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
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
No, the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King did not eradicate racism in America. What it did was give a STARTING POINT to a leveled plain field.
Understanding Racism.
It is unsavory, and several still think it is a moot point, even in America, the land of the free – home of the brave, to even think that racism exists. It has been in a larger scope almost camouflaged, but sadly it is very much a reality. And what it is more insidious is that it is not only regaining traction, but it is also morphing into negatively affecting even more groups than just those who are linked by the color of their skin.
When you see it pragmatically, then you realize the obvious: Racists are extremely ignorant people, not just in the sociological aspect of how cultures work, but even in the actual anatomical and evolutionary process of how human beings adapted to their environment based on geography. By the way, a lot of racists for several reasons don’t understand evolution, hence they don’t accept the theory of evolution either way. Which is on its own an additional bag of witfully ignorant issues.
The fact is that the human “races” do not really exist. We might have different skin colors, and share some similar looks depending on the geographical origin; but we are all the same species. Yes, we can interbreed, and if you get a life-saving blood transfusion, it does not matter what the color of the skin from the donor. It will be human blood regardless. In fact, our skin color is directly linked to our ancestors’ geographical dwellings, and how sunlight affects those areas.
Melamine is the natural substance that causes the pigmentation of our eyes, skin, and hair color. The more melamine you have, the darker these will get. What’s the purpose? It prevents you from getting roasted under the hot sun to the point you would get skin cancer. It’s part of the wonderful human evolution process. That is why many folks get tanned when they go to the beach, because the body produces melamine to try to protect them from the sun rays.
But if you’re a person with a very light skin tone, you might not tan at all, but actually get directly sunburn. That trait would be genetically passed as your ancestors developed in an area where the sun was not as intense as other areas. Hence, that is why a lot of people in the northern hemisphere have lighter skin, and many of us on the tropics and southern hemisphere will have a darker complexion.
In other words, the lighter skin was a consequence to allow people living on those areas as much scarce sun exposure as they could, and the darker skin was to protect them from the excessive amounts of sun. And that is why color pigmentation is prevalently linked to geography. Sure, that today the world is more globalized and it will take many generations to adjust people’s skin color, but remember that humans have been wondering the planet for several thousands of years.
That is why I said before that we are all human no matter what color skin, hair, or eyes we have. Every person is a human being, and racism robs them from their humanity. And that racism, or misunderstanding of cultures is a prime catalyst for opportunistic demagogs, propagandists, authoritarians, and “authoritarians-wanna be” to boost people’s ignorance to mobilize the most ignorant segment against a particular group of people.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
Racism is dynamic, sadly.
Let me emphasize that it is geography and the actual intensity of the sun what will dictate how much melamine you will get. Let me give you a quick example, although I am from Hispanic descent I am fairly light skinned. But when I was in the US Navy underway and having to be topside for a while, my skin got a lot darker on any area that was exposed to the sun, mainly my face, neck, arms, and hands. But the rest of my body was still as pale as before I was spending time topside under the blazing sun. I was still the same person, but my skin color adjusted to protect me from the harmful sun rays.
Sadly, simply put skin color is not the only trait that racist will ping on. They will also start hitting a group’s culture. And I will give you an example from history that it is very much on the nose, but it shows how despicable this double standard existed even in the West – and while fighting a global conflict. This example dates to World War II. As many people know the USA, Great Britain and the Soviet Union were fighting the axis of evil – which was essentially Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Empire of Japan.
When the counter-propaganda, and other literature that was generated by the USA to depict the adversary it was very riddled with racist overtones. The Nazis, who were also majority white would be depicted as malign, but not dehumanized. In contrast, when the same war-publication efforts were depicting Japanese people, they were depicted in a subhuman form. More akin to stereotypical and exaggerated caricatures, and in very grotesque manners.
Both of these groups, Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan were adversarial forces, and both were foes who rightfully had to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Yet only one of those two adversaries was depicted as subhuman. Unsurprisingly, for Nazi Germany, they also depicted Jewish, Roma, disabled, or any other groups they disenfranchised as subhuman. Racism is nothing new, and to a large extent it was condoned, and in many households in America it is very much condoned and taught as morally superior – even if they try to keep in under wraps – and only share these views within a certain group of like-minded (and-looking) folks.
But what it is also happening now at an exacerbated rate is racism by association. In other words, discrimination against people who have a certain color of skin, but being discriminated against if they have a relationship with a person of a different skin color. How terrible is that trend? It is very disturbing, because nowadays it seems that those who have the most divisive rhetoric are getting the most attention, and many less-than-informed folks seem to be agreeing to their misinformation at face value.
