Fooling the Human Mind as a Business and a means to Power.

[opihimoimoi]

We Humans seem to have a propensity to believe what we feel.

If it feels right/good, then it must be TRUE.

Some use the Bible, Holy Books as a means to an end, to gather followers.

Others, usually polititians, use PR, pysops, brainwashing, etc to get people to believe in their cause/agenda/philosophy.

If we look about us, we find evidence of Mind Theft by the unscrupelous, the PR Firms, the Clergy, etc. Perhaps this is why cults seem to have no problems recruiting the easily fooled.

This explains the rejection of Sanity and Reason and the embracement of Fantasy. We seem to want/demand/comprehend only in simplistic terms. IE Bushes simplistic statements.

Look at our DU Board as I did for the past 2 years. We dwell on the simple: "I like this guy" and "I don't know about that guy". Too many of these kinds of posts, and I guilty of this too, which really distracts from the larger picture; That of America, that we are all Americans and we all want the same things in life; at least I think we do. A small list:

Comfort, Jobs, Fairness, Safety, Freedom, Hope, Fun, Love, Security, etc.

These will only come if we embrace Virtues, as opposed the the Seven Sins, as we seem to have.

Compassion

Sensitivity

Fairness

Love

Reason

Sanity

Common Sense

If we look at the Pubs side of things and the results of their actions, it becomes starkly clear they are not in the sharing mode, thus they are UNFAIR, Greedy, Deceptive, Secretive, Insensitive, lacking of compassion, etc etc.

We DEms should be looking for the larger Picture to find ways to stymie MIND THEFT and for pills or whatever to cure those afflicted with the condition of Brainwashed. Can we develop a 12 step Program or an education program addressing mind theft...? Or is the Human Mind unable to comprehende beyond the horizon of our noses?

Come, we find ways to make a LUAU, the MOther of all LUAUs. Only when we find the Path to true Global Peace do we light the fires to cook the food, walk the hot stones, sing, eat, laugh, dance, enjoy, smile, and truely MATURE as a SPECIES. Lets get LOADED TOGETHER. Screw this War shit.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

1. WOW!...i like your thinking...best thing i've read here in over a year

thank you...

the 12-stepper for the mindless :7:
:thumbsup:

[opihimoimoi]

5. Spread the word to Dummy Up, like quick

Vote for Sanity and Reason. For too long they held prisoners by the Mindless.

[jbm]

2. I agree!

(and because somehow this article seems to fit your topic I'm gonna stick it in here)http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=10&u=/nm/life_happiness_dc

<snip>An analysis of levels of happiness in more than 65 countries by the World Values Survey shows Nigeria has the highest percentage of happy people followed by Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador (news - web sites) and Puerto Rico, while Russia, Armenia and Romania have the fewest. <snip>

I heard an analysis of this study today on T.V.,and while the article doesn't stress this point,the analyst said that the people in the less wealthy countries derive a part of their sense of happiness from fulfilling their social responsiblities. Being liberal pays!

[opihimoimoi]

3. How sad we are for not following the Path of Happiness and instead

look for simplistic answers from those who continue to FOOL us. Are we nuts? People from around the world, those that do Critical Thinking, look at America and our Prez Bush only to wonder what the hell went wrong. How could our people be fooled so easily? How can we embrace this silly foolishness of Compassionate Conservatism to the degree we do?? How can guys like Hannity and Rash, etc, gather the following they do?

Only a weakness in our collective minds can be the explanation.

We must find answers else all is lost.

We must overcome the delusion gripping our Nation.

[tlcandie]

6. Aloha opihimoimoi....

I want to think more about what you've offered up to us...it is full of mana!

My first thoughts went to our children and what they are NOT being taught in school. None of these things are taught or discussed which creates MIND THEFT IMO.


Going to check in with my Ike!

Mahalo... :hi:

[opihimoimoi]

8. Could it be INTENTIONAL?? That our ed system needs a full on

overhaul?? That our children are not taught to think, to solve, to observe, to know bull shit from Reality??

Its an indictment of our present system. "Leave no child behind" my ass.

