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Riff McClavin's avatar

Whenever your articles delve into the realm of propaganda I'm left to ponder the willingness of people to be duped by authority, whether that authority is political, religious, or merely celebrity.

And it's not like the better clues aren't all around us. I'm no genius and l've found them, so what gives? One presidential campaign should do it; yet one more Israeli bloodbath should pop the eyes open; any given half hour on CNN should set off alarm bells.

What's so damn compelling about somnambulism?

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Chris Woods's avatar

Great post. As you say, it's human nature...

The real problem is that this "natural" make-up-the-world-for-my-selfish-benefits pervades every aspect of society today because it is a tactic that works for everyone at all levels. In fact it has become a key organizational survival tactic.

1) People are overwhelmed by the information ecosystem, flooded, so they don't have the ability to parse out meaning and hence rely on simply stories and narratives (usually of social belonging.) This has probably been the case even before Facebook...

2) Humans are genetically disposed to be bullies. It was a fitness trait a million years ago that simply won't change. It can only be ameliorate.

Because of #1, above, it's very easy to be a bully and impose the narrative (or performance) when people do just about anything.

If you want to see some of the best "theater" these days, attend any non-profit organization zoom call and watch everyone follow a script while no one thinks critically about actual results.

Yes, this framework does get lots of push from the top down, but it's certainly embraced along the way. It's human nature.

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