One of such cases is why I wrote my book Woke & Proud the Charlatans’ Inconvenience. Because the demonization of the term “woke,” sadly has a very large racist component to it, even though some people don’t realize it. And in fact, are not even able to define the term. I defined it, and I use it as a case study for propagandistic narratives, as I wrote in my book Authoritarianism & Propaganda the Puppet Master Tools.
I will leave you with this for today. We – today -cannot be held responsible for what our ancestors did. However, we are very much responsible for the decisions and actions WE take ourselves TODAY. I’ll be writing a lot more thought-provoking articles like this, please follow the entire series. It will be more than 100 articles like this one. HLC
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.
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
No matter the dissenting opinions, we are Americans under the same sky – J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez
America is experiencing pivotal events in our history. Whether you lean to the left or right side of the political spectrum, we must learn to work together.
The division in America is widening each day.
If you check most types of media outlets nowadays, the narrative is similar – “us against them.” This is happening at an accelerated rate, and it needs to stop, because we are eroding America from the inside out. And if this happens, we have to ask ourselves: Who wins if America fails? The answer is simple, those who benefit if America fails.
And who is this cabal of anti-Americans? You might or might not be surprised to learn that this group of people span the entire world, and yes – some are even inside our own borders – and they were born in America. This later one is more nuisance, because even though they are American themselves, and might be operating under the impression that they are on America’s side – they are destroying the very fabric of the country at an accelerated rate.
It is sad but true that it is very easy to highjack the intrinsic goodness of people, and turn it against them. Worst of all, some of those who had their best intentions highjacked can very well be convinced they are fighting the good fight. This is happening around the world. Some have already destroyed the fabric of their own countries, bamboozled under a faux outrage that misdirected their candor and ire against their best interests.
Are we next? I would not quite say “next” – because that is very much happening right now in real time. But before we explore this phenomenon, let’s talk a bit about this cabal of those who want to destroy America… or at the very least bump America off the number one spot as a world-leader. Is it too bad being number two? It is worse than most people would imagine. And that is why this process of bumping the USA off the world stage has been executed for such a long time, and for many has been mostly unnoticed. Afterall, if you’re number one, your place is forever secured right? No, wrong. But those who have something to win from that delusion will surely make you think that is the case.
American Exceptionalism – not always a welcome concept…
It is not unusual for Americans to call the United States “the BEST country in the world.” How do you think people in other countries, even the ones we like us view and perceive that statement, and sentiment? If your guess is that they feel super happy for the USA and they are super stoked about it, then you’re delusional. The reality is that most people around the world, though they would agree that the USA is a world-leader, in fact resent the fact that Americans call themselves the best of the best in the world stage.
American exceptionalism is called by many other countries “American Arrogance” – and either if you agree or disagree with that narrative, that’s the opinion of a non-insignificant number of people around the world. And if you’re an American, this might make you angry, or make you feel bad, sad, or perhaps even combative about their perception. “How dare these many millions of people around the world not agree that the USA is the best nation in the world!” And to be fair, America is indeed a leader in many, many facets. Not all good, not all bad.
For example, from some of the not so good, we are number one in gun violence. We are also number one in the most expensive health care system on the planet. Oh, and we are also number one on incarcerating people. Yet when it comes to education, we are nowhere near number one, when it comes to wealth gaps we are also pretty far behind. And don’t get me wrong, the USA is a wonderful place, unlike no other. But you see, I also have a very different vantage point than most of the world.
For instance, I’ve lived in the USA most of my life, and I’ve served in uniform north of 20 years. Also, both my wife and daughter were born in the USA, and I have been afforded levels of trust by America that is only limited to very few people alive. My love for the United States of America is beyond what anybody could quantify or even imagine. It is vaster than the expanses of the known universe. And that is why I have no problem speaking truth to power.
What makes the United States of America truly the most amazing place in the world is the AMERICAN PEOPLE – we have the most diverse demographics in the world. There is representation of every corner of the planet who are American Citizens, and Permanent Residents. But not only that, we also have people from all over the world who come and serve in our Armed Forces, in our agencies, and many other segments of our nation, expanding our scope of knowledge and understanding of what is needed to make us better each day. This diversity is inconvenient to those who want to destroy America as we know it.
Is there room for improvement? Of course there is! Even the fanciest smart phone, which already does more mind-bending taskings that we ever imagined possible just a few short years ago has room for improvement. We cannot live from past wins alone; this is a continuous journey. Change is inevitable, otherwise it creates stagnation. Following the cell phone example. What if we had just settled for flip phones in the early 2000’s? And if you’re old to remember those days, having a cool flip phone back then was a huge deal. Today, if you can find those, it might as well be in a museum of obsolete technology.
