Listen to a reading of this article: None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. None are more hopelessly ignorant than those who falsely believe they're informed. None are more hopelessly propagandized than those who don't know they are propagandized.
„By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms— elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest—will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of non-violent totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial—but democracy and freedom in a strictly Pickwickian sense. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit.“ — Aldous Huxley, book Brave New World Revisited Source: Brave New World Revisited (1958), Chapter 3, p. 25
Freedomland was a pro-patriotic theme park in NJ that my family visited when I was 5 or 6 years old. I briefly flashed on it yesterday and this post returned it to mind. What a slick propaganda vehicle for brainwashing a young mind. These vehicles are/have been ubiquitous in US society since WWII. I'm sometimes amazed that I began to reject that brainwashing by the age of 19 and moreover that by my dotage, I've experienced a complete rejection thereof. Looking back, I recognize that the voyage from "rah-rah USA" to "what a bloody over-theatricalized opera of excuses for covert and overt violence" is quite a long and tortuous one. I can only hope that as a greater number of folks travel this road, some type of hundredth-monkey effect might ensue, shifting enough consciousness to make a difference in subsequent perception of that violence-framed-as-patriotism. As to the frustration of"shouting into a hole in the ground": been there, felt that.
Chomsky's book "Manufacturing Consent," written in 1988, may turn out to be one of the most important and influential books of our time. Sadly, it only gets truer with every passing year.
Taking up agency would be deadly to their pleasure under cognitive dissonance. Their lives are like being in the driver seat of a car using a VR headset that's playing Grand Theft Auto. It only works if the State/Capitalism has disconnect the controls from the car. Subconsciously they fear the real life, it is a lot harder.
For an excellent example of how Hollywood participates in the Propaganda - I would recommend watching 22 Miles with Mark Wahlberg - I counted 17 examples imbedded in the movie in general conversations & background that whitewash Government/Presidential crimes - they include sound bites from all of the last 5 American Presidents. The Propaganda continues long after the official narrative is dismantled by scrutineers
"People are kept hopelessly enslaved by giving them the illusion that they are free, and any voice which interrupts that illusion is silenced by whatever means necessary."
This is why I say elections are pointless rituals of compliance not effective means of choosing leaders. The propaganda around the "sanctity" of our elections is stronger than all the war propaganda combined. The news this week that the FBI has been outed as being corrupt and guilty has many people arguing for the integrity and validity of government law enforcement agencies that have been shown to be openly corrupt and vile in every way imaginable.
It seems in the late sixties there was this mushrooming awareness of many things that were wrong. It is now mushrooming again, but not in full bloom yet, it's still mainly spreading underground. But the number of people connected to that underground is growing, and it will come to a boil at some point, like it has in times past. We need to keep bringing up the ignored history, the shunned truth, and a wholesome path forward needs to become clear. Change will happen, we need to be on top of it, in the midst of it, lest it gets 'managed' by evil in a bad direction - again.
Man that is something I've always felt in my gut but never had the courage to say in discussions - because for most people, only being literally dragged away as a heretic by the inquisition is non-free speech.
Our media and government’s response to Occupy Wall St. is a good example of what happens to unpopular speech.
Also, I realized decades ago that there are no “good countries”. Just bad and worse. It’s pretty damn difficult to get most people to wrap their heads around this painfully obvious observation.
The unholy alliance of the Big Tech Alphabet People with Uncle Sam's Alphabet People (CIADHSIRSBLMATFDEACDC et patati et patata) leaves free speech folk with an unpalatable dilemna of being censored, self censoring or banishment to remote platforms and endless echo chambers. We should all vomit on their $400 sneakers. Where have all the rebels gone?
There are handbooks on how to implement pulling the wool over the public eyes, written by Edward Bernays in the 1920. Propaganda and Crystallizing Public Opinion are guidebooks on how to establish a propaganda state, how to manipulate the public into believing anything the state wants. Madison avenue has used those tools but he real true believers in Bernays work are government propagandists and political scientists.
The unholy alliance of the Big Tech Alphabet People with Uncle Sam's Alphabet People (CIADHSIRSBLMATFDEACDC et patati et patata) leaves free speech folk with an unpalatable dilemna of being censored, self censoring or banishment to remote platforms and endless echo chambers. We should all vomit on their $400 sneakers. Where have all the rebels gone?
I love this piece. Of course, in college in the 1980s, I was taught to look at issues from at least three points of view. So, like many, I've always known that both Fox & MSNBC are no good.
And now I love reading Caitlin Johnstone, and listening to Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, Russell Brand, and Michael Malice. Even Candice Owens has grown suspicious of those who own the media, like Bill Gates, and the tyrants he carries water for, like the World Economic Forum. It doesn't mean I always agree with this people; in fact, they are on opposite sides of many issues. But at least they are doing their own research (as am I) and making an effort to question all tyrannical narratives, like all of the BS that surrounded the vax. At least we can now admit that it causes heart attacks and is 100% worthless.
