, I was transmitting an important larger message.  We are more similar than different.  But that is inconvenient to those who want to rule over our lives and turn us into obedient fools who feel vindicated in hurting others.

Let’s start by understanding that all humans have the same range of emotions, we cry, we laugh, we love, we hate, we get angry, we get sad, we get elated, and any other emotion you can think of.  How do we respond to these factors will depend on the environment in which we live.  The culture surrounding a person can very well give different perceptions as far as how the people in that group respond to any or all of these actual natural human responses.

Lately we’ve seen a new trend of toxic masculinity and gender roles that are regressive at the very least, but are also an indirect and often direct attack on other groups of people.  Particularly there has been an exacerbated growth of hate speech and dehumanization against the LGBTQ segments of the population.

And even between the heterosexual groups there is a skewing of reality that makes misconception akin to a 90’s high-school-like perceptions of gender roles as the expected reality in 2024.  In other words, we are regressing.  The 90’s were actually a pretty messed up time.  Add this to the isolation between people who live behind computer and smart-phone screens – and the correct perception of how to interact with other human beings is eroding exponentially.

The division starts from within.

To divide people, the first step is to convince them that they (themselves) are different – in a bad way, although this is paradoxically nonsensical.  What does that mean?  It means they will make them feel “superior to everybody else” but that they (the same group) are “not good enough, unless they are part of this group that is recruiting them.”  Soon enough, anybody who is not inside this circle of “accepted” people will be an “outsider.”

When these “us against them” situations galvanize, it is very easy to segregate people.  One group, the oppressors, will feel vindicated by victimizing the other group, because they will assert that the actual opposite group that they are victimizing is somehow more powerful than they (the victimizers group) are – although they are weaker.  Yes, it is that incoherent.  And sadly, it works to mobilize obedient fools – and it has been working for centuries.

I’ve spoken about this before, and yes it remains true.  By identifying a person’s bias, this can be exploited.  But if we understand our biases and learn the full context, then we are able to diffuse the power of those who want to divide us and are gaining traction over us.  If you ever encounter divisive rhetoric, always stop to think:  Who benefits when we are divided?

In the current geopolitical situation, there are regimes who want to destroy the west, to include the USA from the inside out.  What does the “inside means” – it means by dividing the people in ways they will be convinced they are enemies.  The real enemy is the one who is dividing us.

If you’ve been bamboozled to carry water for an authoritarian, it is as easy as stopping and learning the full context.  There is nothing an authoritarian enjoys more than a useful fool to do their dirty work for them.  And many useful fools are doing so by dividing us, and dehumanizing us in spectacular fashion.  HLC

 

his article will be a snapshot to remember the events affecting US politics despite the news cycle potentially glossing over the stories for the sake of ratings.

 

We are inundated by noise, and short memories.

This might feel like a barbed piece against mainstream and independent media – and it is, because it needs to be said.  Clickbait, sensationalism, and trending seem to be a lot more important than substance.  The industry has evolved to be that way.  Sadly, it is all about the mighty algorithm, and this algorithm is people’s attention span.

Important stories get buried all the time in the national discourse, while sometimes incidental-at-best attention grabbers get national attention and go viral.  This is true for independent media as well as for mainstream media.  To be fair, that’s not everybody with a platform – but definitely the majority.  Even some with good intentions fall into this trap.

At Half Life Crisis I’ve been writing pieces and warnings about how authoritarian propaganda tactics are becoming more prominent.  That is why I am adamant about preventing this misinformation from continuing.  Though I have to admit it does feel like I am constantly screaming into a void.  Especially when we see a lot of misleading voices having a huge platform.

April 2024 in the USA.

There is a lot that occurred in April 2024.  The arguably most significant event is the ongoing hush-money criminal trial against former U.S. President Trump.  This trial is less about his infidelity and more about the misuse of campaign funds and hiding information about his character.  The substance on those would have been key attributes leading to the 2016 presidential election.  Yes, accountability for these criminal proceedings took many years to reach the bench!

