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(Continued from Part 4..)

Name Calling

It never feels good to be called a name, particularly if it is an unjust accusation. It is one of the reasons that the fear of being thought of poorly is a powerful manipulative tool, as mentioned in the preceding “Fear section”.

During Covid, some public voices were openly hostile to those who did not get the vaccine. CNN’s Don Lemon was one of these personalities. Lemon would launch into tirades showed unrelenting ridicule, disdain, and a lack of concern for anyone who would even think of not agreeing with the prevailing narrative. He called them “stupid” for having a concern about their own health. He blasted them for hesitating because they didn’t know what was in the shot. He said: “The people who are not getting vaccines who are believing the lies on the internet instead of science, it’s time to start shaming them, or leave them behind.” He said that “conspiracy theorists” who question mask mandates “shouldn’t have even had kids.”

Don Lemon was not the only one, as one public personality after another fired off blistering attacks on people who turned out to be right about their concerns. It is hard to stand up to such salvos, and name-calling–or the fear of being called a name–often causes people to first change their behavior, and then change their mind.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 5, by Cyclops”

(Continued from Part 3.)

Shifting Definitions

The person who controls the definitions of words, controls the thoughts of the people. Orwell knew this well as he crafted his dystopian novel, “1984”. In that story, the ruling “Party” used “Newspeak” to control language and definitions to limit the subjects’ ability to think and communicate about ideas that went against the Party.
In the allegory, “Animal Farm”, also by Orwell, citizens endured a set of definitions that constantly shifted to suit the leader’s lust for power. For example, the phrase, “all animals are equal” shifted into “some animals are more equal than others.”

While Orwell’s books were meant to describe methods of Nazi and Communist oppression during and after World War 2, the books provide an illustration of how changing language and definitions manipulates a society. Deceivers can obtain agreement from people under one definition, then the thoughts and values of those people will shift as the definition of the word shifts over time. Consider, for example, the following shifts in language or principles that have occurred over the past few years.

Be wary of shifting definitions, and the expectations upon our behavior based on migrating principles.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 4, by Cyclops”

(Continued from Part 2.)

Denial is a form of selective information. If you can’t succeed in limiting the information that a brainwashing subject takes in, at the very least you can deny that the information they have received is true. Now many politicians and agencies are denying some of the actions they openly demonstrated during the Covid frenzy. In an October 1, 2023 Substack publication, attorney Bobbie Anne Cox outlines just a few of the reversals that public figures are attempting now that more information has come out about the lack of effectiveness of masks and/or Covid “vaccines.” What came out as forceful, even vitriolic mandates during the frenzy are now being walked back. “Oh, we never actually required people to get the vaccine”–even though people were humiliated, drummed out of jobs, out of the military, out of their professions, out of concerts, restaurants, whatever. Our ability to psychologically accept denial is so potent that this ruse will actually work on many people. They will actually adjust their memory to accommodate these new proclamations.

It comes down to this: don’t rely on any one source to give you the full story. We are easily deceived if we don’t verify assertions using multiple sources, and even then remain reserved in believing everything we see and read. Question everything that you are expected to believe.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 3, by Cyclops”

(Continued from Part 1.)

FEAR

We are hard-wired to avoid things that ignite fear. This is a central aspect of reward/punishment conditioning that is central to the way humans learn about and adapt to our surroundings. The adrenaline-induced panic that we experience in a fight or flight response is a physical reaction that helps us learn how to survive, and is ingrained in our genes. But this aspect of our biology makes us vulnerable to those who want to manipulate us through fear.

The level of fear that can sway our values and behavior need not be extreme, such as the fear of death. It may be the fear of losing a job, a scholarship, or money. It may involve the fear of losing esteem, social acceptance, or the love of an important person. It might be the fear of being called a unflattering name, such as “racist”, “backward”, or “uncaring”. It may be as simple as losing out on something in which we have invested time or money, or a loss of our own self-esteem. How many types of fear can you identify in the following example.Continue reading“Resisting Thought Control – Pt. 2, by Cyclops”