American society is broken because Americans prioritize emotions over reality.
346 2016-01-28 by magnora7
Have you ever noticed how you're allowed to have opinions about anything, as long as it's not something important? You can argue about which Lord of the Rings movie is the best, or what sports team should win and why, and everyone plays along and has fun. But the second you start to talk about anything of actual real importance, many people suddenly clam up and shy away. Why?
Because we've been conditioned that we need to have a certain emotional tone at all times when conversing with other humans. Notice how it is never okay in our society for you to be openly angry about something? Even if you are 100% correct and should be angry? Calmness is seen as paired with rationality, which ignores that passion can be rational sometimes. In our society, passion is generally discouraged unless you are profiting someone else. So you are allowed to have passion for your consumerism and for your job. But never for how bad the Fed is, or how we should end all these illegal wars the US keeps starting for profit. You mention those, and 95% of people will instantly be looking to change the subject out of discomfort. If you are overly passionate about these things, it pushes people away very fast. So the only good approach is to be "light" about it, and just mention it in passing or as part of a joke and then move on.
You must always pretend to be calm, even if you are not and have no reason to be, or else you are seen as a "paranoid looney" who is "off his rocker" and "needs to calm down" and "could be a threat" so on and so forth. People love to think they're better and more logical than someone who is being emotional, especially if American government/corporate propaganda backs them up on their talking points.
So to maintain this required facade of non-anger, people avoid reading and conversing about topics that make them angry, so they better fit in to society. Work gives them enough stress. They want to have friends and succeed in this human world and so on, so they play by society's rules. So they slowly close their mind off to anything controversial to their in-group. They deaden themselves to the ugly realities of the world, day after day. They see everyone around them doing it too, they see the consequences play out for people who got angry for a bit and said something they "shouldn't have". They decide it's the right choice, that being dead inside is what you're "supposed to do" and don't even consider alternatives, especially because those alternatives are very uncomfortable. Once you get to about 30 or 40, you're basically locked in to this mindset forever unless a big life event happens to change your mind.
This is why so many Americans are just quiet about all the terrible terrible shit that is happening. They are just keeping their heads down, trying to succeed. Not only financially, but socially too, which demands this calmness, which demands generally avoiding angry topics and not thinking too deeply about them (or else you might get worked up, someone might see/hear you, and that might hurt your social standing or your income).
On top of it all, the genuinely important topics are so over-laden with emotion by the media to make conversing about them very difficult. For example, the Zionist sway over the US government is pretty important. But even the word "zionist" is so emotionally charged, people guffaw at the mere mention of the word even though they don't know what it means. Then to top it off, conspiracy forums are filled with hyperbolic garbage like flat earth and cern wormhole portals which they pay to upvote to the top, to discredit the sub and make everyone here look insane. That way people are afraid to come back here after seeing how it looks, and their minds remain closed. They may think it's all just "conspiracy garbage" and throw out the baby with the bathwater.
The discourse about truly important topics is so polarized (by design or not) that it's often difficult to talk to your fellow human beings about it in a regular conversation. It only comes out at 3am after a lot of drinks, because we are all terrified of looking bad in each other's eyes, even though we mostly agree with each other! This is the trick played on us, that makes us each our own emotional island. We're scared that everyone is like the media tells us they are, dangerous and judgmental, so we each silently bear this burden of truth in our own minds. Few have the courage to overcome this fear and speak out in real life (or even online) and even fewer can do it in a way that conforms to the social norms of "calmness". George Carlin did it with humor, and that's why he is worshiped. The emotional packaging of ideas means a lot in our society, maybe more than the ideas themselves. Having our priories so backwards, placing our emotions first and the truth of reality second, is what is leading to the downfall of our nation. People are literally out of touch with reality, and no one ever "touches" them to bring them back in because generally speaking we're all so scared and offended of each other that we can't connect in a real emotional way anymore. We're each in our own bubbles of denial. So we create our own little echo chambers and cross our fingers that things will work out, which was basically the American mantra starting in the 1970s once our political process started being taken over by corporations. That "eyes wide shut" mentality worked for a few decades, but time is running out for being in denial.