That is what diversity brings, new ideas – new concepts – new innovations – additional points of view. Some that will be welcome at first sight, some might be more challenging, if they seem to be disrupting the status quo. Continue with the phones example, back in the day we used to have rotary phones… you know those with the big wheel with numbers you had to spin to dial. Imagine for a second if we had kept those rotary phones and by doing so negate ourselves the possibilities to innovate to the technological advances we have today when it comes to telecommunications.
Some of the more cynical readers might think that I went on a tangent. Starting from American exceptionalism to rotary phones. Well, there is a reason why I frame it in such a way. The minds of people are getting highjacked to become one-dimensional. My writing style is meant to rebuild that abstract part of thinking in order for us to understand the bigger picture and stop being bamboozled. I have to be a bit more on-the-nose nowadays, because sadly we are running out of time. The adversary is winning, and we are losing ground.
So, let’s bring this back together to the American Exceptionalism. There are regimes who are diligently capitalizing on the resentment people around the world have been brewing against the USA for several decades. Meanwhile, they are positioning themselves as a better alternative to the USA. If the USA – by its own hand destroys itself, they win by default. It is even more insidious than that. They will try to get the USA to join the “bad regimes” club, and create a division so massive inside our own borders that it will implode, and win by default. Either way, they would win.
Sadly, I can only oversimplify on this article, because the entire premise alone is enough to write an entire book. We don’t have time to go through all that. But fortunately, I’ve written and released two books that help that effort. And also, I’ve written a myriad of long-form articles that deal with this exact theme. I wrote all this because I saw it coming, I’ve warned a lot of people – some took heed, many have no idea what is coming their way.
These books are nonfiction historical assessments that help defeat authoritarian propaganda.
In my series “Today in America” I add important turning points in our American History, and how this is playing a pivotal role in how we are been bamboozled into fighting one another, and for the rest of those who are unaware – to remain unaware, thus giving card blanche to an adversarial regime to take over their lives, as the unsuspected American segment of willfully ignorant people have given tacit consent to others to dictate their lives without as much as a semblance of awareness.
Are many Americans arrogant? You can bet your full paycheck that many are, and that is the impression many around the world see of this otherwise great nation. There is a lot of merit for why the USA has become the de facto world-leader, but that does not mean that other countries do not feel that that situation rubs them the wrong way. And before you think “well F-em” – think again, because – first that shows that you are indeed arrogant, and foolish. People around the world have choices, even if they owe something to America. Much like if you have a mortgage with a bank, and there is another bank that offers you a better rate – you might refinance. In the strategic level of geopolitics, it is very similar.
Being a world leader.
You’ve probably heard the term “it is lonely on the top” – and indeed it can be if a person burned bridges and used others as stepping stones to reach to the top. Politics, for better or for worse, have a huge role to play in the way we are perceived around the world. Every time people in congress throw verbal feces at each other, somebody in a country who dislikes the USA uses that as a propaganda point to show that “the US system of government is flawed.” That is a phenomenal gift on a golden platter to an authoritarian regime.
No matter if you are an American or not, rip the proverbial bandage right now, the USA has a lot of room for improvement, but it is right now (at the time I write this article) remains the best alternative for a myriad of reasons. For better or worse, whatever happens in the USA will be followed by countries around the world as an acceptable status quo. If you are not from the United States, you might or might not like the USA – but regardless the USA remains a world leader in many respects that are beneficial to the entire world.
Has the system been abused by a few unscrupulous and opportunistic entities? Absolutely yes. Can it be fixed? Yes! But it is not an automatic process. What makes the USA the USA is the PEOPLE! And people need to have a full grasp and understanding of what is affecting them. Especially the “boring and scary” parts that are usually left unattended. I can ask many Americans right now about what is most important in the current news cycle. Many will concede (and indeed when I asked them) that they “don’t follow the news” – but they can tell you the entire gamma of TV shows, movies, games, video games, and other entertainment with superlative detail. That especially in 2024 – which perhaps is the most influential election year in our lifetimes is not a good trend.
With that said, MOST people in the USA are actually wonderful and caring people, no matter where you are. Is there rampant misinformation that has been dividing us? Yes, again – and that is what I am trying to change through my writing. But I have to admit that this is not an easy task. There is no shortage of people who are “talking” about what is going on – but I don’t see much “doing” about it. This part of me “doing something” – but there is a lot more that I do, and that is engaging with any group of people I can interact with. Especially if they have a point of view that has been highjacked by propaganda.
I’m happy to report that some people with whom we had conversations, eventually had an epiphany. They did not agree with me at first – but I like to plant seeds that will be tumbling on a person’s mind for a while. They eventually will find the correct answer. Why? Because facts don’t care about our feelings, the truth comes to light at some point. It does not matter how hard we try to hide from it. The problem is that the truth is not always as palatable as propaganda. Propaganda is easily digestible; the truth can be a hard pill to swallow. Especially if we were enamored with the incorrect narrative.
