Authoritarians are only as strong as their followers, but did you know that authoritarians actually weaken and exploit their own followers? Indeed, they do.
Authoritarians are actually weak!
Sure, they can see larger than life, be charming, witty, or even calculating and shrewd – all that is a façade. They are actually very insecure people who are so far up their own behind that they have convinced themselves that they are super-human, and the under some religions “god’s gift to mankind.” I’m not even kidding.
Most authoritarians, and “authoritarians wanna-be” will display some of the following traits. This is not an all-inclusive list of red flags… but they should be enough for you to start digging a bit more onto their character idiosyncrasies.
· They whine a lot! Much like ill-mannered toddlers, or misguided prepubescent teenagers; except that they are a lot older, and somehow think that being a pedantic-name-calling-immature-goon is ok. It is not.
· They surround themselves by people who will kiss their butt. These people will become a rubber stamp to their antics, and do mental gymnastics to justify the unjustifiable to others outside the group – even if they themselves cannot stand this person’s guts.
· They take no accountability, and will pretend or outright say that they are never wrong. And of course, their aforementioned acolytes will parrot the same talking points verbatim, and will likely be very aggressive to anybody who calls them on any [of the likely many] inconsistencies that they spew.
· They exploit people’s biases. This can be very evident pretty much whenever they accuse their opposition of doing or planning on doing something nefarious. Then surprise-surprise it is something they (the authoritarian) end up doing themselves, or there is already a precedent that they have been enacted that exact shady action they are accusing others of doing – even if their opposition has never enacted those nefarious actions.
· They are petty, and won’t fight an important issue on the merits – not ever. Because they are actually incapable of doing so. But if they address it, then it will likely turn into an ambush-style “date-me-bro” type scenario. Because they’re not really interested on answering a legitimate question with facts, but rather create a visceral response that might seem like a “sick burn” to those who are too shortsighted to realize that they are worshiping an adult who has not matured, and continues to act like a 1980’s high-school bully
I can go on, but these should get the brain-wheels running. If you want more examples, I’ve literally written over 100 articles and released two books about this topic, all available on this site. And there is a lot to read, because the level of collective cognitive dissidence the world is facing is gigantic, and it was specifically designed to put our population into the negative situation we find ourselves in right now.
This is directed not only to those who are in favor of the authoritarian, but also a warning for those against said authoritarian. They want you to lose your cool and give up on actually finding common ground through dialog and problem solving. And of course, they want the platform. In other words, Authoritarians are losers, but they will pose as the “cool kid” by attacking whomever is at a potential disadvantage.
They tend to be very much emboldened by faux-bravado – so long their “friends” are able to rescue them. But if they are on a one-one feud they will fold like an origami dove. That is why they draw power from the attention they get by their adoring followers. And that is also the reason why they double down when somebody calls them out, and they will move the goal post, or change the narrative to fit their immediate “debate-me-bro” event. These tactics are actually pretty pathetic when you see it pragmatically.
But most importantly, if you’re their follower they are insulting YOU, because you’re their first victim. They will either con you out of money, time, effort, and make you believe you should be grateful for the “privilege” of being allowed to kiss their butt whenever they feel like it. Oh, and also feel grateful if they disavow you for disagreeing with them – because how dare you not show unlimited obedience and loyalty to them? Right? By the way, you’re disposable to them.
And the reason why they are so weak is because no matter how “successful” they might look, their accomplishments are always below what they touted to be. That means that no matter how high their position, rank, or stature they attained, they will always feel like they are second best, because they already lied to be better than they truly are – that is why they overcompensate to act as though they have to be number one on everything. Again, this is pretty pathetic.
They will attack others mercilessly, but they have very thin skin if anybody points out their idiosyncrasies. But remember, the authoritarian projects their insecurities onto their followers. Even if they did not share the same insecurities at first, this projection exploits their biases and exacerbates them to the point where these vulnerabilities become very real. Much like when you’re in a toxic relationship that is changing you for the worse. Authoritarianism is similar but a lot more complex on scale and scope.
If you forget absolutely everything I just said in this article, remember this. The authoritarians are weak, and they only draw strength from your attention and outrage. The best way to defeat them is by understanding the full context of any argument, and accept if you’ve been mistaken, and take steps to correct your path. No matter if you’re for or against this authoritarian, the truth can be found by pairing intellectual honesty with critical thinking. HLC
There are actual courts of law, and for some reason a more influential court of public opinion. Former US President Trump is in court for many actual crimes.
This is not political – sorry!
If you are a fan of Trump, you might assert that he is being prosecuted and having his days in court as a political hit. Well, it is not – the former US President at the time I am typing this article is going on trial for crimes that he committed well before he was even running for the presidency. Justice, although very lethargic – is catching up to him.
Right now, Trump is sitting for his criminal trial in New York for the falsification of business records. And these were problematic because these stem from a pathetically short and apparently unpleasant sex encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels in 2006. Trump was allegedly trying to sexually score with Daniels while his third wife who was has recently given birth to their son Baron was at home.
In other words, Trump cheated on the lady who would later become former first lady Melania Trump. But of course, Trump previously cheated on the first two wives also, so this is normal for Trump – but it was of course inconvenient for the subsequent 2016 presidential campaign. Even though it took several years for this situation to come to light. Stormy was on her late 20’s at the time of this dejected sex encounter, and Trump was already more than twice her age.
Trump is a trial because they paid off Stormy $130.000 for her silence, but the process they took to accomplish that transaction was very much mishandled – much like a lot of Trump’s legacy of business acumen, such as bankrupting more than one casino. Let that sink in for a second – who bankrupts a freaking casino?!
Not stranger to controversy, but stranger to accountability.
Trump touts himself the “law and order” president, and candidate. Except when there is scrutiny over the shady stuff that he has been doing for decades, which very much warrants a closer look – because it is illegal. Then he calls it a “witch hunt” or whatever epithet akin to that.
Trump is facing 90+ criminal charges spanning four additional high-profile cases on top of the 30+ criminal charges for his current case that also happens to include the “hush money” to Stormy. But remember the current case is really about falsifying business records, but the sex part is what makes people click on the headlines.