This is the application of divide and conquer, expressed at its fullest. Emotions are much easier to manipulate than ideas and thoughts. Companies figured this out in the 50s and 60s and advertisements became about manipulating emotions instead of giving you facts about the product. We as Americans need to increase our IQ, but more importantly we need to increase our EQ and stop falling for the constant emotional manipulation coming from the media. And not only do we need to do it, we need to help others do it. It's time we awaken to our control structures, as a society, and be openly conversational about what is happening instead of hiding in the shadows because we're afraid. Only by learning how the control structures work can we learn to overcome them. And only by overcoming the programmed fear can we begin conversations about these things. This attitude needs to become part of our culture before we can really fix anything else. It's the foundation upon which everything else rests. I can't imagine anything more important than this.
My worry is that everyone has their head so far in the sand that the only thing that will change the path we're on is a catastrophe that suddenly brings reality in to the limelight. If people really tried spreading the word as much as possible we might be able to wake up before the next catastrophe, but seeing as Reality got hung to cheers at the end of that recent South Park episode and how accurate that feels, I don't know how much hope I really have.
However, it's not all or nothing. A war may be coming further down the road, but the intensity of the war may be able to be mitigated for people who don't deserve to be entangled in it. It's a matter of degree. Perhaps one bombing campaign gets cancelled after public outcry about a particular issue. Maybe caused by a small handful of people daring enough to speak out and make a bit of a fuss. Perhaps the war doesn't last as long because people are wiser about what causes it and are more able to remove the causes, because they were better informed prior to the war.
But in the end, I have come to realize, there are going to be bloodthirsty human beings who want to kill each other. And as long as that is true, there will be wars. I don't really mind if bloodthirsty psychos go kill each other in some remote country, but so many other people get caught up in the fray or tricked in to participating that it becomes a devastating situation.
I kind of look at it like this, war is the new natural selection since humans have essentially conquered nature. Now our culture does the job. If you join a war, you lose. It's a human garbage disposal of sorts, and everyone knows it on some level. Our culture is not our friend, our culture is an intelligence test, and the more you fail the closer you get pushed in to supporting and fighting wars.
What really sucks is the civilians who had nothing to do with it, people who often make up the majority of deaths in wars. These deaths are on all the hands of the people who chose to participate in the war machine, regardless of capacity. Even if someone were just packaging the bolts sold to bomb companies, they are furthering the war machine. People love to pretend they don't have any involvement in the deaths of other people in other countries, when they are quite clearly participating. This is often a result of compartmentalization, they don't tell the bolt guy who the bolts are going to or what product they are used in, and the guy never tries to find out. Do this a million times over and that's how you make a million bombs with only a very few involved truly realizing what they've done. They don't think blood is on their hands, but it is. Ignorance is bliss, eh?
But it's important to also remember this culture of pushing people towards war is not merely a mirage created by the "elite". People want war, and that's a big reason why it happens. If no one wanted war, it wouldn't happen. If everyone refused to participate, it would never even start. Let the warmongers carry their own rifles. Instead they trick poor people in to doing it for them, by guaranteeing to pay for college, which was made so expensive and necessary in the first place by the actions of those same people. If no one flew the drones, if no one made the bombs, if no one joined the military, wars wouldn't start.
Anyway, just remember, being honest with one person about one thing can start a wildfire effect that could end up waking up tons of people. Why not try? You scared?
107 comments
48 otistoole 2016-01-28
'they' have perfected the application of propaganda over many generations, and now we are hopelessly balkanized. All according to plan.
28 magnora7 2016-01-28
Had to look it up. Sounds like the end result of divide and conquer, I agree they have got us very split up in to ideological camps they can play off each other. I don't think things are helpless right now though, it's just a rough point in history
7 dhopss 2016-01-28
How would one 'combat' this?
19 magnora7 2016-01-28
To combat it, we need to stop subscribing to ideologies and instead believe in individual ideas, unattached to any ideology. Then trying to get people of differing ideologies to fight is like herding cats, because no one subscribes wholeheartedly to any one ideology. Buying into package ideologies that include things you don't actually believe in, but are forced to go along with anyway to fit in to the group, is how we get taken advantage of.
I wrote a post recently about this exact thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/41fnva/promote_ideas_not_teams/
There's probably other ways, but that's the one I see. Good luck out there.
1 every1wins 2016-01-28
To combat being balkanized where balkanized is being divided into mutually hostile components target division apply connectivity target hostility apply civility. That is from each aspect assess all countermeasures. Observe that the phenomenon extends and scales dimensionally.