You’ve probably heard also this phrase: “The chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” The propagandists and regimes who are hellbent in destroying America are preying on those weakest links. The trick is that they will make them believe they are the strongest links in the proverbial chain. It is very easy to do so in fact. People (in particular) with some unapologetic on-your-face alpha personalities can be very susceptible to running errands for an authoritarian. Sorry, that’s what normally happens. But non-alphas also have vulnerabilities that can be quite exploitable. It takes different levels manipulation to target each segment. This can result in the “us against them” reality I was speaking of at the top of this article.
And to bring it full circle – being a leading nation is not a matter of having only “a few good people who are good and well informed” does not help the collective from being a premiere nation. For example, in countries where information is curtailed and controlled by the regime, there is no diversity, nor tolerance for different points of view – the perception of reality gets skewed to the point that the population has no recourse but to stagnate. They will instead be waiting for whatever is being fed to them as far as thinking (and sometimes literally for sustainment).
Conversely, when there is a diversity of points of view, there will be more checks and balances. That does not mean that you have to “agree” with every different point of view. Some of those points of view (even your own) could very well be divorced from reality. But even on those events, that is not an entirely negative situation, because you can also understand where there could be cognitive traps (cognitive dissidence). Having people smart enough to realize that there are blind spots is a good place to start when searching for facts.
But I’ve said it before, and I will say it again – there is a sizable number of people who confuse facts with opinions. A fact is logical, measurable, and demonstrable. An opinion can very well be simple conjecture and divorced from reality. The latter is of course very convenient for propagandists who want to implant a “plausible” version of events – even if when put in context it would not be plausible at all. But of course, that is why those unsuspected people won’t be afforded the full context. It is designed to be that way.
Although this situation certainly happens in the USA, we are far from being the only country in the world suffering from the same situation. Tragically, due to the fact that the United States is such an important and influential country (like it or not), the collective dissidence affects the entire world (again like it or not). And even if there are other countries around the world looking in awe, horror, or contempt that the USA is struggling – it also negatively affects THEM sooner or later.
Leadership is a privilege, not a right. However, in places where they can still elect their leaders – the rules have been tilted in some superficially innocuous directions. But the truth is a lot darker; political influence is not a single-country issue. There are regimes who realize that the more global their influence, the more they can get away with other nefarious agendas. Agendas that most definitely affect their own countries, but it also tilts the game at a much deeper level. That is where things get a lot more complex – because it becomes abstract, and it is hidden in plain sight.
While the majority of people are busy living their own lives, the direction for which their road is being skewed happens beneath their own noses. The changes are gradual – and as they continue in their life journey – however long it takes, the destination was already predetermined for millions of people. That is why understanding history in proper context is so important. I’ve said it a million times, and I will continue saying it – propaganda is meant to be palatable, and easily understood. Of course, it is because it becomes the vehicle for subliminal marching orders – and these orders can very well be against the obedient person’s best interests.
So, if you’re an American – like it or not – what you do adds to the collective effort for the rest of the planet. No pressure. But that should not be a bad thing. In fact, when we conduct ourselves in a good way that is meant to help each other out, the benefits are returned with high returns. And no, I am not asking about donating, or giving stuff away for free. But for example, if you have friends who own a restaurant, or that they provide a service, recommending their services or using those services yourself already contributes to the betterment of our society.
The problem is that most people now seem like a walking price tag. And often asked to pay more than they can afford – especially if they are in the lower parts of the economic scale. When Americans can’t work together, what is the message the rest of the world sees? They would assert something along the lines “if the USA is no longer a world leader, then it is time for a different country (even their own) to be that leader.” This can be very beneficial or polarizing to the world stage – but remember that at this time in history, where there is great power competition, there are some regimes that are far ahead of the curve. And letting the USA out to dry (like it or not) is not the best answer.
But when it comes to a person put in charge, it does not mean that person is an actual leader. There is a huge difference between the two. And when we compound the millions of people collective in that country, and there are few awesome people and a bunch of non-awesome people, what is the average for the country? Does that affect the collective average – you bet it does. Why? Because like it or not a majority of people can affect change for better or worse. A population who is subpar in the manner they consume and understand information will be a lot worse off than a population who is above average in the proper understanding of the information they consume. Why? Because they will be able to understand if the information provided to them is accurate or if it is flawed. In other words, they will understand the proper context.
Dummying down our world’s population.
This has been occurring at an accelerated rate, and in many ways, it is a world-wide phenomenon. There is a reason why things that are more “fun” and “entertaining” are palatable and spread like wild fire. They are designed to capture our interest and to teach us something in a very easy manner – often time to try to sell us something, or make us loyal to their brand. But something similar also happens with propaganda.