Free Julian Assange! You americans should stand up to free him from unjustified jail and ridiculous extradition request! If not you're an accessory of neo nazi! And accomplice of a crime
„By means of ever more effective methods of mind-manipulation, the democracies will change their nature; the quaint old forms— elections, parliaments, Supreme Courts and all the rest—will remain. The underlying substance will be a new kind of non-violent totalitarianism. All the traditional names, all the hallowed slogans will remain exactly what they were in the good old days. Democracy and freedom will be the theme of every broadcast and editorial—but democracy and freedom in a strictly Pickwickian sense. Meanwhile the ruling oligarchy and its highly trained elite of soldiers, policemen, thought-manufacturers and mind-manipulators will quietly run the show as they see fit.“ — Aldous Huxley, book Brave New World Revisited Source: Brave New World Revisited (1958), Chapter 3, p. 25
Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/1744774-aldous-huxley-by-means-of-ever-more-effective-methods-of-mind-ma/
Freedomland was a pro-patriotic theme park in NJ that my family visited when I was 5 or 6 years old. I briefly flashed on it yesterday and this post returned it to mind. What a slick propaganda vehicle for brainwashing a young mind. These vehicles are/have been ubiquitous in US society since WWII. I'm sometimes amazed that I began to reject that brainwashing by the age of 19 and moreover that by my dotage, I've experienced a complete rejection thereof. Looking back, I recognize that the voyage from "rah-rah USA" to "what a bloody over-theatricalized opera of excuses for covert and overt violence" is quite a long and tortuous one. I can only hope that as a greater number of folks travel this road, some type of hundredth-monkey effect might ensue, shifting enough consciousness to make a difference in subsequent perception of that violence-framed-as-patriotism. As to the frustration of"shouting into a hole in the ground": been there, felt that.
Chomsky's book "Manufacturing Consent," written in 1988, may turn out to be one of the most important and influential books of our time. Sadly, it only gets truer with every passing year.
Taking up agency would be deadly to their pleasure under cognitive dissonance. Their lives are like being in the driver seat of a car using a VR headset that's playing Grand Theft Auto. It only works if the State/Capitalism has disconnect the controls from the car. Subconsciously they fear the real life, it is a lot harder.
For an excellent example of how Hollywood participates in the Propaganda - I would recommend watching 22 Miles with Mark Wahlberg - I counted 17 examples imbedded in the movie in general conversations & background that whitewash Government/Presidential crimes - they include sound bites from all of the last 5 American Presidents. The Propaganda continues long after the official narrative is dismantled by scrutineers
"People are kept hopelessly enslaved by giving them the illusion that they are free, and any voice which interrupts that illusion is silenced by whatever means necessary."
This is why I say elections are pointless rituals of compliance not effective means of choosing leaders. The propaganda around the "sanctity" of our elections is stronger than all the war propaganda combined. The news this week that the FBI has been outed as being corrupt and guilty has many people arguing for the integrity and validity of government law enforcement agencies that have been shown to be openly corrupt and vile in every way imaginable.
It seems in the late sixties there was this mushrooming awareness of many things that were wrong. It is now mushrooming again, but not in full bloom yet, it's still mainly spreading underground. But the number of people connected to that underground is growing, and it will come to a boil at some point, like it has in times past. We need to keep bringing up the ignored history, the shunned truth, and a wholesome path forward needs to become clear. Change will happen, we need to be on top of it, in the midst of it, lest it gets 'managed' by evil in a bad direction - again.
Man that is something I've always felt in my gut but never had the courage to say in discussions - because for most people, only being literally dragged away as a heretic by the inquisition is non-free speech.
Our media and government’s response to Occupy Wall St. is a good example of what happens to unpopular speech.
Also, I realized decades ago that there are no “good countries”. Just bad and worse. It’s pretty damn difficult to get most people to wrap their heads around this painfully obvious observation.
The unholy alliance of the Big Tech Alphabet People with Uncle Sam's Alphabet People (CIADHSIRSBLMATFDEACDC et patati et patata) leaves free speech folk with an unpalatable dilemna of being censored, self censoring or banishment to remote platforms and endless echo chambers. We should all vomit on their $400 sneakers. Where have all the rebels gone?
There are handbooks on how to implement pulling the wool over the public eyes, written by Edward Bernays in the 1920. Propaganda and Crystallizing Public Opinion are guidebooks on how to establish a propaganda state, how to manipulate the public into believing anything the state wants. Madison avenue has used those tools but he real true believers in Bernays work are government propagandists and political scientists.
Not everything, even in corporate media, is propaganda and not all elements of propaganda are factually false.
The best propaganda blends truth with lies and distortions.
There's a big difference between skepticism and nihilism.
Great article. Now do all the censorship on behalf of Big Pharma...even Dr. John Campbell is not immune despite using official government sources. https://wholistic.substack.com/p/the-censored-john-campbell-video
The unholy alliance of the Big Tech Alphabet People with Uncle Sam's Alphabet People (CIADHSIRSBLMATFDEACDC et patati et patata) leaves free speech folk with an unpalatable dilemna of being censored, self censoring or banishment to remote platforms and endless echo chambers. We should all vomit on their $400 sneakers. Where have all the rebels gone?
I love this piece. Of course, in college in the 1980s, I was taught to look at issues from at least three points of view. So, like many, I've always known that both Fox & MSNBC are no good.
And now I love reading Caitlin Johnstone, and listening to Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, Russell Brand, and Michael Malice. Even Candice Owens has grown suspicious of those who own the media, like Bill Gates, and the tyrants he carries water for, like the World Economic Forum. It doesn't mean I always agree with this people; in fact, they are on opposite sides of many issues. But at least they are doing their own research (as am I) and making an effort to question all tyrannical narratives, like all of the BS that surrounded the vax. At least we can now admit that it causes heart attacks and is 100% worthless.
Love it! Great piece! Thank you!
Free Julian Assange! You americans should stand up to free him from unjustified jail and ridiculous extradition request! If not you're an accessory of neo nazi! And accomplice of a crime