3 ms·

Jan 6 is unlikely to have been unrelated to “data-fueled neurotargeting” (title is over dramatic imo). First impression information really sticks in people’s m

Jan 6 is unlikely to have been unrelated to “data-fueled neurotargeting” (title is over dramatic imo). First impression information really sticks in people’s minds (I heard x and then you tell me y in conflict with x, I will believe x more easily). And targeting is doing this daily. Republican voters talk more about the democrats than democrats do, democratic voters talk about republicans than democrats do. Obsession with the other is what happens in the current gridlock, and the most unproductive congress in history.

api 2y ago
Jan 6th was done via what as near as I can tell are cult indoctrination and mass scale rabble rousing techniques as old as civilization. If newer tech like this was used it was to boost the effect. I think it’s possible that the I AM cult was the template for some of it like Qanon. Look into the tail end of that cults saga when they tried to set up a march on DC to set up their cult leader as king. Flynn and a few others have made direct references to it such as Flynn’s weird I AM inspired prayers at Q events. As Hubbard said… want to get rich and powerful, start a religion.
- omgJustTest 2y ago
  us vs them has an ad cross section too! … read the article? Think about the last time you used someone else’s device in your family, or watch them use it… listen to the “news” they get and ask if they get different news than you. Ask why they believe what they believe, unjudgementally and with curiosity. This fact finding mission will surprise you. It might be true certain people are less discerning than you, but I can guarantee that the small difference in discerning is not a linear effect in the distortion they see the world with.
  - api 2y ago
    I see bullshit across the political spectrum, but the Q cult was kind of unique. I don’t see an obvious left wing analog at least today in the US. If you consider totalitarian communism left wing then you can see analogs in Maoism and Leninism. That was a long time ago in other countries though. The US seems to have a more vibrant totalitarian cult scene on the far right today than on the left.
ethbr1 2y ago
My theory on Trump supporters is that it's confirmation bias and sunk cost fallacy. Centrist Republicans and independents supported Donald Trump in 2016 because Hillary Clinton was a weak candidate. They may not have agreed or liked Trump as a person, but they voted for him. But then, as Trump said and did increasingly extreme things, they had to create a narrative that post-hoc justified their support. And he made 'The world is out to get him. He's been treated unfairly. Everyone else is lying' easier than 'I was taken in by a con man, who turned out to be even worse than I thought.' Which is how 'I don't like the man, but I support his policies' voters became 'Everything about Jan 6 was fine' voters. And why I try to inculcate a 'I am not a member of any political team or identity' in myself. Politics should be about policy, not brand.
- omgJustTest 2y ago
  Brands need ads
  - aspenmayer 2y ago
    Flags won’t hoist or wave themselves, red flags doubly so, and they’re a useful determinant of which way the political winds are blowing, and whether they’re shifting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-bearer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-bearer And relatedly, to mix a metaphor, often a dog wags its tail, and it’s not unheard of the tail wagging the dog. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog
    - ethbr1 2y ago
      Wag the Dog was also a pretty decent movie, as far as comedies about distracting the public during elections go. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8
      - aspenmayer 2y ago
        This was not lost on me. Another movie from that same era I enjoy is The Pentagon Wars about the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. It’s one of the better made for TV movies I can remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars

api 2y ago

Jan 6th was done via what as near as I can tell are cult indoctrination and mass scale rabble rousing techniques as old as civilization. If newer tech like this was used it was to boost the effect. I think it’s possible that the I AM cult was the template for some of it like Qanon. Look into the tail end of that cults saga when they tried to set up a march on DC to set up their cult leader as king. Flynn and a few others have made direct references to it such as Flynn’s weird I AM inspired prayers at Q events. As Hubbard said… want to get rich and powerful, start a religion.

omgJustTest 2y ago
us vs them has an ad cross section too! … read the article? Think about the last time you used someone else’s device in your family, or watch them use it… listen to the “news” they get and ask if they get different news than you. Ask why they believe what they believe, unjudgementally and with curiosity. This fact finding mission will surprise you. It might be true certain people are less discerning than you, but I can guarantee that the small difference in discerning is not a linear effect in the distortion they see the world with.
- api 2y ago
  I see bullshit across the political spectrum, but the Q cult was kind of unique. I don’t see an obvious left wing analog at least today in the US. If you consider totalitarian communism left wing then you can see analogs in Maoism and Leninism. That was a long time ago in other countries though. The US seems to have a more vibrant totalitarian cult scene on the far right today than on the left.

ethbr1 2y ago

My theory on Trump supporters is that it's confirmation bias and sunk cost fallacy. Centrist Republicans and independents supported Donald Trump in 2016 because Hillary Clinton was a weak candidate. They may not have agreed or liked Trump as a person, but they voted for him. But then, as Trump said and did increasingly extreme things, they had to create a narrative that post-hoc justified their support. And he made 'The world is out to get him. He's been treated unfairly. Everyone else is lying' easier than 'I was taken in by a con man, who turned out to be even worse than I thought.' Which is how 'I don't like the man, but I support his policies' voters became 'Everything about Jan 6 was fine' voters. And why I try to inculcate a 'I am not a member of any political team or identity' in myself. Politics should be about policy, not brand.

omgJustTest 2y ago
Brands need ads
- aspenmayer 2y ago
  Flags won’t hoist or wave themselves, red flags doubly so, and they’re a useful determinant of which way the political winds are blowing, and whether they’re shifting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-bearer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard-bearer And relatedly, to mix a metaphor, often a dog wags its tail, and it’s not unheard of the tail wagging the dog. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_dog
  - ethbr1 2y ago
    Wag the Dog was also a pretty decent movie, as far as comedies about distracting the public during elections go. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8
    - aspenmayer 2y ago
      This was not lost on me. Another movie from that same era I enjoy is The Pentagon Wars about the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. It’s one of the better made for TV movies I can remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steA_PZPkc8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon_Wars