Bottom line, the dumber a person is, the easier they are to manipulate. Make this dumb person believe they are the smartest person in the room, and they will be kissing the rear end of whomever is making them feel so good – and accepted! No matter how crazy the narrative might be, people want to belong – and propaganda makes it easier to create these bubbles that place people in a “community of like-minded folks” – while separating us from those who “seem to be” against us.
The reality is that we are more similar than different. And that is very inconvenient to whomever wants to manipulate us. In fact, that is another reason why they make their enticement so palatable and easily to assimilate. They have realized that the savvier a person is, the less likely they are to ingest falsehoods, and the less likely they are to take something at face value without doing its due diligence.
Let me give you a quick example. Let’s pretend for a moment you’re about to spend a pretty penny on a big-ticket item. Maybe a huge TV, or a new central air conditioning Unit, a vehicle, a new roof, an expensive musical instrument, or whatever that would cost a small fortune. In those instances, people will tend to do a lot of research on the brand, the reviews (good and especially bad), and ask around, and find out if the item they are about to purchase or the company they will be dealing with is reputable, etc. Those who fail to do so might go one of two ways.
1. They could get lucky and everything works fine.
2. They will find out that there was some merit in doing some research because now they are stuck with a bad investment.
Whatever the case, there was more to the story. In the first instance, yes – sometimes we get lucky buying something on a whim and it turns out to be great. But that is not always the case. In some instances, what we think was good turned out to be a swindle. Especially if the situation was too good to be true. In fact, that is part of the marketing process – making it as palatable and enticing as possible for the consumer. Hopefully, that will include good quality control if they are interested in the customer for coming for more. Some other times it might be just enough to make a quick buck and for the swindler to disappear into the shadows.
When it comes to propaganda, the swindlers are going to give them nice little samples, but they are not ready for the big reveal. Much like getting a buffet dinner in a time-share sale. Sure, they are feeding you something, but the payout they are looking for is a lot bigger than what they are offering to get you through the door, and to keep you there – until you stay long enough to listen, and perhaps being enticed to sign up.
Well, the dummying down of the population is similar, but a lot more complex in scale and execution. Why? Because the payout is enormous. Some people are more prone to take some false narratives at face value – if their biases have prompted them to blindly follow a person that they find enticing. Make no mistake, those of us who want the best for you are going to ask you to look beyond your bubble and question everything – even what WE are telling you. Why? Because we want you to expand your mind.
People who want to control you or keep you dumb will make things “too easy” for you. This might seem convenient to you at first, but the fact is that they are re-training your mind towards blind obedience. Through my writing I am trying to change that trend. But it is a team effort. Thank you for spending this time with me! HLC
HLC Propagandistic Epidemic – www.halflifecrisis.com – Understanding History
Authoritarian propaganda is on the rise in the United States of America, and around the world. Some people have not noticed it yet. Hence, I write about it!
It is no secret that I am a huge advocate against misinformation. And misinformation thrives in propaganda. Propagandists are in the business of dividing people into two groups: Obedient fools and anybody who dissents with their “approved” rhetoric.
Politics are irrelevant – yes really…
I’ve said it before, and I say it again. Authoritarians and propagandists do not give a crap about your politics. That is incidental at best. It is more valuable for them to understand what your biases are so these can be exploited. Either they will have you fight on their court (by coercion or otherwise gaining your volunteering candor), or put you in the dissenting camp. Depending on how powerful you are on the dissenting side it could affect if these dynamics will turn violent – and no, more power does not necessarily mean fewer attacks.
My last article I wrote about how pleasantly surprised I was with this new “Threads” app from Meta. I’m not alone, most people I’ve had the pleasure to interact with in threads feel the same way. Actually, talking about how rough the “X” Twitter neighborhood has gotten there seems to be a common trend with the Threads crowd. And deep inside I start to worry that inadvertently this great new app will become another matter of division between one “political stance” against another.
We saw something similar during COVID between mask or no mask, and vaccine or no vaccine. Clearly although there is a level of diversity for politics in “X” there is a lot of contention in any comment section. In threads it is actually not like that – not that I’ve seen at least for the most part. I’ve had some wonderful conversations from people from all walks of life, and this keeps validating my point that we are more similar than different.
But remember, this is not convenient to a propagandist. I feel very strongly about this, that is why I wrote two books that speak about how propaganda has been weaponized throughout history, and how this is affecting us right now. Right now, a non-insignificant part of the population is blissfully and willfully ignorant of how a dark chapter of history is repeating – except that in this century the destruction would be exponential.
AUTORITARAIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools – by J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez – www.halflifecrisis.com
And this is happening already, there are major armed conflicts in strategic geographical choke points RIGHT NOW! Also, there is no shortage of people gaining seats of prominence around the world who are prominently displaying indicators for this dark period. Sure, that a lot of that is not “news” worthy to some – but it is happening. Sadly, news stories and even a lot influencers covering geopolitics are still tethered to an algorithm that would either gain or lose an audience. The algorithm IS the audience – and the fact is that the audience usually prefers not to hear about something that is going to scare the s–t out of them in a non-fiction manner.