Again, let’s understand that the problem is not that Trump paid a porn star, is Trump’s falsification of the business records and how this was meant to prevent the American people from deciding with all the relevant data points that would speak to Trump’s character. Trump knew at the time this would hurt his chances. Fast forward to today, and his MAGA group is actually cool with all of it (the cheating-on-wife-sex and the actual business-falsification-crimes) – because no matter how bizarre Trump has gotten over the years, it has been just normalized on the MAGA crowd eyes.
This stuff that MAGA has normalized is not normal; it is very much flooded with red flags! The star witness for this week is his ex “fixer” and lawyer Michael Cohen – who went to prison for the very same crimes Trump is facing right now. Yes, because Trump directed him to do the stuff that got him in trouble, and like or dislike Cohen, he is bringing the receipts, and his testimony already were corroborated in the previous civil case in NY where Trump was found liable of fraud and still owes close to half a billion dollars.
Trump has not paid one red cent for that aforementioned fraud case or the other case where he was ordered to pay E. J. Carrol 83+Million dollars for defaming her after Trump was found liable for rape. The reason for these court cases also happened a long time before Trump was in the campaign trial. But Trump knows that if he gets a camera in front of him and repeats that it is a political prosecution, his acolytes and his fans will take that narrative at face value and parrot the same lie.
I don’t know what will be the end of this case, but it seems that Trump is getting more concerned about the very real possibility of going to prison. It is not looking good for him, and yes those are the consequences of his actions in the last several decades. I mentioned in previous articles on my Today in America Series that the GOP had a lot more choices in the primary than Trump – and that this legal baggage was going to come to bite them in the butt. That is happening of course. The GOP had a lot more choices in the primary, yet they chose the one with 90+ criminal charges as their front runner.
I’ve written other articles detailing all other crimes Trump is facing. This article is more to capture the timeframe. Trump is on his third week of trial; he has a gag order to prevent him from attacking the judge and jury – which Trump violated multiple times and has been fined for it. And in case Trump does not understand, it is because like it or not Trump is very influential with some people who are willing to carry acts of violence against whomever dares to “be mean to Trump.”
There have been death threats, thwarted acts of violence, and some actual violent acts that came to pass because Trump made an incendiary statement, and some of their fans took it upon themselves to “seek vigilante justice.” Hence the gag orders. But this is limited to the scope of the current NY trial. Trump can still say whatever he wants, even if it is inflammatory – so long it is not putting the live of the judge and jury in danger. And the fact is that we know Trump is screaming his grievances through the rooftops on any platform he gets – because it is recorded AND broadcasted!
Let me end today’s article by inviting you to look at the actual facts. The court documentation is available for public release. Biden has nothing to do with this case. Sure, that there are other criminal cases that the government is involved because it violates federal law – but this falsification of business records is derived from Trump’s unpleasant sex moment with Stormy. All this is his own doing – and he is learning how different the rules are for a criminal defendant in a court of law in America, versus a demagoguery in the court of public opinion. HLC
Authoritarians thrive when they can cling to the frustration of the populous. Sadly, this ends up being a coning on steroids, and these are highly effective too!
They don’t care about you.
Let’s start from the basics – authoritarians, authoritarians wanna-be, and propagandists do not care about you at all. For them your devotion is only a means to an end. And that end is to galvanize their power for them and their also ironically disposable close circle of cronies. YOU as the regular supporter are not invited to that club, even if you attend the galas.
As I said before, this is a swindle on steroids. Sure, you might feel welcomed, and even excited to be in the company of everybody who seems to gravitate towards the authoritarian. A lot of these authoritarians, even if they are not actually all that bright, they do to tend to be charming and engaging. And that actually lowers the guard from unsuspecting victims. And yes, the most ardent supporters could very well be those victims.
A lot of authoritarians turn out to pander to the populous segment of their potential constituency – why? Because there is strength in numbers, they understand that to keep those numbers high enough to get to the base line there are certain things this targeted group of people want to hear. The truth is irrelevant, at this stage of the game. It is more about the delivery of talking point.
Then something interesting happens – obviously a lot of the “promises” won’t be possible (or even legal). Therefore, in most instances these “projects” will become unfulfilled. Therefore, the propagandist will shift to “blaming the other guys” – whomever has been designated as the scape goat. It will never be about personal responsibility for the authoritarian – they will pose as though THEY themselves are never wrong – but they will ironically attack the personal responsibility of whomever is the scape goat.
From there cognitive dissidence will grow. People are complex, and the minds are actually very easily hacked by people who have low scrupulous but understand this game. The majority of the people who are conned are the blind loyal followers, but this – often smaller – group of people can negatively affect the collective. Also, this small group tends to be very vocal, and because they have been taken for a ride, they cannot understand why nobody else would be onboard while listening to the same nonsense, and accepting it cheerfully at face value.
When and if somebody is trying to scam you, they will be charming – and kind – at first… but they will turn on you on a dime, once they reach a certain point. This point could be when they no longer need you, or if you become wise enough to call them out. Whatever the case, they were never looking for your best interest – but they were – often – very compelled to make you believe they were, and make YOU believe every word. They weren’t on your side; they were scamming you.
If you’re draped from head to toe in a political candidate regalia and even use it when not attending a rally – then these propagandists know that you’re a perfect vehicle to spew and repeat whatever narrative, talking points, and buzz words that they half-ass throw at you. These talking points make PERFECT sense when you’re in the echo chamber. They lose a lot of traction once you are out of said cozy echo chamber.
They anticipated this, and they expect you to get defensive and angry to defend the “dear leader” and these – actually – hollow and easily debunkable talking points. They don’t care about the facts, they care about YOUR EMOTIONS, and if your biases are exploitable. If they are, they will not play you like a fiddle, but rather like a full orchestra. And you’ll be happy to be “part of this symphony” – it is designed to be that way. And it works, and has worked for millennia.
There is an easy way to know if you’re been used as part of this gigantic scam. If the “dear leader” is a wimp, a petulant, sophomoric, name-calling, likely already in legal trouble, has a history of controversy, has been previously accused of alleged fraud, their previous staff do not endorse him/her, spews divisive rhetoric to anybody who is “their political adversary,” advocates for punishment for people who disagree with him/her… I can go on. But if you missed any of these red flags, it also says a lot about who you are. Just saying.
The saddest part is that most populist get their power galvanized by inciting divisiveness against another group of people they deemed “more privileged than them” – even if this other group is in fact less affluent, or if they have already more restrictions than this other “angry” group who is chastising them. Yes, it should be counterintuitive, but as I said, people are complex and their cognitive dissidence can be mind-bending.
