Q&A: Manipulators, Optimism, Utopia, Trump, Writing Tips & More

[caitlinjohnstone.com]

(What the manipulator understands, which hardly anyone else does, is that society is made entirely out of mental narrative, so whoever controls society’s narratives controls society itself. Control the stories that people believe about what’s going on, and you control the people. This is true whether you’re talking about the stories that are told by a couple about the nature of their relationship, or the stories that are told about an entire nation and its relationship with other nations. It really is possible to keep people doing your bidding while giving them nothing in exchange besides a little narrative manipulation, and, if you lack the part of a healthy human being which empathizes with other human beings, there’s no disincentive for you to exploit that massive advantage.)

(I would say understanding the power of narrative can drastically improve one’s life and help one’s friends and family, but actually using the full power of narrative is like using the One Ring; it warps and corrupts its user. Our job as truth-tellers is not to control situations and manipulate people with the power of narrative, it’s to help everyone become more conscious of the nature of the narratives they’re encountering. If people are believing lies, you can help them see through those lies. If people believe stories which lead them to take unhelpful action, we can help them recognize this. The role of the healer is a game of subtraction, not addition.)

(“My question is if you think the dnc can be reformed from the inside.”

No. The whole thing’s made of and exists for corruption, and many of the calls to reform it from the inside are themselves rank with manipulation geared toward herding the anti-establishment left into the establishment fold. That said, I still think it’s good that there are some clear-eyed and well-intentioned people trying to change things from the inside, not because they will ever succeed in doing so, but because their efforts force the establishment to slam door after door in their faces in ways that we can point to and show everyone. The DemEnter crowd forces the guardians of the status quo to reveal its true face, thus helping to kill the legitimacy of the Democratic establishment.)

As you might know by now, I totally agree with that and have voiced it many times here. But Caitlin makes a very valid point. While I often voice my doubts about AOC, she is on certain points forcing the establishment democrats to further show their true colors. BUT, many like myself have been making these points to no avail for years and gotten no where significant yet. Years of good independent journalism that can't get out into the main stream that voters don't see, when they do, it doesn't register.