1 humanefly 2016-01-28
I think you have to see the world in black and white in order to feel righteous enough to see your enemy as sub human and kill a man. Just trying to teach people that the world is shades of grey might be enough to plant a seed of doubt. If you have that seed of doubt, I think it's harder to pick up a rifle and kill a man, or fly a drone and bomb a family.
1 love4loaded 2016-01-28
tyrr
2 Facebanger 2016-01-28
Simple, question the source of information that leads you to believe someone hates you. Chances are they are trying to get you to hate them. In the real world, no one really cares what you think, so no one really hates you. And they sure as fuck, are not "hating" you so badly that they would rather spend time pissing you off than enjoying thier own life's. To quote one of the realest fucking things I've ever heard from that nice lady in that video I can't remember "Ain't nobody got time for dat." Studying, drinking, working, shitting, checking the mail, making love, making dinner, ... So many things before caring enough about you, to hate you.
1 Fetish_Goth 2016-01-28
I'm beginning to believe a vote for Trump is a vote for being able to be openly angry about things that were socially unacceptable to be angry about in the past. Trump and his supporters are openly angry about things like immigration, and instead of hurting him, he is surging in the polls.
5 PythonEnergy 2016-01-28
I will just note that a more correct translation for "divide and conquer" is "divide and rule". In other words, it is a technique used to rule over people, not to initially defeat them.
I must say, however, that this is a great post. You have hit many of the important points that we need to understand.
One point that is worth mentioning perhaps is that there are people on the other end of these wars we are doing. People who have non-white skin, people who speak languages other than English. They are not going to stand for this bullshit endlessly. When the nukes fly, it will be just as bad for us as it has been for them.
2 CelineHagbard 2016-01-28
Or is the plan to make us think the situation is hopeless?
2 otistoole 2016-01-28
maybe a bit of both.
18 MUHBISCUITS 2016-01-28
I do this all the time. Talk about something incredibly serious in a light manner. Talk about political corruption as if it were the weather. "Did you hear Mr. Senator here is set to become a lobbyist for Big Oil, after passing many bills deregulating drilling restrictions?" (or something to that effect) Talk about Aliens, talk about the terrors of this War we are currently in like it's sports. Oh man, big drone strike in Syria today! 12 militants and only 7 civilian casualties!
7 magnora7 2016-01-28
That's interesting. How do people generally react?
9 MUHBISCUITS 2016-01-28
Some start thinking, then coming back and having later conversations reveals a spark growing. Some kinda go quiet and distance themselves. Most just kinda awkwardly laugh and say some awkward phrase to move on. Few like to get down and open up on it.
7 CelineHagbard 2016-01-28
I still think something along those lines is the best way to proceed. You can't brow-beat a person into looking at what they don't want to look at, but you are able to draw those who have looked and remained silent out of the shadows.
16 Kakaka19 2016-01-28
"We are like pygmies lost in a maze of haze. We are not at war, we are having a nervous breakdown, again."
-Hunter Thompson, 2004
11 Mahat 2016-01-28
Everyone feels powerless. I've pushed people to answer why. Negative news, knowing the truth, it has a depressing effect. For individuals sanity, they ignore it and focus on their own lives.
That being said, it's hard to dissasociate emotion from fact, even if facts carry with them no emotion. Truth is ugly and stranger than fiction.
Historically, this phenomenon has been present throughout many corrupt and crumbling regimes. Over at /r/collapse they had a discussion on the scenario of people ignoring what is killing them, based primarily around the irish potato famine. It really was interesting in perspective.
2 Vitalogy0107 2016-01-28
I seriously feel like I'm losing my grip because I read too much about this stuff, in the sense that I feel like there's no hope anymore and that really feels like the opposite of where educating myself about reality is supposed to lead me, so maybe I am doing it wrong. Maybe it's because I don't actually know how to respond to all of this negativity I read on a daily basis, but it's not crazy because it's real, that's what I tell myself. If I were simply imagining this stuff into existence like some sadomasochist, it would be crazy for me to emotionally labor over all of this insanity in our world today, but it's not. It's very real, and I learn something new everyday that I wish were not true, and I have become soul-crushingly dark, I don't know what to do anymore. I have little hope, to be honest.