[laylah]

36. I would not doubt

that not teaching our children FACTS, is intentional. If you haven't already, a MUST READ, is "The Dumbing of America" (don't remember author) written in the mid-late '60's and addresses just this idea.

Jenn

[opihimoimoi]

48. The Good Society by John Kennth Galbraith is also a Must Read

The mega rich wants/desires/demands/plots for a POOR Class to do thier bidding inexpensively.

Economic slavery is fostered and nurtured by many of the Mega rich Old Money People.

Apparently, their wishes are coming even more true than expected.

[w4rma]

7. Too much money in politics. Some people have too much money

to spend on brainwashing and too much to gain from it.

[opihimoimoi]

9. The solution lies not in who doing the fooling, its in the direction

of helping those prone to MIND THEFT and how to PREVENT.

Mind Theft Prevention 101

should bve taught in our schools/universities.

ASAP

[w4rma]

12. yes, critical thinking/propaganda detection should be taught in school

Of course, the propagandists would tell everyone that the course was propaganda. :shrug: (In fact they already do. They deride "intellectuals". They shun "liberal" arts universities.)

[opihimoimoi]

17. Its part of the psyops campaign the Pubs use to brainwash

Simple but effective, they take advantage of the weak Human Minds out there.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. i agree also...bookmarked

[janekat]

10. We need to read up on this topic - I had intended to post some

articles on propaganda and the art of persuasion. It is absolutely astounding at the amount of propaganda out there. The Republicans seem to be very aware of how to use it - I notice them using it a lot.

[opihimoimoi]

26. Read JANUS by Arthur Koestler

Oldie but worth it. He explains the Human Mind and why we do the things we do. You will be amazed.

[InkAddict]

11. Good idea, let's roast the pig on the hot coals!

Wiki, wiki!

[InkAddict]

13. Oh-oh, editing time ran out on me but more thoughts are leaking...

I guess I should not have been so flip, but I sure could use a slam-dunk party right now. Is that selfish of me in this time of great chaos?

Anyway, I'm editing my post to discuss this more seriously.

I have a lot of trouble with the paradoxes involved in consideration of the human experience. I don't think one can make a case that only reason should be used to guide one's choices, attitudes, and actions. What part, then, does emotion play in the human experience? If we accept romantic love as emotional, is there room for jealousy as well? If we accept something as true, can we then compromise that value just for keeping an uneasy peace? How long do we give a party to "see the light" before taking corporal/punitive action, and why should it be our light they see? If we seek "balance," can we be then be considered "fence sitters" who have no ABSOLUTE values/rules by which to live. If we don't discriminate, how can we make judgements that lead to our actions, for good or bad. When does a single piece of trivia (a reasonable fact)get thrown into the larger context as something truly meaningful to some other person or group?

I pray for wisdom to discern child-like innocence that requires instruction and goodness that comes from applied knowledge from the evil intention, conscious or not, to infiltrate my mind or those persons I've chosen to make, family, friend, and foe.

[opihimoimoi]

14. Whether we like it or not, Mankind stands at the Crossroads to the Future

Either we plod on as we are, depending on Destiny to take us nilly willy into the future, or,

we experience a paradigm shift in our philosophic approach to life itself.

Survival:::: It is within all of us. We all share this basic instinct. Air, Food, Water, Space, Comfort, etc, we tend to take these for granted, especially we in the rich West. But as time marches on, we see a growing concern for our way of life.

There is no Plan for a SUSTAINABLE EARTH. Our so called Leaders are not even mentioning the term. Is it too difficult to comprehend???

Is it impossible to achieve??

If only we can move up the thinking ladder a few notches and think long term, we would be able to see the dire need to embrace/learn of
Peace and its benefits.

With the warlike conditions that exist today, we are fucking doomed.

Come, we start the shift, we go drink

[shance]

15. Learning to accept reality is the only way our nation will survive

Its a tall order to fill when we have a nation addicted to fantasies and illusions and essentially through our free-market system, we are further engulfed in the mire by constantly being bombarded to consume more, buy more, BE MORE.

America is all about MORE MORE MORE........

When Americans are forced to realize what we live is a pretty hedonistic lifestyle, then and only then will we have a chance to crawl back out of this huge hole of denial we have dug.