On a related Trump situation, the US Supreme Court conservative majority seems to agree with awarding former US President Trump unlimited power through immunity!  Think about this for a moment, they actually are arguing giving the president the power of executing (as in murdering) political rivals, or anybody Trump would find inconvenient – as an official function.  And that insane rationale comes behind a myriad of demonstrable criminal charges against Trump.

Also, there is a civil war inside the GOP as they disagree on policy and personalities.  The so called MAGA Republicans have been losing traction over great swats of the country, but their loyal followers are still very vocal, and have been advocating for violence should Trump be defeated again. They are clinging to the “big lie” that perpetuates Trump’s inaccurate assertion that he won the 2020 election.  He did not, Trump pursued more than 60 court cases across the country and won zero, because there is simply no evidence for the 2020 election being rigged.

Also, the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson was saved largely by the Democrats from being kicked out by his own Republican party, an effort led by MAGA Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.  Keep in mind that she was mostly against the economic support for Ukraine’s defense, which by the way it is a world-wide and National Security concern she at the very least does not seem understand, and many around the world pray she is not trying to directly sabotage.  By the way the GOP has a one-person majority on the House of Representatives right now, let that sink in.

Also, the impeachment investigation against incumbent US President Biden has unsurprisingly yield zero evidence against him.  The chairman of that committee Republican Representative James Comer has not been able to provide an iota of proof for a Biden-related crime, and despite that they continue to spend an undisclosed amount of tax payers’ money and elected representatives and staff man-hours every single day for the last few years.  Let that sink in too!

Finally, there the tensions at the geopolitical level, and the conflict is expanding exponentially – and has been already reaching American soil.  Perhaps not kinetically, yet, but the propagandistic narratives and indicators are in full swing.  From toxic masculinity, to rampant misinformation, to misleading distractions and dehumanizing rhetoric against several groups of people, and everything in between.  That is why I am writing so much about it.  We are losing sight of what is important, and that is convenient to those who want to divide us.

Meanwhile many prominent platforms seem to be more interested in chasing ratings rather than capturing what is truly important.  And that is understanding that our very futures are at risk as dark chapters in authoritarian history are repeating, while their core audience is asleep at the wheel.  HLC

 

An authoritarian is only as powerful as their followers.  Every authoritarian in history ultimately fell, it is not sustainable yet it destroys millions of lives.

 

YOU need self-esteem.  Yes, you read that right.

Authoritarians and propagandists thrive in fear.  They want you dumb enough to think you’re a perpetual victim, while endowing you with faux bravado.  And if you’re a so called “alpha” this article you’re now reading will sting, but you should be all right.  Afterall alphas are not thin skinned, are they?  If you get mad, then your entire alpha personality was just a veneer, and THAT is exploitable.

The best way to make a person think they are in control is by convincing them they are “superior” to whatever is it that they are supposed to be against.  Enter the so-called alphas.  When you see any type of enraged people who are “taking aggressive action” against others, what type of personality do you think they have?  The self-proclaimed alphas.  Why do you think is that?  Because they are the “muscle” the authoritarian needs to push a divisive rhetoric into action.

When people are emotionally driven to action, and think they can fight their way out of it, even if that means subjugating others.  That breeds a culture of dehumanizing people.  They will assume the role as “protectors” for their own group, and brag about being vindictive punishers for the dissention.  In fact, it is actually very easy to be an alpha, it is a primal [animalistic] instinct thing to try to assert dominance.  And the flip side to an alpha is not a “beta” – it is actually “maturity.”

Think about it, if you were a school bully, how well did that play in actual grown-up society?  Not well, people might act as though they are intimidated to your face, but they are really laughing behind your back.  They do.  And that by the way creates a lot more friction, because in the so-called alpha’s mind, they feel they are being attacked.  Or worse, their dissenters are questioning their authority, which is usually also a veneer of the level of entitlement they feel towards others.  “How dare they not worship the alpha?”