Let’s finish today’s article by understanding introspection, and to this end remember what I said at the beginning of this article – an authoritarian does not care about you or what you stand for. They care about what biases you have and how they can exploit them in order to galvanize their power. Once they do, then you and your devotion for the dear leader is disposable. This is nothing new, and these dark chapters in history are repeating.
On this new article series, I share some fond mother-daughter adventures. This story is when the fire department had to save the day when I was still a teenager.
Adventuring With Mom Series (Part One):
Mother’s Day is here and although it’s the first without my mom I believe I’m starting to turn a new corner. The first article that I composed was a combination of sadness, pain, and loss but there are so many wonderful memories with Mom that I would like to share with others. In anticipation of this I’m starting a series of stories called Adventuring With Mom that will highlight the light-hearted, interesting, but mostly hilarious aspects of being a recipient of Patricia Espinosa’s “blood flowing through my body” as she would declare with sinister glee and a smile on her face. I hope to create enough recollections that I may create a book filled with them someday but, for today, I want to simply share the smiles and laughter. Let’s begin.
Looking forward to watching a movie together!
In 1993 a lot of great movies were showing in the theaters. This is when Schindler’s List, Menace II Society, Groundhog Day, and Jurassic Park were making cinema history, but it was Philadelphia that caught my family’s interest one late Saturday afternoon starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. I honestly can’t remember exactly who was going to see the movie that day, but I remember Mom and I had made plans to drive over to the Lloyd Center Regal Cinema Complex just as soon as we finished one quick and easy errand. At least that’s what we believed.
I worked at several places when I was young including Chez Jose East, Grill, and West (the latter was sold to a different owner), Suncoast Motion Pictures (merged with Fye), but by far my most challenging job was as a kennel worker at a low-income veterinarian called Peninsula Dog and Cat Clinic on N. Interstate Ave. in between two areas that are called Arbor Lodge and Overlook in Portland, Oregon. I could do an entirely separate article on everything I did at that clinic but, for the purposes of this story, it could be time-consuming.
Not only did I work at the clinic at least twice a week after school, but I was scheduled to clean the kennels every other weekend and this fateful Saturday was part of my weekend to clean. Cleaning entailed a great deal than what it sounds like. I had developed a system after almost a year managing things at the clinic. Soak and wash all the dirty feeding bowls; wash, dry, fold and stow all of the pet beds, blankets, towels, and rags; machine sanitize any used syringes in the exam room; clean and sanitize all cages; change litter boxes; administer prescribed medications and injections (if needed); divvy out clean water and food (as their diet directed); give lots and lots of loving to the dogs and cats and, of course, help dogs use the bathroom in an outdoor enclosure called a dog run. Here is where chaos and destiny will meet.
Mom thought that things could go faster, and we could make it to the movie showing early, if she helped me out this one time. Afterall, we both thoroughly enjoy movie trailers. Who doesn’t? Back then you couldn’t select your seats in advance online. Cell phones didn’t exist. If you didn’t want to sit in the neck break or nosebleed areas of the theater, you better get there early. I knew my mom was like-minded in work ethics. She managed a school cafeteria, daily. I was confident that we could successfully knock everything out in half the time it took me alone. I wasn’t anticipating…Kelly.
Oh, my goodness! Kelly was one of our regular stays and she was the cutest miniature terrier in grey. I had no qualms about letting her out to roam the clinic, freely. The clinic had recently acquired two unadopted kittens, too, that I had named Jim and Spock. Our clinic mascots, Homey and Mishka, didn’t even mind them so I let the kittens out to explore until Mom and I finished chores. Kelly didn’t bother any of the cats because she was more interested in using her adorable looks to get cuddles and pets and Mom wasn’t unaffected by her charm.
After what seemed like an eternity of giving Kelly all the attention I directed Kelly to the dog run. I opened the door to the outdoor enclosure and Kelly bounded past me with gusto and energy. As I redirected my focus on Kelly Mom had made her way into the enclosure, curious to know where all the dogs did their business. In all the excitement I didn’t look up until Mom had completely walked into the enclosure and I heard the door close.
Oh. My. God. No. I asked Mom if she had pulled the door closed or left it cracked open. Her eyes grew wide. She asked me why I asked, and I explained that the door automatically locked from the inside so if she did pull the door behind her, we were screwed. Her face said it all. We were stuck and panic was bubbling to the surface.
While I was looking skyward for answers Kelly happily burrowed into my lap, oblivious to our dilemma. Mom was calling on all her positive energy and began inquiring into what was located around the clinic. Under any other circumstances my teenage persona would’ve been proud to acclaim that Taco Time- home of the crispy chicken burrito- was right on the other side of the dog run. As my thoughts raced Mom sheepishly asked what the covered hole in the middle of the dog run was for and I explained that it’s where all the excrement went.
There was a hose neatly coiled up in a corner of the enclosure and when I noticed her gaze I explained that I used that to rinse everything down after I scrubbed the pavement clean. As she continued to remain eerily quiet my nerves got the best of me, and I squeaked what? “Well, Honey…” she began. “I’m going to have to use it soon.” I started to realize how unreal our situation was even as Kelly just happily galloped around me. I wondered if I was going to get fired if we could figure our way out of this.
I decided that our dignity was gone as I turned around to give Mom some kind of privacy, whatever that was while trapped inside an open top enclosure. As I turned my attention skyward, I could hear customers making their way through the Taco Time drive thru. I could clearly make out their words as transactions of money for food were made at the service window. Wait…
That’s it!! I became giddy and nervous as I talked excitedly to Mom about my idea to get the attention of the drive thru attendant and ask them for help. She readily agreed to it but- honestly- what choice did we have? I started by calling for help. Mom and I called out for help repeatedly. It didn’t take long before we heard a voice filtered through a microphone ask if someone was out there. I immediately raised my voice, careful to control my anxiety, and hurriedly told her this:
“Yes! Yes, we need help! We’re trapped inside the dog run at the veterinarian clinic next to your restaurant.”
I must sound insane. They’re never going to believe me.
“Do you need me to call the police?”
Oh, bless you. Whoever you are, thank goodness that you were raised to give some the benefit of a doubt.
