Yes, I agree. Some of the particulars look a bit different here, but the spirit of it is the same. One thing it fits well with is progression through the Demor

Yes, I agree. Some of the particulars look a bit different here, but the spirit of it is the same. One thing it fits well with is progression through the Demoralization, and possibly Destabilization, phase(s) of ideological subversion as described by KGB defector Yuri Bezmenov. Decent legibility charts e.g. here: https://web.archive.org/web/20220412064205/https://wyomingtransparency.com/charts-the-four-stages-of-ideological-subversion/ https://web.archive.org/web/20220412064205/https://wyomingtr... (EDIT: The organization hosting those charts is rather opinionated about the interpretation and context. Even so, I'm leaving this reference in as the legibility of the charts themselves is higher than for many other copies/scans on the web. Originals can also be found e.g. in the linked https://ia800301.us.archive.org/25/items/BezmenovLoveLetterToAmerica/YuriBezmenov-LoveLetterToAmerica.pdf https://ia800301.us.archive.org/25/items/BezmenovLoveLetterT... ) Some prior HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30470856 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30470856 A sizable share of the recorded media materials: https://archive.org/details/yuri_bezmenov_all_interviews_lectures_hq_1983_1984 https://archive.org/details/yuri_bezmenov_all_interviews_lec... It's hard to prove something like that as a cause, for obvious reasons, but I think the relevance for the features of what we're seeing is hard to deny.