When this misguided level of emotion gets exacerbated, then authoritarians can move the rhetoric into action, and that happens via usually an emotionally-biased person who thinks they are right and everybody else is wrong.  If you’re a so called, alpha, did my words hurt your feelings?  Be honest to YOURSELF, not to me.

 

The muscle to an authoritarian figure.

I wrote this article specifically on a provocative manner because I am proving a point.  If you’re not compromised, then you might actually laugh and nod in agreement remembering some alpha type you tend to laugh about.  If you’re an ex-alpha, then you’ll definitely laugh and appreciated the fact you’ve grown that phase.

Because that is what it is, it’s a phase.  Much like teenagers have antics as they are trying to find the way they should fit into the world – the difference is that this can have regression, based on the way biases may be individually exploited.  That is why a few articles ago I spoke about biases.  Biases can wake up terrible feelings of inadequacy, and these can be very traumatic.  That leads to “overcompensating.”

A lot of very aggressive people are simply a façade, they know they are not quite in charge, and hence they will go off the deep end if their “authority” is challenged – even a little bit.  The psychology of brainwashing alpha types is actually well documented and we can speak for hours on that.  But I’ll leave you with this.

There are “alpha-training” groups who will charge other “alpha-men” to the tune of $18,0000 to $20,000+ to have a bigger self-proclaimed alpha yell at them while rolling up in mud.  The students are not military, no – they are business people who apparently achieving maturity was not good enough, and need somebody’s external validation.

If you need to pay to become a so called “alpha-man” – your life is not that bad, but you are probably vulnerable to exploitation.  You need to learn to appreciate yourself before you try to gain validation for anybody else.  We all want to fit in, but don’t let the person living between your ears tell you you’re not good enough.  We are all capable of being better than the person we were yesterday.

Real life has a lot more conflict, and it takes actual maturity and temperance to succeed.  This takes experience, and yes, the set backs are part of this learning process.  I can tell you that as a 20-year veteran in the U.S. Navy.  The “tough alpha crowd” folded like a deck of cards when push came to shove, the mature group were always more resilient.  That’s true strength – authoritarians don’t like the latter.  Because their volatile emotions are not exploitable as to become the muscle to a “strong leader.”  HLC

 

As the media cycle moves fast, one important story gets buried.  Former U.S. President Trump is nowhere near as rich as he claimed to be, why should YOU care?

 

Who owns his debt?  Would they own the country?

Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump has always drawn a line when it came to people insinuating about his wealth.  Why?  Well, the answer is now very obvious, and it has been legally demonstrated – because he is not the billionaire he claims to be.  He is a wealthy man, but he is cash poor.  Not being exceedingly rich is not a bad thing, most people in the world are not billionaires, or even millionaires for that matter.  The problem is the lies.

So, what if Trump exaggerated about his wealth?  What’s the big deal?  Glad you asked, because it matters a lot.  For starters, if a person is shallow enough to pretend that they are richer than they are – it’s for mainly one of two reasons.  First, because they either want to get better rates for loans and services, and use their allure of these riches as leverage.  And that is fraud.

The other it is a lot sadder, because that means that they are in-fact lesser than THEY expected THEMSELVES to be – and instead of accepting the facts or moving towards that goal, they pretend they are richer than they are – perhaps to feel better about themselves, but the fact is that they will have to realize that their claims remain false, no matter how many people think these claims are true.  Pretending you’re rich does not make you truly rich – might increase your debt though.

So, two problems – both are very problematic sides to the same coin.  On the former because that means that they have likely used that leverage to do something that is illegal, and will have to forever watch their backs.  And the second is because it is an exploitable factor.  Especially if there is somebody with liquidity who would help them “maintain that façade” in exchange for favors and access.  It has been reported Trump experienced both of those instances, many times over.

