Mind control is cheaper than physical slavery

Political advertising — as practiced today — not only foully betrays our political heritage, but returns Americans to the intellectual slavery that the scientific method was supposed to free people from. Despite generations of courageous teachers and outspoken citizens, the conduct of a majority of citizens today shows submission to being ruled by advertising — also known as propaganda, public relations, or what the military calls “psy-ops.” This is the true reality of mind control — way cheaper than physical slavery.

Basic methodologies for widely controlling what people think (“persuasion”) came to the attention of the U.S. government, and later the Nazis, from the developments of Edward L. Bernays. He’s known as the “Father of Spin” for very good reasons.

Employed by the U.S. government to sway Americans to support World War I, he is the creator of manipulative advertising language for war that is being used to this day. Example: you’ve all heard variations of “It’s America’s responsibility to make the world safe for democracy.” This ideological enforcement funded by government has been wildly successful at justifying international selfishness, bullying, violence, and retaliation by America. It’s made Christianity-leaning Americans tolerate foreign relations that repudiate successful principles of human relations taught by Christ. Examples include “love thy neighbor as thyself,” “treat others as you would like to be treated,” “take the beam out of your own eye before you complain about the mote in another’s eye,” and “turn the other cheek rather than escalate conflict and violence.” This is not to mention Commandments like “Thou shall not bear false witness” and “Thou shall not murder.” (Commonly mistranslated as “kill” despite companion biblical verses that validate that it’s “murder.”)

It was Bernays’ conviction that most Americans weren’t capable of thinking using common sense, much less the discipline of the scientific method. Therefore, people must be guided to behave rationally by taking advantage of their prejudices, ignorance, and susceptibility to being herded to do what seems “popular” or convenient. The methodologies he pioneered to guide people’s thinking are the foundation of all modern use of the media and modern use of social engineering in our schools (sometimes identical with the “brain washing” U.S. government complains enemies use — i.e. Islamic madrassas).

The unavoidable perception is that advertising (in all of its incarnations) is and always be a vehicle for an elite (those who believe they know best) to tell other people what to think to motivate “right” doing. This isn’t self-government. This isn’t representative government. This is definitely no form of democracy. This is a perfect portrayal of the behavior of a government form called aristocracy — rule by an elite. James Madison, in his 1792 essay “The Union: Who are its Real Friends,” called those who support such activity enemies of our country. Aren’t I being politically correct by merely accusing such people of betraying our political heritage?

So let’s look at our Alaskan senate race. Money collected and spent to support yard signs, hand-held street signs, meet and greet /Q & A events, position papers (requesting study, questioning, and comparing), and debates require active involvement by actual voters — obvious free speech and execution of voter duty. There’s a chance a candidate will pick up citizen ideas and solutions that he can represent — so it’s also government by the people, not just of and for the people.

But what about all the money spent on radio, TV, ordinary newspaper, and robo-call/mail advertising — constituting most of the money ever spent for political campaigning? Following century-old advertising principles, these instruments of mental intrusion just prey on available prejudices, ignorance, and tendency toward herd mentality by voters. They start with the premise that you are at most a clueless barking dog who can be manipulated into using your vote in the advertiser’s favor. You know: bark for your master and you’ll get plenty of food in your bowl and a hutch to huddle in that’s got free cable TV! So the extent of compulsive acceptance of especially non-voter campaign contributions to fund higher levels of voter mind control just shows everybody that that candidate is already corrupt.

All my adult life, fellow citizens have been complaining about obnoxious election campaign behavior (like attack ads). Yet politicians continue to abuse voters with advertising activity that shows conclusively that they are willing to use methods that brand them as anti-representative government. If we ever had a candidate that engaged the minds of thousands of his constituents for solutions that he could represent, instead of treating them like virtual animals to be taken care of, we would overwhelmingly conquer all our state and nation problems. This is true power of the people applied by true leadership!

Stuart Thompson lives, thinks and writes in Wasilla.