1 thing_on_a_string 2016-01-28
read some good comic novels, Terry Pratchett maybe.
watch some movies comedy or action or drama just for alternative stimulus.
devote some spare time to relaxing entertainment. some music with the reading.
1 magnora7 2016-01-28
Then stop reading about it. You're obviously way ahead of the curve. Let everyone else catch up for a while, and take a few days off to enjoy yourself and enjoy this life. It's not all bad yet, so might as well squeeze some enjoyment out of it while you've still got the chance
9 polkadotgirl 2016-01-28
Great post.
8 BukkakeSashimi 2016-01-28
Every single phrase you wrote, is spot on. It's all that's been haunting me for years to the point of feeling hopelessly despondent and fatalistic.
We're living the dystopian nightmare scenario as we speak. All I can still think of as an analogy is the torture scene from Orwell's 1984.
Everything has become devoid of any true lasting meaning or purpose since the most fundamental core values that are catalysts for hope and change have been terribly corrupted to the point of no return.
The manipulation far and wide has reached such monstrous proportions, it's downright perverted. This is to be seen easily in f.e. popular culture or human interaction, which are like thermometers in this respect. It's castrated, shallow, repetitive, dulled down, sterile, meaningless and being force-fed to us in such insidious and all-pervasive manners any barely cognizant human being just wants to vomit it all back up, but can't, because he's being held down and his jaws have been slammed shut so many times he can't even open them anymore without assistance.
But the worst part is that even vomiting it all up hasn't the slightest sense anymore, for there's nowhere left to vomit. It's all vomit already by default. "Nobody wants more fucking vomit. Don't mention the fucking vomit. There is none, capiche? ... That, or: You better start loving the vomit like it's ambrosia if you wanna "live" like the rest of us!"
It's exactly what it is: pure and unadulterated torture so we all keep on paddling upstream like fucking drones, doing shit we abhor, so we all keep consuming shit we hate to fill that gaping void, like hamsters stuck in a wheel for the rest of their dreary lives with only a faint memory or mental image of what it feels like to have real HOPE, to feel comfortable for a while, neither bored nor in pain.
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
I feel you, but that's a bit dramatic, it's not an inescapable situation of 100% torture. It's a matter of shifting your thinking to an ideology-free path. There's lots of horrible things, but there are some nice things here and there, and it's foolish not to appreciate those small things as we walk on this hellish road. We can also improve ourselves so less and less of it hurts us.
1 BukkakeSashimi 2016-01-28
It's not that there couldn't be nice things. They do exist, at least for a while until you get bored with 'em. Things to do aren't infinite. Take a look at all of those extremely wealthy and why they have to do bizarre, perverted or excessively wasteful shite to still feel anything.
But even those nicer things are being over-shadowed, especially when you get a little older, by the negative crap that starts out a small cut but festers into full-blown gangreen, because the system doesn't allow you to take care of it.
3 magnora7 2016-01-28
Whatever you focus on, festers in your mind. If you practice being angry and disappointed with the world, you will get good at seeing the things wrong with it. If you focus on things to be thankful for, you will get better at spotting those things. If you get good at spotting both sides evenly, then you get good at spotting the truth. That's how I see it.
6 Apoplecticmiscreant 2016-01-28
I wish more people were as thoughtful as you are. We would have a different world.
9 magnora7 2016-01-28
Thank you my friend. I believe someday it will be so. Be it 1000 years or 10, I think deep down this is what people deeply want, they are just victims of circumstance. It's just a matter of the right information reaching the right ears to cause a revolution.
1 Apoplecticmiscreant 2016-01-28
I wish we had that much time. I do not feel we do.
1 magnora7 2016-01-28
The human species isn't going anywhere. Some of us will always survive.
1 Apoplecticmiscreant 2016-01-28
You're an optimist.
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
Even if it's just billionaires in caves, some group of people will survive. Unless some huge asteroid hits or something.
1 Apoplecticmiscreant 2016-01-28
"The meek shall inherit the earth." Oops.
meek=billionaires
Forgive me if I feel sorry about this potentiality. As George Carlin put it pretty succinctly: "We were given great gifts that have been squandered." (paraphrasing) It would be better to let the microbes or cockroaches have the planet back. Humanity is woefully undeserving.
3 magnora7 2016-01-28
And I wonder why governments have historically promoted the bible... perhaps because it encourages passivity?