We know now for a fact that Trump has made a lot of very shady deals.  He was civilly charged in New York for almost a half-a-billion dollars.  He has been unable to pay for these fines.  Or even find anybody who would actually lend him the money until he tries to appeal.  And this is after Trump was granted an unprecedented break to only pay a fraction of the fine – still, he has been unable to pay any of his bills.

Stiffing others it’s Trump’s Modus Operandi (MO)

If you’ve been alive since at least the 80’s, and unless you were stuck under a rock you would have heard of Trump’s countless hassles (airlines, steaks, water, games, etc.).  Many of which went under.  Generally, via bankruptcy.  I mean, for example his “savvy business man” went bankrupted not one but four times regarding his casinos in Atlantic City, NJ!

But he is also known for not paying his legal bills.  Want examples?  Sure Rudy Guiliani, and the entire entourage who was part of his upcoming criminal charge in Georgia for election interference were all hung out to try by Trump, owing millions in legal fees to support Trump’s claim of a rigged election.  Something that not one of the many trials has been able to prove at all – no one in more than 60.

Right now, every donation that goes to the GOP, as it has Trump’s daughter in Law Lara Trump in charge of the RNC, if you’re a donor – well it is first going to pay for Trump’s legal fees – then to whatever is it that your campaign donation is supposed to do.  And yes, donations have taken a plunge in the GOP, and Trump has also destroyed the Grand Old Party with a poignant civil war between so called MAGA Republicans and pretty much everybody else in the conservative universe.

Trump for years was hiding his taxes, and he was very controlling of any release of his finances – even directing his cabinet while being a sitting president to prevent this to be seen by the American people.  Why do you think that it is important?  Because we need to know if the leader of the free world, and the person in control of the nuclear codes does not have a loan shark from an adversarial nation.

Why?  Because if they do, then they are in fact governing our country via Trump’s wallet – rather than the leader of the free world working for the American people.  It should be common sense, but it needs to be spelled out.  Why?  Because right now, since nobody wants to lend trump money to pay his fines, this opens the door for foreign donors to buy influence on a presidential front runner.  And yes, that is bad – because then the country gets governed by a loan shark.  You don’t want that, do you?

Final thought, don’t get mad at me, rather keep digging for yourself and find out more context for what I’ve mentioned.  Trump’s team is working hard to hide this information from you.  The information that reaches your ears by his team is carefully selected, keep researching on your own.  You’ll thank me later.  HLC

 

The puppet master is the shadowy figure or entity that is actually controlling the entire debacle, even if this control is designed to be utter chaos.

 

The face tends to remain anonymous.

On my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, I help you discover this Puppet Master.  And spoiler alert, it might be a bunch of puppet masters behind the scenes competing for power.  The catch is that most people will never really get to know who it is actually pulling the strings.  It is designed to be that way.

Every authoritarian in history has one thing in common, they are all insecure.  They disguise themselves as strong leaders.  If they are men, they will actually be wimps, and winers, and thin skinned pedantic loud creatures who far from being a “man version” – are really very insecure children trapped in a larger often loud-mouthed body.  These are perfect vehicles for the puppet masters to enact their agenda.  Why?

Let’s use for example a grown man who is a victim of toxic masculinity.  Anyone who thinks that being the loudest and foul-mouthed person is a sign of masculinity already lacks awareness to function as a person who enacts critical thinking and intellectual honesty.  In other words, it is very easy to portrait themselves as an aggressive asshole, or a fantastical macho-version.  In reality, it actually takes self-control to be able to maintain temperance.  You can call that maturity.  But maturity its inconvenient to a puppet master.

Authoritarians tend to lack that level of maturity – even if they are very calculating, and they gravitate towards others who follow suit.  Which it is an oxymoron, because they think they are in charge, yet they are perfectly okay to even pay money for someday to insult them – making them think that it is what makes a tough person.  Trust me, if your life is indeed complex and challenging, you don’t need to pay somebody to artificially induce more drama in your life.  If you do, then your life is already too shallow and meaningless.