“Yes! Yes. The door is locked from the other side so my mother and I can’t get out.”
A moment of silence. Of course. That’s to be expected under the circumstances.
“Alright. Give me a few minutes.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!!”
A few minutes later…
“Hey! I notified the police and help is on the way!”
“Thank you!”
The sound unlike a soft snicker and then, “You’re welcome.” I deserved that. I’m just glad that help will arrive soon. Mom smiles at me and I grimace a little bit. I can NOT let anyone learn of what has happened here. Especially my friends. I’ll never hear the end of it. As I ask how she’s feeling, we hear a siren in the distance.
The fire department arrives!
Well, that was fast. Another siren joins the first. Maybe an ambulance and a police car? Suddenly two more sirens combine into a literal cacophony of sound nearing closer to the clinic. I stand up and turn around as I stare upward. What on earth do they believe they’re responding to? A robbery?
The sirens are now steady and loud. I imagine four or six fire engines surrounding the Taco Time and veterinarian clinic and I start to feel a little sick. A voice coming from above my head calls out.
“Hello?”
“Uh, yes. Sorry. Yes, we’re trapped inside a dog run- uh, I mean, my mom and I are trapped inside the dog run on the other side of the wall where you are.”
Silence. Then another voice joins in.
“You’re what?? You’re trapped inside a dog run?”
“Yes. Well, it’s where we let the dogs run around- and…use…the bathroom. I work for the veterinarian clinic!”
I start to hear shuffling before a head sporting a fire helmet peaks out above the enclosure. The concerned look on the man’s face melts into a goofy smile as he says to his partner, “Well, this is a first.” My face turns scarlet.
“I’m sorry. The door locks from the other side and my mom didn’t realize until it was too late.”
My Mom simply smiled sweetly up at the fireman and reassured him that we couldn’t figure out any other way to get out. I think the sight of Mom inside the dog run with me was the biggest reason why the fireman instantly regretted his comment and hurried off to investigate. Well, Mom and maybe the sight of Kelly’s cuteness. I’m just saying.
After a few minutes the fireman returned and informed us that the lock on the clinic’s front door wasn’t something that he could pick so he was going to have to break the windowpane closest to the doorknob to gain access. Tears of frustration and anxiety squeezed through my squinting eyes as I told him to go ahead and that I would just have to explain everything to my boss and ask her to take the repair costs out of my pay.
Mom rubbed my shoulder and reassured me that it would be alright, and I believed her because it was my mom telling me this. A few minutes more and we heard the door unlock and a fireman decked out in firefighting gear swung the door open and I could see another fireman walking through the clinic behind him. Holy- Homey and Mishka! Jim! Spock! They can’t get out of the clinic!! I hurriedly asked the fireman about the cats and if he saw them and he immediately reassured me that all four felines were accounted for. In fact, they all froze for a minute after he opened the front door before the kittens headed for the laundry room and Homey just stared at him. As he passed the front desk Mishka cried out a hello and he looked down to see a beautiful tortoise long-hair cat. He removed his glove and briefly pet her head.
We were free, but it was not quite over.
Once the fireman patched up the broken glass with scotch tape and cardboard Mom and I finished offering our gratitude to all the firemen involved and said our goodbyes. I made the awful and awkward call to my boss, Dr. Rebecca Scott, and recited everything that had taken place. Surprisingly, she didn’t charge me. If anything, I think she thought it was funny. A very dry humor but, nevertheless.
In the absence of all the excitement Mom and I suddenly just burst into laughter, tears running down our faces. No one would believe us. Our experience felt one of a kind, truly. By that point the movie had started at least a half an hour ago and, honestly, we were in no hurry.
I can remember when Mom and I creeped through the darkened theater, looking for our seats and the familiar faces of the family. I saw my brother…or maybe my sister…and we both settled into our seats for the rest of the movie, but the plot was difficult to get into while our thoughts settled. Afterward, we told the family what had happened and, as you can imagine, everyone laughed and laughed because it just had to happen to two troublemakers like me and Mom. Simply put, Mom and I were always a strange mother-daughter duo but that is what made me love her even more.
Fast forward to 2020 which is the last time I saw my old boss, Dr. Scott, and she was still doing veterinarian work at a different clinic. Time ages our memories and I don’t think she remembered me anymore, but I explained to her that my Navy career was a success in part because of a lot of the things she taught me when I worked for her. Then I handed her my personal challenge coin and told her that I just wanted to thank her for that. She smiled and I believe some memories came back to her because she asked me if my last name was Espinosa and I told her that it was before I married. It was truly good to see her again even if we couldn’t experience the kind of meaningful conversations that I had with her when we worked at Peninsula Dog and Cat Clinic.
My next article will be something intended to help our transitioning military and veterans. You won’t want to miss out! Please comment and subscribe so you’ll be alerted when new stuff posts. And, to all mothers with love in their hearts, know that you are cherished. Every day. HLC
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there. This article might feel sad for some, but this is my story. And I know that some people out there share their own.
From sadness to happiness.
I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that Mother’s Day brings very mixed emotions to me – as it has for several decades. My own mother passed away in 2015, a month shy of her birthday. She was on her late 60’s but she was in fact gone at least three years before her final breath.
Earlier this year my wife’s mother also passed away. This will be the first year she celebrates Mother’s Day after her mom’s passing. I know for a fact how hard that can be. And I know many readers out there also have felt this pain. And I very much know that when people wish a heartfelt “Happy Mother’s Day” – people who have lost their mothers also experience those mixed emotions. Yet life moves on – but it still ties a knot on our throats.
But of course my wife herself being my daughter’s mother will deserve her own happy celebration. It is very hard to separate these feelings, because automatically millions of memories pour down on our hearts and minds. And while I am happy to celebrate my wife, and all other mothers out there, it is just an automatic reality that I will have those memories pouring like a tsunami. This has been happening every year for a long time – but still I would not dare saying I’m used to it” – because that would be untrue.
I would also be remiss if I did not acknowledge that my grandmother who raised me as a mother also passed away – she passed away in 2004, and her sister, my great-aunt who was like a pseudo-mother also passed away, but she died relatively a short time after my own mother’s passing. Wherever they are I hope they know they are missed and loved. Even though they can’t really hear me today.
HLC Remembering My Mother – www.halflifecrisis.com – Our Story
Mixed Memories from Mother’s Day.