8 Apoplecticmiscreant 2016-01-28
Passivity and you supposedly get your reward in the next life, not this one. That would be my first thought.
4 stealthboy 2016-01-28
We've made sure free speech is limited as to be ineffective. Try talking about race, crime, politics, religion, and you'll soon discover that those subjects are carefully controlled. It's all under the guise of political correctness.
1 magnora7 2016-01-28
This is a great comment. Political correctness is like a lock-box for important ideas, keeping them inside an individual instead of being let out to spread across society and affect culture. That is so true, I had never thought of it quite like that.
3 sheasie 2016-01-28
wow, GREAT!! post. i hope someone gives you gold.
2 CelineHagbard 2016-01-28
I hope someone who would feel inclined to give gold gives a donation of equal size to some person or organization actively trying to accomplish OP's ends, rather than a corporation which tries to silence critical thought. James Corbett for example.
1 magnora7 2016-01-28
Agreed
3 malcomte 2016-01-28
Be honest and sincere. Sincerity is incredibly powerful. You can project power with your voice and gaze without shouting. Shut down anybody who tries to shut you down with an appropriate takedown of whatever moral quibble they bring up as a red herring.
3 humanefly 2016-01-28
You're right. Everybody who pays taxes has blood on their hands. Money is war. Refusing to participate, means refusing to use money or pay taxes. This makes it almost impossible to live, and not get thrown in jail. Most people would rather lie to themselves, than recognize that. Voices of reason are increasingly hard to come by; on the internet, they're usually drowned out by paid shills before you can even start a normal dialog or get a word in edgewise.
It helps to meet with people who are of similar minds; I wouldn't say that changing minds is a waste of time, but I'm not sure how productive it actually is when most people don't want to know. It's not that I'm scared; it's just exhausting, and you have to go through a lot of people before you find someone who is in a state where they aren't woken up, but they are willing to wake themselves up.
Never give up! but, conserve your energy. Seek out like minded people to replenish your sanity and reserves.
Onwards,
1 PythonEnergy 2016-01-28
We are slaves. We are endebted by the system. We are forced to pay or die.
3 pshawman 2016-01-28
There was a post ages ago with this exact same heading, possibly body too. Were you the original writer, or is this ripped off?
2 Romek_himself 2016-01-28
thought same when read first lines with this lord of the rings and sport thing ...
its copy pasted
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
That was me too, just getting some more mileage out of this text
2 pshawman 2016-01-28
Can't blame you for that!
0 pshawman 2016-01-28
Oh it was you. You're reposting for a reason?
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3qwr1v/american_society_is_broken_because_americans/
3 TheWiredWorld 2016-01-28
Quality post, chap.
3 brieneOftarth 2016-01-28
Did you ever see the concrete stares of everyday? The lunatic, the hypocrite, are all lost in the fray. Can't you see their lives are just like yours? An unturned stone, an undiscovered Door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity have always had to suffer. The businessman whose master plan controls the world each day Is blind to indications of his species' slow decay. Can't you see his life is just like yours? An unturned stone, an undiscovered Door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity have always had to suffer. People blow their minds (they choose to resign) This deformed society is part of the design. It'll never go away (it's in the cards that way). The masses of humanity have always, always had to suffer! A door leading to the gift of hope renewed, eternity for you. The masses of humanity, still clinging to their dignity, The masses of humanity will always have to suffer. Always have to suffer!
3 Theres_A_FAP_4_That 2016-01-28
Remember, don't talk about politics or religion at the dinner table. remember a new movie is coming out this weekend.
5 magnora7 2016-01-28
I've been thinking about this saying a lot lately, I think it only serves to make people scared of each other and silent about what matters. Also don't talk about money, that's another one. We avoid talking about the most important things in life because we all want so badly to "have a pleasant conversation" instead of actually learn anything. It's a kind of self-neutering out of fear
3 Theres_A_FAP_4_That 2016-01-28
It's so true... if we do talk about money, it's about the stock market's ups and downs, which my family thinks is just 'natural'.
My family is so gullible, it's a miracle that I have my own thoughts at all. They listen to their priest, they watch the 6 o'clock news, they buy x-mas gifts right on time. Sad.
3 magnora7 2016-01-28
Yup, same here. I feel you. I think our generation will begin to grow out of this, thanks to the freedom of information provided by the internet.