That’s what the Puppet Master seeks.

The puppet master needs people who are shallow enough to be pretentious, loud, aggressive, obedient, and likely violent – but too dumb to realize they are actually puppets for somebody else.  The funny thing is that their ego will make it impossible for them to realize they are being manipulated.  And that it is also by design.

Whenever you see any movement in history where men and some women who were convinced that they were in charge under the clout of a dear leader, they will also be prompted to obediently follow directives that are incredibly disgusting and often criminal in nature.  However, since it was enacted “against another” group, they felt vindicated to perpetrate these crimes without thinking much about it, or the victims.

The problem is that we are seeing a rise on these toxic personalities who are actually very vulnerable, but in their minds, they think they are the strongest and most alpha type of vindicators, following a quest that it is bigger than themselves.  They are right it is bigger than themselves, because they are being manipulated.  And guess what?  They are disposable when they become inconvenient.

It is easy to fall for this trap, because sometimes these victims will act as though they have it all figure it out – and even persuade others to follow the same “lessons.”  But once you dig a bit – and I mean it won’t take long because they tend to be very shallow – you’ll realize that all the spewed bravado it is more of a mechanism of defense, because no matter how “good they are” – they never like themselves, because they are not being themselves, they are just being the version they think was acceptable.  The result is that they are always chasing that higher high.

What does that mean?  It means that if a person is shallow, it does not matter what they achieve it will never be enough.  Because they have never actually become the person they are meant to be, the puppet master’s mission is to prevent them from figuring out WHO they were actually meant to be, and keep them obedient to an agenda that it is not even on their best interest.  But perpetually convince them it very much is.  HLC

 

Popularity does not always equal skill or competence.  However, it can be quite exploitable when a particular brand loyalty can be highjacked to push an agenda.

 

The face of the movement is not always in charge.

On my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools I dedicate a sizable part to help people understand the mechanics of authoritarian propaganda.  Often the “dear leader” is not even the one in charge, though it would certainly have some level of influence over the masses.

Most authoritarians need to borrow an existing clout and then transform it into a group of obedient fools who will heed their every word.  What the useful fools fail to realize is that the words they actually hear are carefully redacted and chosen to gain their concurrence through faux outrage.  This is a tactic as old as civilization itself, and it works!

Throughout history we’ve seen countless examples of people who thought they could “control” an authoritarian wanna-be, and use their influence as a catalyst to push a specific agenda.  A classic example is when Benito Mussolini was invited to become the Prime Minister for Italy.  There was a lot of division among the citizens circa that timeframe, and the arrogance spewed by Mussolini seemed to be the answer to the less-acute minds in charge.  Well, the miscalculation ended in the creation of fascism.  We are still dealing with that aftermath.

When you’re paying attention to a politician, you also must pay attention to the hearts and minds of their followers.  Some of these followers will have exploited biases, which will cause them to perpetrate heinous crimes against humanity, while being convinced they are the morally superior crowd.

The goal post of what is acceptable, and what it is “now needed” will of course continue shifting.  Generally, it does not start with genocide from the get-go, but rather by adding a level of frustration that is largely fictitious, but might seem very real inside a political base echo chamber.

They want you to ultimately fight alone (don’t be a dummy!)

An authoritarian wants you to fight ultimately alone, especially after you’ve alienated anybody else who would be in your team.  That is why you will always hear the reality that an authoritarian only cares about himself or herself – everybody else is disposable.  That loyal base they enjoy, and who worships them is ultimately disposable.

This is nothing new, it has happened time and time again.  They will make their base believe they are part of a bigger team that is fighting “good against evil” – without realizing that they have already become the mirror version of whom they despise.  I’ve mentioned in a previous article, it starts with a bias – it gets exploited, and from there it is very easy to control the crowd.