For many years during my childhood I was raised by my grandmother and my great-aunt at my country of birth, Ecuador. At that time my mother was living in the USA trying to bring all her four children. She got a home in the USA ready for us, but the only thing preventing us from leaving was my father. You see in Ecuador the law said that both parents need to sign for any minor leaving the country. That is sensible – but he refused – for several years.
In fact, our family was fragmented for several years as legal battles occurred for that entire time. My mother was able to bring my sister and then my youngest brother the USA after lengthy court battles, but then my younger brother and I remained in Ecuador while we were all separated. My brother and I were lucky if we would get to see our mother for perhaps three weeks every couple of years or so. This went off for years. I can’t even recall how many Mother’s Days I spent with my mother being literally several countries away.
In fact, I only remember ONE Mother’s Day when she was indeed present. I was still in elementary school, or perhaps just shy of the equivalent to Middle School in the USA. In a previous trip when she came to visit us in Ecuador, she brought this electronic keyboard. This was MY first “piano” – since I was the only one from my siblings who played this instrument. And that Mother’s Day I performed in front of the school and all the mothers for Mother’s Day.
I taught one of my friends in school to play Fur Elise by Beethoven and I chose to play her favorite songs. One of those was the very first song I learned to play in that keyboard, which was “A Time for Us” from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack and this other song which I have no idea what’s the actual name, but according to my music keyboard teacher it was called the “fallen tree.”
Regardless that latter was her all-time favorite. Hence, I performed that song especially for her, and anybody else who was in attendance were invited – but the dedication was just for MY mother. This was literally the first Mother’s Day she was actually present. I remember her being on the front row on the school patio, I was wearing this very elegant olive-green striped shirt and matching green pants.
HLC Grandmother – www.halflifecrisis.com – Our Story
The 80’s were different times.
My mother was a trailblazer in Ecuador. No disrespect to my country of birth, but they were pretty behind the curve in a lot of social-enhancing solutions that the rest of the civilized planet was already enacting. Case in point, my mother was the very first woman who divorced her husband, and she also had her own business – a sweater-knitting factory.
This was actually kind of admirable, yet controversial in the country at the time. They say the fruit does not fall too far from the tree – her catch phrase was “I’m busy” – and guess who is just like his mother on that sense – this guy!
In any case, the relationship with my father was strained to say the least. I did not care much about that, but I have to admit that I did feel some sense of jealousy to see in all these events where both parents were together as a family. In my case my mother [justifiably so] could not stand my father, and that among many other reasons led to their divorce. But of course there is always more to the story.
As a fragmented family the reality is that she was always busy – as I mentioned. And all these social events used to tick her off. In fact, she used to get snappy even having to drive me to any place, being a birthday party, or any extra-curricular event, because that was indeed detracting her from what she was doing to make a living for us. Eventually she was offered a better position the USA, and she started the process of bringing us to America. That process took several years.
As the months and years continue moving forward, it felt like an eternity. Somehow when I was a kid a year was like a whole lifetime, – now a year feels like a blink of an eye. And between those key moments and celebrations in our lives, I can count with one hand the times my mother was present. I remember as a young kid when we had to “make a gift” for our mothers on Mother’s Day, but I did not have my mom anywhere near on the planet to give her this gift.
And with a child’s rationale at the time, it just felt wrong to extend this gift to my grandmother because she was not indeed my mother – I know it might sound counterintuitive, and even mean – and trust me, I loved my grandmother, but I knew who my actual mother was, even though my grandmother was raising me as a mother. Regardless, my grandmother would often get the gift that was intended for my mother, but doing so just felt off.
Many years when there were these Mother’s Day celebration at school, the mothers would come to the school and pick up their kids from school and go home as a family after whatever celebration was being prepared for them. These used to be a pretty big deal. Most of those years I was there by myself. I don’t want to sound selfish, but the fact is that it sort of feels the same way today. And this is not meant as disrespect to any mother out there, on the contrary – this is out of respect for my own mother.
I am sure she wanted to be present all those years we were separated. I very well understand how life can take you away from your loved ones, while you make all these sacrifices to forge a better future for your children. I just retired from the US Navy after 20+ years, and for my daughter’s entire lifetime I’ve been just like my mother “always busy.” Even now that I have recently retired from the Navy, I feel like the days just spring by.
Alicia, Samatha Baqueroalvarez
Moving Towards Happiness.
Obviously, I don’t want to end this article on a sad note. Although there is going to be nostalgia and sadness in my heart no matter how genuine my smile will shine. I don’t ask others to try to understand the struggle in my mind, because I don’t understand it myself – not fully anyway.
And even though I am very pragmatic; I don’t really want to “resolve” this feeling. You know why? Because to me it feels like I rob the humanity from my mother, grandmother, and great-aunt – all three women who raised me as a mother. And all of which died while I was unable to be by their side on their last breath. It makes sense to me, even if I stand alone on that feeling.
Yeah, I said it was not hoping to make it sad – I can’t help it though – It is reality for me, I can try to sprint to the moon, but I can’t run away from what happened in my life. But as I said, even though there is a tsunami of emotions and memories falling upon me, I have learned to compartmentalize these emotions. Today I’ll be celebrating my wife. And I am well aware her Mother’s Day is going to be lazed with sadness as well, because she misses her own mother.
I guess with all this emotional word-salad I’ve typed, my point is that many of us miss our mothers. And all of us wish we could celebrate with them today. We can still celebrate on their name, but it is just not the same. I’ve learned to live with this frustrating feeling, even when my mother was alive – but she was far away.
But the bottom line is that when you love somebody it does not matter how far they are from you, they resonate just the same in your heart. And time, distance, or physical presence are not as important, because they live forever in your heart and mind.
And I guess that is how I am wishing my mother, my grandmother, my great aunt, and my mother-in-law a Happy Mother’s Day. They might not be present on the flesh anymore, but they are loved and we remember them. And the larger message is that if you have a mother that is still walking among us, don’t take these moments for granted – because these moments are finite, and you never truly know what tomorrow would bring or take away from you. HLC
Propagandistic derogatory depictions are meant to humiliate and, in some instances, dehumanize the person who has become the target. Learn to defeat it!
They are exploiting your biases.