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
Every generation thinks they're going to grow out of the sins of the previous generations, while they're growing into them.
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
True, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to better ourselves. The more we examine and document what is happening, the easier it gets to make appropriate adjustments.
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
FWIW I personally I don't think it's about the volume of information or documentation.
1 magnora7 2016-01-28
Well it also involves the prominence of that information in the public discourse, that's true
3 DerPhilosoph 2016-01-28
This post nails what I hate the most about people these days....
2 ENYAY7 2016-01-28
great post, It's hard learning to not be an ideolouge
2 TakeTheShotStaaaan 2016-01-28
Great post, sir.
2 kayjaylayray 2016-01-28
I disagree with your assessment that the culture of the West is non-emotional but I will get to that.
The best way to work around the emotional state of our society and to play their game well is to learn the facts of what you are passionate about and present your thoughts in a rational manner. It is sad that emotions have been compartmentalized into acceptable and unacceptable in order to herd the sheep in the right direction of socialist/Marxist areas of social construction, but there are ways to counter it. It may mean becoming a robot yourself but with one difference. Instead of regurgitating emotionally driven propaganda, you will be regurgitating facts. And that is a much better option. At the very least it shows that you are open minded to learning and not just responding to knee-jerk sensationalism.
I always stick to logical, scientific thought when debating. I keep my arguments black and white in this respect. Socialists would have you believe that everything is a shade of grey, but it isn't. There's an order to the universe, it works mathematically and so do we as a result. Logical thinking is always the way to go and with logic comes rational calmness and with a degree of objectivity comes detachment. Something that can counter Marxist compartmentalizing every time.
They hate it because when a sensationalist debates someone stating facts and pointing to reality in a calm manner, they quickly burst out in emotional distress in an attempt to win the argument and thus somehow prove their original point. This causes them to get sidetracked very easily and they end up attacking straw men and contradicting themselves. I find this on a daily basis on Reddit. The calmer you are, the more emotional they get. This is the only way to truly expose their hypocrisy and worthlessness.
The problem is that most people want to be heroes. They worship heroes on the TV and imagine their leaders in the same regard. They believe they can do no wrong and that they live in a region of enlightenment. This is a religious delusion that has plagued humans for millennia. And every time it adjusts to the current culture, people believe they've escaped the looped behaviour of their ancestors. That they've broken free of the control of thought. Today's religions are very subtle. They are masked within corporate foundations and moderate nationalism (controlled patriotism). They are easily convinced by charities run by corporations that they are not only a giving human of high regard but that they are making a difference to change the world for the better. Neither is true as their charities and causes are frauds just like the churches and religions before them. Flocks of people are now united under corporate churches instead of holy ones. They are provided a sense of spiritual accomplishment by businesses who take their money as further taxation for the church. These foundations then use the money to change the world, but not in the way the flock has been told. In the end, the people at the bottom who eat up propaganda are left with a sense of accomplishment of the spirit and of community. Both of which are manufactured and false. They have no real opinion or no real information, just an emotional feeling of self-worth. They are egotistical creatures. And they should be treated as such.
I think that you'll find that these people are just as emotionally charged as anyone, they only hide it initially through righteous indignation and regurgitation. Once that has been stripped away and the conversation goes further, they will reveal themselves as just as passionate but wholly misguided. The key is to remain logical while they fly off the handle.
2 CelineHagbard 2016-01-28
Great post as always; much of what I would have said on it has been covered.
One question I might raise would be how might we best use the knowledge that emotions trump logic for most people? (I believe neuroscience currently holds to a notion that the emotional centers of our brain are older evolutionarily speaking, and therefore have more sway over the decision making process)
One idea is to recognize our emotions for what they are, and learn to see past them. I might call this the Buddhist approach, a focus on mindfulness. While I certainly think this is a good approach to add to our individual arsenals, it is an individual method. It's not any easier to convince other people to take up mindfulness meditation than it is to convince them of conspiracy theories.
Which leads me to a second thought: what if we used the same techniques of the master emotional manipulators themselves? Maybe not use them in the same fashion, but break down the techniques and create counter-techniques, almost a "propaganda inoculation" system.
From my understanding, NLP was developed for a similar purpose, as a therapeutic tool to help people undo some of their harmful programming, internal dialogue, or neuroses. Things like depression, low self-esteem, public anxiety, etc. These are some of the same conditions that the emotional manipulation you speak of is designed to create in people.