[opihimoimoi]

16. Yup, you got it right.

However, I am afraid for America for if we wait to long... depleting our resources too far, it may be too late to fix anything and the slide towards oblivion will be inevitable.

We have but a small window to fix our systems to reflect an eye for our children, our future, our lives. We not only hesitate, we reject, proving our collective selfishness, ignorance, and greed.

Come, we pass the word to fix ourselves by learning of Reality and Sanity and the positive results they represent. This fantasy of Conservatism is killing us with misery.

[Arianrhod]

18. In The Feeling of What Happens

Antonio Damasio, a neural surgeon, explores the idea that consciousness is the direct result of emotion. Victor Johnston, a computer scientist, continues this line of thought in Why We Feel.

Humans are emotional beings. That's what the Republicans play on. The only way to see through the conservative charade is to step outside of our emotions and consider the world the way it really is, instead of the way we feel about it.

It's kind of a Zen thing. . . .

[opihimoimoi]

19. Emotionalism!!!! Please read Janus by Arthur Koestler

Its an oldie but should be found in any library.

In it, the author descibes the human brain and how it evolved. We are an emotional species, given to all the responses of the wilderness from which we came.

Fright
Fear
Survival
Greed
Lust
etc

are emotions in all of us. The Pubs play on this. We Humans also seem to have great difficulty in comprehending 3 or 4 relating issues at once.

Oh Well,

Come, we go find ice cream or if you prefer, a bar.

[AP]

20. I've never seen anything like the pro-Arnold media mind fuck, not even...

...with Bush 2000. And I see a lot of people here taken in by it, what with all the "maybe there's an upside" and "but he's socially liberal" posts.

People have got to get their heads on straighter.

[opihimoimoi]

21. The result of Brainwashing Psyops by the Pubs. Very effective.

AHHHNOLD may win but its not because he has demonstrated leadership, smarts, high educational achievments, nor a political history. Nope, its all PR and name recognition.

The emotional Tug came from Maria yesterday; "You can listen to THEM, or you can listen to ME...."

The stupid bitch, there were 6 women who came forward with assualt charges and now, its up to 11. All these women have nothing to gain but became public to share their pain and to prevent a travesty from happening.

And its not old and cold, some occurred only a couple of years ago. The man is a serial groper... and he gonna be the GOV of Cali????

Oh MY, People just Don't WANT to GET IT.. do they?

Reject Common Sense and go for Emotion, it feels better.... oh lordy

[ElsewheresDaughter]

22. media marketing/media hype/the masses...should be mandatory cirriculum in

every primary/elementary school across the world...our children need to be educated/protect against mind control and group think

[opihimoimoi]

23. Its called OBEDIENCE. They are taught to LISTEN and OBEY.

Weak minds are easily addicted to bullshit. This comes from ignorance, they should know better but don't, or, won't.

Then they are taught denial.... like Rushes denial yesterday and Marias too. Denial is the easy way out. Then they blame or distract, pure Pub Pysop Tatics. All delusional rationalzation.

We need a system to prevent MIND THEFT but those in charge gain from the status quo so unless we start to holler and vote for COMMON SENSE soon, we ain't gonna see shit.


Lordy, where is that Common Sense PILL?

[Paxdora]

24. Excellent Forum Here!

I just joined DU and I'm a complete dummy about posting, etc. But I want you all to know that your thoughts and worldview are completely in synch with mine. This country has lost its understanding of the reason for its existence, IMO, and this did not occur by 'accident'.

I will continue reading the thread here for a while...I absolutely love the great philosophical and political insights posted by several of you. I will be back to make a few contributions of my own after I get the hang of everything.

I am so happy to have found this forum!:loveya:

Paxdora

[opihimoimoi]

25. Hey there Paxdora, welcome aboard and please free to join right in

Sanity, Reason and Common Sense needs all the help they can get; they being help prisoner far too long.