Trust me, I am an analyst – it depresses the living s–t out of me too… but not for the reason you might think. It depresses me because I feel like 90% of the time I am screaming into a void, but only a small fraction is reacting to what we try to do to save their very lives. I understand the concepts are abstract and it will seem hyperbolic to many people. It is designed to be that way. Please don’t feel bad if you’ve fallen victim to that – propaganda is a sinister art form, and it is subtle enough to become part of a person’s own identity.
People who have a strong political, religious, organizational, or any other type of bias also have more proclivity to being exploited by a propagandist pushing for authoritarian rhetoric. In fact, for the targeted audience, it will feel counterintuitive to agree with anybody other than their “dear leader.” Again, it is designed to be that way.
Good people, patriotic people, people of faith, people of good “moral values,” people who are [actually] altruistic are also prone to be victims of this reality. Yes, I know, right? – Counterintuitive. When people and their community feel that they are vindicated over a particular world view – no matter how destructive – it will not matter to the person who has fallen into this echo chamber. Suddenly this becomes an “us against them” situation. And it works, and it has worked for years. That is why I wrote my books, to shed some light on that reality that is hidden in plain sight.
How do you know if you’re being bamboozled?
There are many ways to realize if a person is getting bamboozled. And I’ll be honest, I’ve been dealing with a few swindlers and scammers even very recently. I identified that in the first moments of our interaction – but it is fascinating to see how they operate. So, I let it go for a while. First because I want (perhaps naïvely enough) to see if me being the better person is going to wake up that conscience inside them. Yes, that does happen.
And second, because I like to see firsthand their tactics – and what type of language they use. How they use “sugar” to bring us closer – and slowly moving from altruism to a [covert] scam. They will appeal to your better nature, learn from you, and use this against you, try to guilt you into something. And continue to try to manipulate you. I can see this in the first seconds of an interaction.
When somebody is lying, no matter how well they try to craft a lie, the math is not going to add up somewhere. I on the other hand am forthcoming. And I am true to my principles, so I will treat everybody the same – give everyone the benefit of the doubt. That does not mean that I am not tracking what is actually going on. And I don’t lie… but I will walk away. These swindlers come more often than you might imagine. Sadly, for years I’ve seen these attempts. Some are more sophisticated than others.
Propaganda is very similar. I’ve mentioned this before – no matter what political figure you favor (especially if you’re an ultra-fan of this person); I’m willing to bet that if somebody talks smack about this person who enjoys your devotion, you’ll be prone to be defensive or go on the offensive. Why is this happening? Because this person of your devotion has become a reflection of you – with all your virtues and idiosyncrasies. Let this go uncontrolled long enough and it becomes a cult of personality.
But these cults of personality can become extremely dangerous, even if the authoritarian wanna-be does not actually end up being elected. These seeds are planted and another opportunist will be able to harvest them later. That is why it is so important to differentiate truth from bulls–t. That is why you won’t see me go on the attack to any left-or-right leaning person as a person – but I will address the merits of issues I find problematic.
The division of our people (all over the world) is rampant. In some authoritarian countries, the dissenting has been quelched and people who were once free to speak their minds – they are very aware of what is the punishment for speaking “out of turn” on this current homeland. Yes, this could happen in the United States of America if we are not careful. And yes, we are trending that way – fast – and it is extremely disturbing to see. That is why understanding who we elect to an office of influence is so important.
If somebody is pushing propaganda, it is actually very easy to identify. They are divisive towards somebody else. Equality only applies to a group, but there are repercussions, particularly very harsh repercussions to anybody who dares go against the grain of the like-minded-folks. Otherwise, good and well-intentioned people are prone to fall for this trap. If a propagandist is making you a useful fool, consider the divisiveness of their rhetoric.
This is happening all over the world, there are even some “copy cats” who emulate not only mannerisms, buzz words, but even hair-cuts! There is a reason why this works so well, because it creates a visceral response on people who feel that “finally somebody is doing something about this thing I am supposed to be mad about.” And I am not saying that disagreeing is bad, in fact it is important to listen to dissenting points of view in order to come up with a better solution.
In fact, diverse opinions – even conflicting ones are part of any venture’s planning process. Furthermore, not having dissention tends to bring a project towards failure because it was planned in a vacuum. But dissention does not equal anarchy; however, the factors to be considered in a planning process must be factual – unfounded opinions will become time-wasters and people will start chasing elusive shiny objects in lieu of actual solutions. Facts are logical, measurable, and demonstrable.