That is by the way one of the reasons why those controversial “outliers” seem to get so much traction in gaining prominence.  There is marketability in controversy and demagoguery.  For example, if you watch a movie with a very vanilla plot and no conflict, then it will be a snore-fest.  But if you add some conflict, even if it is manufactured or too fantastical to be accurate, it will have a much higher chance of getting people to watch it.

Something similar happens to people when pushing an agenda – except that it will feel very real, as though they are the protagonist of their own movie or adventure.  If a crowd or political base has already demonstrated a proclivity for falling for a certain narrative, they will be pointed in that direction – and enhance the echo chamber – creating this faux reality they are now convinced it is the morally superior way of life.

In reality, they were only afforded a fraction of the “truth” – but it was poignant enough to make them believe they are the smartest people in the room.  They are not, they are being manipulated – and spoiler alert – we are all potential victims.  That is why I advocate for pairing critical thinking with intellectual honesty.  HLC

 

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

 

Adversarial propaganda does get repeated verbatim on mainstream media, and sadly enough, also by elected leaders.  According to colleagues, MTG is one of those.

 

Repeating adversarial regimes talking points.

Representative (R-GA 14h District) Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG)is a figure who has gained notoriety in the American political discourse.  She has found herself in the middle of many controversial issues since she got in office back in 2001.  Even her colleagues in the GOP have very publicly taken exception to many of her views.

Most recently, she has been the catalyst of a civil war battle between her and the incumbent Speaker of the United States House of Representative, Mike Johnson.  A man who also happens to be a hardliner GOP politician who gained notoriety for some very divisive views when it comes to policy that is very much aligned with theocracy.  That’s is not where MTG disagrees with – for her, Jonhson is not extreme enough on a myriad of other divisive issues.

Although MTG has been all but disavowed by her own Caucus, she is very much praised by state-sponsored media outlets which happen to be against the United States of America. Is that surprising?  Not really, unless you have not been paying attention to the geopolitical climate in the last several years… and by several years I mean since well before the Soviet Union went the way of the dodo.

 

The insider threat.

I’ve said this before, but it is worth repeating.  There are two main categories of insider threat – a witting and unwitting insider threat.  The former is the one that is very much aware they are working in favor of the adversary and are doing so wittingly.   That’s bad.

The unwitting is worse, because that means they are aiding an adversary, but they are too dumb to realize they are doing so.  Which one is MTG?  Who knows, but there is a valid reason why the adversarial regimes prop her rhetoric, not only from her mouth, but amplifying what she says on their propaganda efforts.  And I am not talking about some “liberal” – so called “woke” – soy-feed whatever epithet the right-wing folks like to disparage their opposition – This is a concern raised by the GOP leaders themselves.

And unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you would know that the GOP is struggling – and has been struggling.  The internal fight and polarization inside their party is worse than ever.  On one side you have the “traditional GOP” folks, and on the other extreme you have the many shades of the MAGA-universe.  And there are plenty of shades for the latter.  Not all MAGA are created equal, and that’s why many are now ex-MAGA.  Yes, there is a civil war among MAGA folks.

Spoiler alert, it will get worse – but as these division points occur, only one group comes up on top.  Who?  The adversarial nations who are hell-bent in “proving” that the American system of governance is not only flawed – but ineffective.  That’s what they are selling, and people like MTG are phenomenal mouth-pieces to amplify that message.

MTG might not be doing so wittingly, but there is a reason why the adversarial propagandists are propping up her misconceptions.  It should not take a Doctorate Degree in Strategic Analysis to understand why.  Although a lot of MTGs efforts have failed, they give credence to a different audience.  An audience that sadly most people in the USA don’t understand, or care to understand that it’s paying attention to its every move.

Fortunately, some of us are paying attention and writing about it.  I’ll keep adding small articles to keep awakening THIS important context by exploring each element.  Just keep in mind that there is indeed a much larger context, and we’ll break it down into little, more digestible chunks.  HLC