Come, we go eat sushi and drink Sake

[opihimoimoi]

27. A Shameless kick

Its apparent only a few can see the Big Picture for whatever reason. Oh well, its the answer to many of our problems, all we have to do is make a determined effort to shift from Destiny to Opportunity.

and I know, this kind of stuff is boring and not very exciting. It lacks the luster of simplistic answers and hardly anyone wants to be dull. Its far more exciting to continue the path of least resistance and enjoy a NFL Game or what have you.

But having said that. Peace, true Peace, can be far more rewarding and beneficial than the Fantasy the Pub PsyOps are throwing at ya. If enough of you join in the effort: Think of a time when we move from war/misery/blood, wasted treasure, to a Richness for more of us. Comfort, Safety, Fun, Food, Clean Air, etc. All we gatta do is think of these things and overcome the Mind set of Fantasy/Foolishness the Pubs represent.

:kick:

Come, we go eat

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

28. How we can help to alleviate fear in people and offer reassurance?

I have some friends that live and work in Manhattan and DC. None of them are very interested in politics or watch much news. None of them have expressed much worry about terrorism. It seems to me that they should be the ones that are more worried about it.

The people that I know that ARE really worried about it are Bush supporters that live in the suburbs and wouldn't need to worry about it nearly as much. But they watch the cable channels and listen to talk radio constantly, so bought into the war and all the fear.

I can't explain it, but it seems to me that there is some reason that they WANT the fear. If I were afraid like they are, I would turn off all the media BS and duct tape reports, you know?

The strange thing is that some of them are now questioning the war, but one person that seems very rational and is a very successful person is buying the "flypaper theory" and still saying war, war, war.

I don't know what motivates them, rational arguments don't seem to work. They somehow need this fear alleviated, but I don't know how.

[opihimoimoi]

29. We need a system to address this Fear Mongering.

How NOT to be Afraid 101

Intentional Fear and its Consequences, Who Gains...?

How Fear is used as a TOOL by Evil People 101

Where do we get FEAR?

America needs some stronger VISINE and strong Coffee

[ElsewheresDaughter]

30. an Alfie Kohn kick for the schools our children deserve

[opihimoimoi]

31. Sending Roses and wine, LOL

[Hubert Flottz]

32. Peace Ain't Good For Bidness!

'The Bottom Line', Is The Bottom Line!

GREED Trumps Patriotism In America Today! = Purdy Is, Is Purdy Does!

[opihimoimoi]

33. Are you saying Greed uses Patriotism?? cause if you are,

Damn Right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and worse,...................

It works.....................

[Sideways]

34. Control=FUD (Fear Uncertainty & Doubt)

The church was the first organization to use this technique. Today it permeates almost every level of society from corporations to schools right into personal relationships where an abusive partner manipulates the emotions of another.

Politics is not immune to it either. It was the basis for the Cold War hell I'd submit it is the basis for ALL WARS. The Bush cabal is taking it to a new zenith.

Ode to Bush

Yo wanna be stud
Ain't nothin but a dud
Take your farking FUD
And shove it in your pud!

Critical thinking skills and Love and the two most important gifts we can give/teach to our children.

[opihimoimoi]

38. Control. if you can, then you can predict.

Riches follow

question?

for whom?

Us, them, all?

[whirlygigspin]

35. Our old hero

Noam Chomsky
Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies
Toronto: CBC Enterprises, 1989
New edition in print from House of Anansi Press (General Publishing).

Listen to Noam Chomsky. audio link
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/chronology.html

[opihimoimoi]

37. Yup, excellent link, Mahalo

Sending fish and poi

[Hubert Flottz]

39. WE can have a group grope everywhere we go if R-Null Wins!

Morals is Oral! We can say whatever makes us look best in public and then go play grab ass all day! If R-Null wins It's a clear mandate for perverted sex and nonstop orgies! Pat and Jerry can even come out of the closet and grope anything in sight like they do in secret now!

WHAT WILL WE TELL THE KIDDIES WHEN THEY START GETTING GROUP GROPED BY OLD FART REPUBS?

