Does it sometimes dumfound you that so many people can be stupid,

[Codifer]

84. Reasons are many and complex

There are stupid people either by heredity or environment and hatred can be added to that Venn diagram as well as peer pressure and a twisted world view and an odd interpretation of what reality is and what might be a movie or video game or a prophecy from whatever they hold most holy.

Then I remember reading "The Hidden Persuaders" by Vance Packard written about 60 years ago and dealing mainly with subliminal advertising (big research at that time). It was the art of the subtle placement in ads of images which are only meant to be noticed by the subconscious mind which incite some favor (positive or negative) or emotion. Such research was done by talented and knowledgeable psychologists and sociologists. I think that, if I were one of those researchers, I would have have had to have been aware of the deep interest that, post WW2, governments and intelligence agencies expressed in this means of human manipulation. The idea is sufficiently simple and basic to human nature that gifted laymen figured it out; notably P.T. Barnum who knew that people really WANT to believe and George Orwell who wrote of its dark side. Televangelists and traveling revivals knew it too. Basically put, just grab the subject by the genitals or by his fear (and related hatred) and I understand why all the pretty and long-legged faux news ladies have short skirts and glass desks. While you have their attention on peeking up skirts, feel free to stuff the sub-conscious with fear that libruls are stealing Christmas or renaming thanksgiving or perhaps just the usual two minutes of hate.

Invariably, for me, this path leads to speculation about what the state of that research now, especially with the exponentially increased ability to persuade mass numbers of people via electronic media. I think of MK Ultra, and embassies bombarded by some esoteric forms of microwaves or ultra and subsonics.

Then I realize that I am ass-deep in a conspiracy theory and none of that could, therefore, be true.

I think, then that I must be crazy and I wonder if that is what "being gas lighted" means.

Then I recycle the whole damn thing. Very tiring.

I want to believe that people are good. But I can't.