I’ve been saying this for a while, propaganda is about stimulating that visceral response all humans have. Some people have a higher proclivity to fall for this trap depending on their environment, their upbringing, their current circumstances, etc. In other words, we’re all vulnerable – it just depends how much exposure you’re getting to this divisive rhetoric, and what’s your life is like at the time of said divisive exposure.
It’s a mind game, and sadly all humans – even “good people” can be extremely cruel if they are led to a dark path. With that said, I am very much emphasizing that I do not condone cruelty against others. But cruelty has been proven to be very much a possibility for all people. Much like we all could feel lazy at some point, or get infatuated towards somebody who is toxic. Keep this last part in mind as you read this article, because propaganda clings and it stems from this vulnerability.
It has been used from the beginning of time, a caricaturized depiction to drive a point that could range from endearing to extremely divisive. But in reality, even a real photo can be used to depict a person in a negative light. Do yourself a favor, record a videoclip of yourself with your camera while reading a paragraph. Now look at this video clip frame by frame, or stop it at various random points. What do you see?
Well, you’re going to see that we all have a tendency of making very different “faces” as we speak. Some will be very flattering, some will be very much unflattering, and there will be many bizarre expressions in between. A lot of times, propagandists will use an unflattering image of whomever they are targeting in order to humiliate them, and sometimes to dehumanize them. Let’s talk more about the latter.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
Dehumanizing people – a precursor to genocide.
It is very easy to push people into an “us against them” war, if you don’t really know who is “them” as human beings. Remember that every person in the world has a story, some people have happy stories, some have extremely tragic tribulations – and everything in between. And also, people change based on their environment. In other words, we can all go through a very diverse range of experiences in our lifetimes.
We become the average of the five people closest to us. Simply put we will be changing as our company changes. When we are in a social bubble where everyone seems to think, look, and act just like we do – then everybody else will feel like an outsider. And a lot of times people are very leery of “strangers” – or anyone who they have not met. Well, newsflash, we humans are more similar than different, regardless of culture.
Yes, cultural traits will have a level of uniqueness – but those are also environmental – meaning that are based on what has been normalized in a particular area by a particular group of people. By exploiting people’s fear against others that seem to be “outside that group” it is very easy to rob them of their humanity, should an authoritarian propagandist find it pertinent to enact violence towards others. And no, it is not only a racial situation. There are many different ways people can be marginalized, and propagandists will hone into those biases – even if it is a very gradual process.
How can we defeat them? By understanding that whenever they are trying to rob somebody else’s humanity – it is not just because they want to divide us, but more nefariously, because they expect those exposed to that propaganda to either condone or inflict harm onto that targeted and dehumanized group – whenever directed to do so. It is even more insidious than that, because at that point it will feel like it was the “individual person’s” idea and commitment to carry on with these crimes.
This is exactly what has happened throughout history. People depicted in a dehumanized manner have been attacked and often became victims of prosecution, harassment, disenfranchisement, lynchings, or even genocide. This violence brews for as long this was implanted in the aggressor hearts and minds, and many of those who will ultimately carry the crimes were hoping and waiting for that call for action issued by the “authority in charge.” WE can stop this from happening TOGETHER. Yes, it takes a collective effort. HLC
For the USA in our traditionally binary political construct third party candidates don’t usually have much traction, and RIGHT NOW, they can be disrupting.
Too late for Third-Party Candidates.
I’ll be the first one to tell you that the USA does actually need a third-party option, because the binary system we have is indeed flawed. But that does not mean that RIGHT NOW is the optimal time for a third option, because it is not – and that is heartbreaking. Then again, the political climate and lack of understanding of this process by the majority of the collective is what put us in this situation we are currently experiencing.
So, what is the problem? The problem is that a third-party candidate won’t win, period. But they could very well destroy the campaign of any left or right party candidates – depending on where these third-party candidates seem to pander towards on the political spectrum. Yes, third party candidates can come from a high mixture of political leanings. For example, a right-leaning person peppered with some left-leaning attributes, or vice versa – and anything in between.
But the fact is that RIGHT NOW in 2024 a third-party candidate, even if the candidate himself or herself is not aware of this – they can literally destroy our democracy. Does it sound hyperbolic? I wish it was. In this case a third-party candidate would resonate with some of the more undecided, or least savvy group of the voting block – and even with some who just go third party “because they don’t like” either left or right option.
But guess where those third-party votes would go? They go nowhere, except to decrease the number of votes from either left or right party candidate. Yes, I repeat it on purpose. Why? Because at this point in our history YOU as a voter really need to understand what the GOP and Democrat candidate platforms are really about, and what are they actually advocating for. I am not going to tell you how you should vote – I am telling you that your real options in 2024 for the USA are the ones from the larger parties. And no, I don’t like it either.
Probably you have heard by now about some of the controversy surrounding third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) and his brain-eating worm. That, surprisingly, is the least problematic part of his entire platform. He has a lot of fringe views that are too extreme even for some of the most extreme voters from either side. Yet, they resonate with some of those who are missing context on what it’s been proposed by RFK. For example, his championing of anti-vaccination.
But let’s for a moment go back in history, when Kayne West threw his hat for the US Presidency in 2020 – he lost obviously. But it was likely meant to persuade a lot of democrat voters to leave the party and follow him – even if Kanye never really realized that he was just another element on the presidential campaign strategies from his opposition. In fact, to disrupt the larger opposition candidate. For this we have to understand that political campaigns from the candidate and their opposition are very complex, and depending on how shrewd they are, their tactics can be mind-blowing indeed – for better or worse.
I’ll finish today’s article by saying this. In the USA we have two choices for the 2024 election. One choice is facing criminal charges – right now, and losing his case on the merits – and might get prison time. And has 90+ other criminal charges, his previous cabinet disavowed him at various degrees, and a large number of his circle were found guilty of crimes. The other option is the incumbent President and he has none of the baggage the other candidate is contending with. It should be an obvious choice, but apparently that level of understanding still seems varsity-level for many voters.
Although Incumbent President Biden is not perfect (in reality nobody is perfect), the improvement in America is actually palpable, and many of the popular things right-wing leaders are taking credit for at all levels of government, are the exact same they voted against! Don’t take my word for it, the voting record is open for anybody who wishes to review it. Here, so you don’t have to google it (unless you want to). This is for the US House of Representatives and this is for the Senate. Find out if your favorite politician is lying to your face.