That means that they can be held to scrutiny and no matter how you feel about it, the fact will be what it is – like it or not. For example, if you’re holding a paper cup – it does not matter what you want to call it, it is still a paper cup. No matter if you use it for a different use than its designed intended purpose – it is still a paper cup.
I cited a paper cup because it is the closest object in front of me. But the fact is that no matter how I view it, or show it, or demonstrate it, or measure it, or weight it, or x-ray it, or take a photo, or pour liquid on it, or spill the liquid from it, or draw a puppet on this cup… it does not matter… it is still a paper cup, there is no viable dissention. A propagandist will try to convince you that this paper cup is a champagne flute or anything else for that matter. And in fact, you may even pour champagne on it – but even with that – the reality is that this reception remains a paper cup.
I’ll be as blunt as to say that I am sick and tired of this division among otherwise good people. I have reached people with larger platforms than mine – not everybody has been very receptive – some have not even answered at all. But there are enough who are listening and we (Half Life Crisis) will be featured in more outlets in the coming weeks. I won’t give up because I don’t want the dark pages in our history to repeat and sit idle as I see the world burn down. And yes, so many places around the world are burning down. Even some people in my reader’s audience are surviving in places where the conflict they are struggling against (right now) found them.
I’ve said it so many times before, but it is worth repeating. Please help me spread this message. I wrote my books in order to speak about that in detail. Admittedly, some of the people who have read my book stated that they found it a lot more eye-opening than they thought at first. I’m happy to hear that, because that was the intent. The books are thought-provoking and designed to unmask the propaganda hidden in plain sight.
If you have a platform, all I really ask you is to please give it a chance and read some pages (even if it is the preview in any of the outlets available). My books are non-fiction and the topics are extremely emergent. Things are continuing to deteriorate around the world very rapidly – and that includes these United States. We can stop authoritarianism on its tracks – together. I’ll continue doing my part shouting it onto any platform I can find.
Thank you for spending this time with me. I will close by reiterating that the reason why I have been emphasizing these topics is because this is affecting us all – no matter where in the world you are today. We are all in this together, and much like the “Threads” app, there are a lot better people out there than bad ones hijacking the narrative. We can regain control – together! HLC
J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez Authoritarianism & Propaganda The Puppet Master Tools.
HLC Woke & Proud – www.halflifecrisis.com – Original Book
My second book is a nonfiction historical analysis on how the term “woke” has been weaponized by authoritarian propagandists. Are you “woke?” Is that good?
An important life milestone.
I can hardly believe it, yet it is true! My second book “WOKE & PROUD The Charlatans’ Inconvenience” eBook version is ready for preorder in all major bookstores! The official eBook release date is Wednesday, December 6, 2023. And the Paperback will be released on Monday, February 5, 2024. Both dates have a lot of symbolic meaning.
December 6th will be the 498th anniversary of the founding of the city of San Francisco de Quito. That is the city where I was born in Ecuador. Also, I will be having an interview on that day at 2pm EST.
February 5th will be my grandmother’s (who raised me as a mother) birthday. And to a different extent it is the first day I checked onboard to my very first U.S. Navy, the now decommissioned ship USS SEATTLE AOE-3. This is the ship where I met my wife, Alicia.
Woke & Proud | The Charlatans’ Inconvenience – J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez
I decided to write the manuscript for “WOKE & PROUD The Charlatan’s Inconvenience” earlier this year for a lot of reasons. The first one is because the terms definition became extremely elusive. This of course became an incendiary catalyst to a lot of opportunists and [not surprisingly] charlatans.
The question then becomes: Is “woke” a good or a bad thing? Since the term itself has become a parody of itself in some circles, demonized in others, and used as a tool for propagandistic divisive rhetoric by many – hence, it made sense to me to find the ground truth and present it in an organized manner. A few months later I started typing this book, and it is finally available for the world to enjoy.
As with everything that I write, my intent is to transmit a unifying message. There is plenty of division out there. That is the whole reason why I wrote this book along with my debut book “AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA The Puppet Master Tools.” But as the polarization based on propagandistic methods was ramping up around the world – and especially in USA – I realized that my book “WOKE & PROUD The Charlatans’ Inconvenience” was sort of a relevant spin-off from my other book. But an important stand-alone topic.
These books are meant to be read in series (no matter which one you start with), yet they are designed to be worked as a stand-alone. When I was working on “WOKE & PROUD” – my intent was to bring that level of introspection that some of my readers have come to enjoy. The way I write is the way I talk. My Sailors seem to enjoy this manner in which we can talk about complex topics in a way that paints the different discussed factors in their minds – leading them to the see the full picture in context.