[NaMeaHou]

40. From my conspiracy travels today

http://www.savethemales.ca/211002.html

[opihimoimoi]

49. Hmmmmm very Interesting

[Q]

41. Slip Sliding Away...

"Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment." (GWB) --New York Times, Jan. 14, 2001

"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and you knew exactly who they were," he said. "It was us vs. them, and it was clear who them was. Today, we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there." (GWB) — Iowa Western Community College, Jan 21, 2000

"This is a world that is much more uncertain than the past. In the past we were certain, we were certain it was us versus the Russians in the past. We were certain, and therefore we had huge nuclear arsenals aimed at each other to keep the peace. That's what we were certain of. ... You see, even though it's an uncertain world, we're certain of some things. We're certain that even though the 'evil empire' may have passed, evil still remains. We're certain there are people that can't stand what America stands for. ... We're certain there are madmen in this world, and there's terror, and there's missiles and I'm certain of this, too: I'm certain to maintain the peace, we better have a military of high morale, and I'm certain that under this administration, morale in the military is dangerously low."(GWB) — Albuquerque, N.M., the Washington Post, May 31, 2000

"If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier — just so long as I was the dictator." (GWB) — Washington DC, 2000-12-18.

"We think there is a parallel between federal involvement in education and the decline in profit over recent years." -- Ronald Reagan, 1983.

"Fascism was really the basis for the New Deal." Ronald Reagan, 1976, on his failed campaign for the Republican nomination.

"You can't help those who simply will not be helped. One problem that we've had, even in the best of times, is people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless who are homeless, you might say, by choice." -- President Reagan, 1/31/84, on Good Morning America, defending his administration against charges of callousness.

"You know, if I listened to him long enough, I would be convinced that we're in an economic downturn, and that people are homeless, and people are going without food and medical attention, and that we've got to do something about the unemployed." -- President Reagan, 6/8/88

"Close your hearts to pity! Act brutally! Eighty million people must obtain what is their right... The stronger man is right... Be harsh and remorseless! Be steeled against all signs of compassion!... Whoever has pondered over this world order knows that its meaning lies in the success of the best by means of force..." - Adolf Hitler, Nazi Dictator (1939, speaking to his military chiefs about starting the war)

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones - Albert Einstein

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him a spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. —Albert Einstein

Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them - Unknown

[Q]

42. A bleeding heart...

...kick.

[opihimoimoi]

43. Loloness lives. Ignorance kills,

What in the world have we done to ourselves.

Spin is IN, Truth is out.

Novak going to jail.

Rush should be too but sedated at moment.

Recovering from a sore ass.

R null making groping popular and acceptable.

Graham drops out on Larry King.

Sox win a squeaker

Wicked Good

Come, we go drink

[Fridays Child]

44. I'm inclined to have a nip, myself.

It's been a cosmically weird time, lately.

[opihimoimoi]

47. Mary, saddle up and come over to the Bar. Free drinks and

the ribs are hot.

[opihimoimoi]

50. I can only wonder what ET would say after meeting our Leader

Sending communique to Star Fleet hovering in Space; "The Human Species: I have met their Leader. stop. Proceed to exterminate. stop.
They are canceresque. stop. Must not be allowed to infect Galaxy. stop."

[ElsewheresDaughter]

53. hello Q...as always a great post

:hi:

[noiretextatique]

45. great post, opi...it's evolutionary, in fact

our current course is destructive, and will lead us only to destruction. unfortunately, it's more about culture than politics, per se. but we can be a part of the critical mass that changes the current death-seeking paradigm...if we choose.
:toast: to the best in humanity

[opihimoimoi]

46. Common Sense tells us Bushes/Pubs present course is not

in the best interest for Americans/& Nation

I hope we find the way to change successfully ASAP

Bartender" Please pour the man a drink

[Paxdora]

51. The Perverting of Reality

I think some of you people here will appreciate the thoughts of this writer, John Kaminski:
American Satyricon: The perverting of reality
A people gone bad cheer an emperor gone mad
http://www.rudemacedon.ca/kaminski/1006-satyricon.html

Paxdora

Come, we go THROUGH, we will dance...

[opihimoimoi]

52. Some day soon, I hope we find the path to the Mega Dance

It will only come if we shuck the yokes of despair, distortion, and Deceit.

Come, we set up the IMU to cook the pig Hawaiian style.