NLP is (I think) more known for its use as a weapon, as a way to manipulate, through the "pick-up artist" community in which men use the techniques to manipulate women into sleeping with them. Donald Trump also uses some of these techniques, though whether by intention or if he's just a natural I don't know.
I think the idea is worth exploring, using NLP techniques to get around a person's self-imposed mental barriers to exploring uncomfortable lines of inquiry. If anyone has any more knowledge or experience with the topic than I do, I'd appreciate the input.
Very good takeaway. If this is the only thing a reader remembers and implements into their life, your post was very valuable.
2 GhostPantsMcGee 2016-01-28
Missed your chance for a valuable invite, but I got you covered.
2 CelineHagbard 2016-01-28
I'm not sure what exactly this means, but thanks, I guess?
2 Georgeorwellwaswrong 2016-01-28
The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought?
JFK
2 GhostPantsMcGee 2016-01-28
Please crosspost this submission to /r/C_S_T and join our community.
You would be a terrific asset for the sub.
I often think this about reality itself; some sort of test where you don't know how you are ultimately graded.
2 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
/u/-_vroom_-
Your opinion?
3 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Oh yeah.
Left wingers in a nutshell!
Sad how the fat acceptance movement is one essentially trying to force people to like things (excess fat) to be desirable. I'm like, I'm sorry. But my hormones and tharkiness doesn't find that attractive. K thx bai!
Look. I get it. I don't tease fat people. I myself am a chubby person (slightly). I do agree that people should be treated better at least in normal scenarios.
What else? Laws based off "feelings?" I support trans rights BTW. But there are a whole breed of librichuts who are trying to allow FUCKING MEDICAL RECORDS to have the opposite sex on it. For example a male who transitions to a female can write "female" on her medical records. I agree that the person should be treated like a female. But in technical situations, FFS it is important to be classified according to genetics in the case of an emergency where a surgery/treatment where the original genetic gender is important!
2 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
Hmmm interesting input about this whole SJW movement.
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Yeah. Glad I moved out of California! Librichuts! Libruchuts everywhere!
NC has a mix of super conservative and super liberal with some like myself who are a mix.
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
Librichut is an interesting word. XD
But my friends say Cali is great!
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Hehe.
As a software engineer, the money is good. Cost of living is a bit high. But the climate is perfect all year round. Great places to see and go to. Scenery is great.
But librichuts man! You can probably avoid them.
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
People having conversations with themselves on reddit are such sad affairs...
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
You high? I want whatever the fuck you're on!
/u/FutureBreedMachine66
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
Lol. You will find paranoid people here too often. Just laugh at them, and move on. :D
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
That person is probably another librichut!
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
I don't think so. This sub is filled up with paranoid people (not all, very good posts here too, like this one), but once in a while, you will find such a person, who thinks everything he sees is a lie and deception.
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Well, looking at the name of this sub xD
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
People like him give a bad name to this sub. The thing is, this sub also has a no-censorship polocy, so their comments stay, and you have 'outside of the sub' people thinking this place is filled with paranoid people.
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
I stand corrected. People having conversations with themselves on the internet is not sad, it's hilarious. LOL
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
Good, good. Let the loneliness flow through you.
/u/-_vroom_-
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Psychedelics fucks with you man!
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
Nah, just doing a little charity work for the day. Back to your one man puppet show...
1 FutureBreedMachine66 2016-01-28
Look at this guy, again. /u/-_vroom_-
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
KEK. Someone is high!
2 potxolo 2016-01-28
Well, that would certainly explain why you're talking to yourself.
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Whatever makes you happy!
2 taobixx 2016-01-28
Emotions trump reality, but for most people they can't handle anything else. Most people are too soft to even look at human biodiversity for example, they need to believe everyone is exactly the same in order to function. Just one of many examples.
When you start prioritizing facts over emotions, you're on your own in this culture.
2 know_comment 2016-01-28
Most people want to sense more than they want to think.
Conspiracy theories are not "scientific", so they aren't provable- until they are proven and then they are no longer theories- but it's very easy to keep a secret, contrary to popular propaganda. The lack of "proof" will dissuade the positivists.