For example, I was just talking today with one of the Sailors in my ship who got my debut book from Apple Books – “AUTHORITARIANISMS & PROPAGANDA,” and he stated that it has expanded the way he was understanding the world and saw of the things that were hidden in plain sight that until there were not very evident. He also realized what I intended with the book which is the following: It is intended to be a short reading, but it is meant to be read several times. And each time you read it you will find something new. The same is true with my second book “WOKE & PROUD.”
Why did I design my books that way? Well, the reason is simple in principle but complex in dimension. What does that mean? I value my readers’ time; time is the one thing no matter how rich you are you can never get to buy back the time you lost. Hence, I wanted to push the message as fast as possible, with added strategic redundancy, while sparking the reader’s curiosity. Every person is unique; therefore, their experience will be unique as they read these words. Then as they read the book again (even if at random), the layers hidden in the book will continue to expand on the context.
I was very happy to hear from my readers that they have been experiencing my debut book in the manner I envisioned. This next book will be similar, with the only difference that it is meant to be a shorter initial read. Yet, much like the previous one it is meant to be read a few times. There are hundreds of easter eggs hidden in the pages, much like there are hundreds of easter eggs hidden in everything I do. Happy egg-hunting!
WOKE & PROUD The Charlantans’ Inconvenience – Book Cover with Author J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez and BeeZee Vision, LLC and Half Life Crisis Logos
Why am I releasing these books in such rapid succession?
Quick answer: Because the topics in these books are emergent, and the sooner the message is out the less damage we can prevent. Of course, I am only one guy with a couple of books. But it is thanks to you my dear reader that my little platform has been growing each day! I don’t know how far my words will ultimately travel, but I want you to know that I am very grateful to you for being at the beginning of this journey.
Even before I was got to gain any platform or have gotten discovered – I was just a U.S. Navy Sailor growing every more concerned about all the madness going on in the world; to include the United States of America.
I would type these manuscripts at the end of every workday after all my tasks were done for the day. I finished writing four manuscripts in all and have a few other manuscripts in the works. While some people onboard would enjoy different activities (deservingly so) such as watching movies, video games, reading, studying, playing card games, etc., my goal was to put what was in my mind in manuscripts. All of us onboard had “other than duty” goals we wanted to accomplish; writing was mine. Not because you’re onboard 24/7 means that you are at “work” 24/7 – that would drive a person insane. And that would be a vulnerability by the way.
As I finally returned to land, I started researching on how to publish my books. I had saved some money over a determinate period of time in order to fund these projects. I figured that having a manuscript living in my computer’s hard drive without its intended purpose was not an acceptable course of action. Therefore, I chose from my finished manuscripts the succession for release. Even though I did not actually write them in the order I am releasing them.
For instance, my debut book “AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA” was my third manuscript, yet it was released first. “WOKE & PROUD” was actually my fourth manuscript and released after this book. The next book I will release is titled “LEADERSHIP Understanding the Human Factor” – yet that was the second manuscript I wrote. My fourth book release details will be published after I retire in April 2024 – even though it was the first manuscript I wrote while deployed onboard USS COLE.
Every book is meant to be unique – although they are formatted in a similar manner. But it is all part of the entire package. For example, and among many other levels of symbology “AUTHORITARIANISM & PROPAGANDA” paperback version was meant to be in matte finish as it also represents the hidden world in plain sight of propaganda. But “WOKE & PROUD” will have a glossy finish because it means to be bright as an awakening. Whereas that “LEADERSHIP” will be hard cover and it is also a much longer read with 25 unique chapters.
For any of my readers who are more familiar with my writing style – I did not want to be like everybody else. Because I am who I am. I enjoy writing, and I love the fact that I can tell a different story with each piece. Being this piece a book, an article, a video (script), or even other types of media such as paintings, photographs and more. There is so much I like to add for my readers to discover. I hope you have been able to see what is hidden underneath. Even my idiomatic blunders. At the very least you know for sure that what is written in my platforms did not come from an Artificial Intelligence (AI), but rather from [this] air-breathing – imperfect human being.
Also, I should probably make another shameless plug to my Patreon page. In my Patreon I can write about some additional topics, beyond the scope of this site, for a yet a different level of conversation. Also, my top tier supporters get to read my entire books before they are released once they are in the process of production. They are posted there right now.
I will keep adding more stuff on our social media, but as I said – I am just one dude with a couple of books and a site. I do want to share whatever little bit of knowledge I’ve gathered through the years with my readers. Perhaps selfishly, I just want a safer world for my daughter. Right now, I see the world getting more and more volatile. I’m just doing my best to be a good dad – as a person who has some say while being the generation in the driver’s seat.
As always, I want to thank you for spending this time with me. I don’t take for granted the fact you chose to read my words. I would love to hear from you, we can always continue this conversation in the comment section on this page – or in any of our social media platforms. Thank you for being with me on this journey! HLC