Spoiler alert, many are lying to your face – and insulting your intelligence. By adding some third-party candidates who have a snowball chance in hell of wining allows these toxic elected leaders who are destroying your life to remain unchallenged – because mathematically they are erasing the competition by enabling these distracting candidates to syphon votes away from their opposition. How? Well, for starters you can see if a third candidate is being propped by a party as a” better choice” for their opposition. Yes, it can be THAT obvious.
I’ll be writing more about this topic, and how this adds to the larger topic of Authoritarian Propaganda – because we are all stuck with it. Even if you want to look away it does not matter, because this reality will engulf you too. Meanwhile I invite you to read my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, or my many articles, so you can see how history is repeating – and what YOU can do about it. HLC
Have you ever noticed that some authoritarians seem to get away with tons of mayhem, but anybody else is castigated for doing the same stuff? Here is why.
The double standard starts very early.
Authoritarians start their reign of terror as “authoritarians wanna-be” – fortunately most of them are pretty awful at it, and end up drifting into the shadows. Those who graduate to full authoritarian do it because of their clout. In other words, they are only as powerful as their followers allow them to be. Those who drifted in the shadows just could not gain a clout that was “strong enough.”
And this is an important distinction, because authoritarians will traffic on the court of public opinion. Propaganda is meant to be easily digestible, and to “hit a nerve.” In other words, get your emotions to overwrite your common sense and sensibility for pragmatic decision making. And it works, because it makes the targeted people think they are the smartest in the room with a faux-moral superiority, while it can discourage the victims from standing up for themselves. It’s a tactic as old as humanity itself – and it works!
In other words, it has become a game of popularity. And much like a “celebrity” or “star-struck” syndrome, people who are sometimes in the presence of this person can start to develop some sort of affinity. Even if at first impression they did not care for this person. For example, a lot of Ultra MAGAs today did not like Trump at all before. But the more they saw him, the more they became familiarized with him. Suddenly even some of those idiosyncrasies become endearing to them. That’s when the slippery slope gains unmitigated following.
To illustrate this point, I will continue citing former US President Trump as an example of how people can get very emotional and go up in arms in the defense of this object of their affections – or in some instances very much on the offense. And a mirrored but similar emotion might happen in the hearts and minds of his opposition.
Bottomline, this person is already polarizing. This is convenient for any authoritarian propagandist, because people are already primed to “find their place” on the chessboard. And from there it is very easy to exploit the biases from those for or against [in this example] Trump. Even if the propagandist is really targeting Trump’s clout, and is only featuring Trump as another useful [yet prominent] fool in the equation.
Am I saying that Trump is an authoritarian? Not quite, but he is definitely an authoritarian wanna-be, and he exhibits all the traits we’ve seen in history – even if he has not realized it himself. The only difference is that on Trump these red flags and indicators are a lot more prominent and on the nose. Yet this makes his followers cling even more to him. It is paradoxical, but it works. Because they are not as enamored with Trump, as they are enamored with the perception that they did not make a wrong choice by following him.
Any person who literally acts like a cry-baby, who calls sophomoric nicknames to people he dislikes, has a rap sheet longer than a roll of toilet paper, has likely a lot of legal issues, who is opening advocating for illegal activities [ironically in the name of justice], but attacks the same systems that held anybody else accountable – if he is on the receiving end, etc.
We’ve seen this behavior in authoritarians before. And if you think this should be tolerated, let’s say that in this case Biden is exhibiting the same traits? Would Trump followers give Biden the same benefit of the doubt under the same metric? Think about it.
This is a complex topic; therefore, we’ll be breaking it down through many other articles in order to make it easier to understand. The game is complex because it is meant to confuse you. Much like an illusionist uses misdirection to perform a trick – this is similar but much larger in scope and scale. But the end game is the same, to get their adoring followers to fall into an awe-like trance – and implant whatever false reality they want them to perceive as truth.
When it comes to group mentality, it is a lot easier to gravitate towards a particular “reality” in your immediate environment. For example, when people go to a night-club, maybe they are not used to drink in excess or even smoke when they are on their own – but now that they are with this particular group setting and this festive environment, they might feel more enticed to drink or smoke in this social setting.
Something similar happens with brand loyalty. It might be an inferior product – but if that is the one everybody seems to be consuming in this group, soon it will become the “favorite.” People are generally afraid or at the very least very uneasy about change. And once they build some familiarity with a figure, then they tend to automatically lower their guard. Even if the person is menacing – but it is familiar. It’s a strange phenomenon.
But remember what I said at the start of this article. An authoritarian is only as strong as their followers. The last chapter of my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools goes on detail about it. And it is the last chapter on purpose, because by then you’ll get a huge dose of introspection for what that really means.
This article will also help you get towards that realization. And I am writing many small articles after my books because this topic on authoritarian propaganda is gigantic – and it is already been weaponized against you. That way you can follow along, because everything I am telling you is happening and it will affect you – just like it affected millions of people before us. And many people back then were not paying attention until it was too late. This series is meant to change those dark history chapters from repeating. HLC
The one thing all authoritarians have in common is that they are thin-skinned, which is by the way why they pose as “strong” and domineering. It’s just a façade.
Why are authoritarians thin-skinned?
Simply put, because they know they are a fraud, and they are actually very insecure people. Despite the fact many authoritarians indeed convince their adoring followers that this “dear leader” persona is strong, and self-assured – they cannot hide their insecurities from themselves. That is why authoritarians tend to always act as though they never make mistakes. And if they concede to a mistake is really a humble brag. Yes, they have very low self-esteem under all that bravado.
When I wrote my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, I very deliberately chose not to talk about any authoritarian who is currently alive. Why? Because authoritarians [and their acolytes] tend to be extremely vindictive. Hence, unless they come back from their death, then it was safer for me to speak about their deeds from recorded history. However, there is no shortage of authoritarians who are very much alive right now. This also includes plenty of authoritarian wanna-be folks who are gaining a lot of traction.
I’ve been speaking on this topic for quite a while now, and everything I’ve predicted has very much occurred. What’s coming next is a lot worse and that is why I continue writing so much about it. Even though it feels I generally scream into a void. And the reason why this is frustrating is because meanwhile the antics of current authoritarians are gaining more and more traction. Especially when authoritarians and authoritarian wanna-be personalities are spewing all the indicators I describe in exuberant detail.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
Enter the “yes men and women.”
