Paranoids are easy to create and feed if you know how to flatter their egos: "He picked me. I must be on to something." The basic level of fear created is helpful, since most of us like a scare, and if it seems to be real, the funhouse (or spookhouse) illusion is complete. All that is needed when this is accomplished is to keep the frightening "insider" info coming in small doses. At this point, your target is basically a puppet and mouthpiece, ready to infect others with carefully crafted disinfo, which of course is mostly true, but injected with a small amount of ear-tickling lies.
If paranoids are easy to create, consider how childishly simple it is to create a True Believer.
3 comments:
"If paranoids are easy to create, consider how childishly simple it is to create a True Believer."
As opposed to the idea of the ease of "creating" either a paranoid or "True Believer," I think it might be more accurate to suggest that an emotional or psychological predisposition, or personality defect, is more easily exploited and manipulated via disinformation and psyop practices upon a susceptible person than is true of most "normal" or relatively balanced individuals.
I was involved in a case in 1992/93 in which a rather credulous, conspiracy-oriented journalist and "UFO researcher" was manipulated and discredited rather thoroughly by three different persons, two of whom co-owned a licensed private investigation firm, and who convinced the journo involved that one of the three manipulators and con-men was an alien hybrid.
The journo's friends and peers, among whom several were also involved in researching and documenting the UFO phenomenon, actually conducted an intervention with the victim in this case, showing him proof he was being conned and manipulated, but it still took the individual a few more months to become aware of the deception involved to realize how completely he had been played.
The reporter who was involved, who had a program on Pacifica radio at the time, and who had presented several broadcasts about the alleged conspiracy behind the UFO cover-up, ended up nearly breaking up his marriage, lost his radio show, and had to go through therapy to deal with the post-traumatic stress incurred.
His innate credulity, lack of objectivity (especially in the face of documented facts), and gullible predispostion to accept and believe disinformational content led to his undoing.
What I've always been interested in is who was apparently paying and orchestrating the P.I. cutouts to run their con on the individual involved, as it was quite elaborate and went on for months until the journo woke up to the facts that finally became undeniable to even him.
As opposed to the idea of the ease of "creating" either a paranoid or "True Believer," I think it might be more accurate to suggest that an emotional or psychological predisposition, or personality defect, is more easily exploited and manipulated via disinformation and psyop practices upon a susceptible person than is true of most "normal" or relatively balanced individuals.
Unfortunately you're right. Believers essentially create themselves, for the most part cutting out the middle man.
Everybody is a believer in something. We read what affirms our ideas, disregard or neglect what confronts it.
Admitting you are wrong is the hardest thing to do. I've read articles where they say women stay with wife-beaters (among other reasons) because it's too hard to admit they were wrong choosing the guy as a partner. Just an example.
We all live in our cosy cocoons. If you are smart you keep an open mind, but you do need, and this may sound derogatory, a certain level of intelligence, which -unfortunately- the greater majority seems to be lacking.
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