Society values sensing and feeling over inuiting and thinking because society values working together and those who work together (whether openly or in secret) will have more impact than those working independently. Conspiracy theories ARE devisive by nature. You and I may agree that the official boston marathon bombing story isn't true, but you believe the victims are crisis actors while I believe they were caught up in a sabotaged intelligence operation. Meanwhile, everyone that believes the official narrative are on the same page- while a survey meant to paint conspiracy theorists as illogical could ask me if I believe the in several conflicting possibilities and I am going to mark them all as YES. I'm an inuitive person who understands a range of possibilities, so my efforts are automatically less coordinated.
Society doesn't value the innovators, either. It values the marketers- those who can sell the idea/ product/ service, win.
Additionally, authority doesn't want to be questioned, so eventually, these theories only attract the people who are specifically anti-authority. This means you get a mix of thinkers AND sensors who don't have equal critical analysis faculties. I'm then compared to those who easily eat up any disinformation which appeals to their world view. Propaganda becomes the norm.
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing. This is similar to a theory I heard that American society values the development of the human body, but not of the human mind. Our over-focus on athletics and militarism is an off-shoot of this strong desire for perfection of body, while good minds often go unappreciated in this culture.
1 VancityJewlz 2016-01-28
dont worry brother we will inherit the earth
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
When?
1 shitbric 2016-01-28
That is why most people are thrown out of public hearings. Because that isn't on the list to talk about. "That is not why Congressmen, senator etc is here to talk about please refrain from not askin questions regarding kin Kardashians ass implants.. ....
1 EPD_Rybo 2016-01-28
Agreed without a doubt.
For example these threads are full of emotional children who can't accept someones opinion as just that.
Even try to have a semi-unbiased opinion about hotly debated subjects such as the Oregon stand off and expect to be down voted and shit posted for the next week.
Then the labels and generalizations start pouring out when in fact had they met you in person they would see you as the counter opposite.
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate.
Just have to communicate what you can the best you can and hope the light bulb flicks on.
1 26Chairs 2016-01-28
People tend to not think rationally when they're worked up to the point where they're raising their voices about something.
Yes, showing passion and being angry about something is fine. But if you're going to try and convince somebody that doesn't want to hear about it that the government doesn't work for them and that who the next president is is pretty much irrelevant, you're much more likely to succeed if you're calm and cool about it than if you're angry and yelling.
Cool and calm will appear as if you're presenting facts. Angry and loud will appear as if you're presenting your opinions and you'll be labelled crazy. It's not necessarily because you're presenting uncomfortable information. It's because angry and loud means you can't think straight (for most people), so anything "out of the norm" that you say will just be attributed to you being insane.
1 Dibbick 2016-01-28
This is why I avoid talking with my American friends lately. I can't stand it
1 Playaguy 2016-01-28
Adding to this, now how we FEEL about the clients temperament is how we should qualify them for office.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-toxic-temperament-should-disqualify-him-from-the-presidency/2016/01/28/1c1a7992-c5e8-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html
-1 Ohmygoditsabird 2016-01-28
Broken? As opposed to what? What exactly is a 'fixed' society?
Also, I think you'll eventually realise that the 'tricksters' and the 'poor people' are one and the same.
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
broken vs properly functioning.
0 Ohmygoditsabird 2016-01-28
lol and what is properly functioning? how do you know isn't society already properly functioning?
1 GhostPantsMcGee 2016-01-28
Interesting question, but unless your point is that it is subjective, I am not sure where you are going with this.
1 Ohmygoditsabird 2016-01-28
It is subjective, but the point is you choose how you respond to life and blaming others for your woes is futile, when you can change your response and avoid said woes.
-2 duckshoe2 2016-01-28
Because they sense an obsessive whose conversations are the verbal equivalent of a wall of text?
-17 Itwasabright99 2016-01-28
Most people know better than to speak on things that they can't change.
11 BurninEpix 2016-01-28
I just don't even know what to say to that. Wow.
1 CantStopWhitey 2016-01-28
Examples?
2 magnora7 2016-01-28
broken vs properly functioning.
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
When?
1 -_vroom_- 2016-01-28
Psychedelics fucks with you man!
1 potxolo 2016-01-28
Nah, just doing a little charity work for the day. Back to your one man puppet show...
1 Ohmygoditsabird 2016-01-28
It is subjective, but the point is you choose how you respond to life and blaming others for your woes is futile, when you can change your response and avoid said woes.