Did you know that you’re an accessory to a crime if you witness it and decide to simply look the other way? For example, if you witness domestic abuse from your neighbor and let it be, and this violence escalates to the point a person victimized in that household dies – what was your role in this crime? Well, it would be your failure to enact bystander intervention [perhaps calling the authorities], and I know this example is very much on the nose, but something similar – and often more complex happens with authoritarianism.
Every authoritarian in history (to include the history we are writing right now) surrounds himself or herself with obedient loyalist, these useful fools will parrot and make mental gymnastics to justify whatever antic, misdeed, crime, misdemeanor, legal trouble, accusation, or anything else that would be challenging to the “dear leader.” And some of those rationales will be very weak at best, and indeed very insulting to the intellect of any person who has two brain cells to rub.
But this gaslighting they perform is because they are pandering to an audience of one, the “dear leader” – they realize that by feeding the authoritarian’s ego, they get to log a bit more “face-time” with this perceived powerful figure. What they forget is that they (their adoring acolytes) are also disposable, no matter how much they compromise their principles, dignity, and even their humanity. Authoritarians only care about themselves. Some are shrewder than others, but if they show any type of interest in you it is because it is primarily self-serving to them.
That is why you’ll see the acolytes going out of their way to make the “dear leader” feel as that they are smarter than everybody else, and if the “dear leader” says something demonstrably moronic, they will “interpret” on whatever they “think” this person said – in a manner that would be [hopefully] less moronic. Just realize that if you see a pedantic, loud-mouthed figure who viciously attacks his opponents, it is very likely because this person is insecure. They have low self-esteem, because they know they are never as good as their opposition. Even if his adoring fans think they are better – it is all a façade.
Every “strong man” in history who was ruling with an iron fist was actually a very weak person. They relied on the muscle of their followers to incite their faux bravado, and have their followers perpetrate heinous crimes against humanity. It is because they are weak. Real strength comes with fortitude of character, by understanding that sometimes we are wrong, but we can become better than we were yesterday by improving on our shortcomings.
Authoritarians cling to your biases, and project their insecurities onto you. That is why a lot of their acolytes display furious rage when defending their “dear leader.” People around the world had realized these indicators way too late. I am here to give you that important shortcut, because time is at a premium, and we are collectively behind the power curve, and the authoritarians and authoritarians wanna-be are very close to reaching the finish line. HLC
To TRULY control the narrative is a lot more abstract than most people think. In fact, some indicators would be akin to playing poker by showing your cards.
A potential propagandistic factor.
“First with the truth” – this was the official rationale that communication methods used to push a story. The premise is that whomever is the first one with to speak up, they are the first ones to “control the narrative.” I am here to fly the BS flag. That might feel idealistic, and make sense on paper – but the human mind is a lot more complex than that oversimplified concept.
For example, there are folks who believe the world is flat, or that the moon landings were fake. There are literally millions of resources to prove the validity for the world being round and the fact that mankind went to the moon, but misguided skepticism will prevail on their minds. In fact, some people who think the world is flat or believe the moon-landing conspiracy are probably pretty upset when reading this article.
That proves my original point, that controlling the narrative is extremely subjective. And quite frankly, great numbers of people will choose to believe what they WANT, and that WANT is not necessarily tied to empirical reality. This phenomenon is actually more tied to bias exploitation, and the fact that people hate being called out for being wrong – and would prefer to cling to any mistake than accept they were wrong.
But news flash! We ALL can be wrong at some point – in fact we all make mistakes. It is part of learning. Two things in life you cannot buy are talent and experience. The way to build talent is through experience, and the way you build experience will have a substantial amount of trial and error. That’s fine and expected. Yet some people struggle with that simple reality.
Not everything is at it seems, and yes – sometimes reality might seem counterintuitive to a casual observer (even if they feel they are keen observers) – if you see it from a flawed vantage point, then YOUR PERCEPTION of reality will be skewed. Case in point, flat-earthers. They don’t have a first-hand vantage point to rationalize the physical planetary reality, and when presented with actual scientific methods to debunk that misperception – if they accept that science was actually correct, then that will imply that the flat-earthers (for this example) were incorrect – and if they were wrong about this, in their minds the struggle will be… what ELSE are they wrong about?
This is terrifying for anybody who already has an exploited bias. This is because it [sometimes unconsciously] would make them feel that their entire life was a farse, and they were exponentially foolish – especially if they were adamant at spewing [or arguing and debating otherwise] basic science and debunkable points with people who spent their lives studding and making a living on those scientific fields.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
How can this be exploited through propaganda?
I said it before, and it is worth repeating. People hate being told they are wrong. Especially if somehow, deep inside, even if they try to conceal it – they have no iota of perception that they might very well be wrong. Most people have this internal barometer, kind of like an instinctual guide to know if we are on the wrong track.
One way to know if you’re wrong is if somebody challenges you and your natural response is going ape s–t about it (even if you try to keep your composure). In reality you’re angrier at yourself, and you are reflecting that frustration on the person who points that mistake out to you. Much like if you’re in a toxic relationship and your sibling tells you that your significant other is cheating on you – you’re likely going to snap at your sibling, and cling and doble down in favor of the toxic relationship.
Deep inside, you probably know that you’re been cheated upon, and that this relationship is going nowhere fast – but you are just NOT READY to DEAL with it RIGHT NOW. Hence, mental gymnastics will spin until hopefully things work themselves out, and try to give you another glimpse of being in the right place. This is by the way why people look for a confirmation bias in their cozy echo chambers. I know, mind-blown, huh?
Therefore, when you’re trying to control the narrative – if you are dealing with a group that is already compromised, the reality might not mean jack s—t to them, because they are not ready to accept it. If anything, they will double down on the fallacy. But if you’re actually a person who has not been compromised, then these indicators – if they are intended for propaganda – will seem extremely obvious.
In my booksAuthoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools, and Woke & Proud the Charlatans’ Inconvenience, as well as the several dozens of articles I am offering for you for free in all my official platforms – are intended to teach you how to identify propaganda miles away. And how to flip the authoritarian propagandist narrative on its head. We’ll be talking more about this topic, because it is actually an existential threat, and like it or not we are all in this together. Why? Because we live on the same planet, that’s why. HLC
