There's two major issues in play, from what I can tell:
1) The advertising model of media is terrible. Substack does this much better, because writers produce content for THE READERS, not to get outrage clicks.
2) Since the "modernization" of the Smith-Mundt Act, it's completely legal for media and government to collude and outright lie to Americans.
The first issue is already working itself out -- millions of people are abandoning 'legacy' media for truthful voices -- here at Substack and elsewhere as well. elgatomalo calls this the "reputation economy".
But sooner or later we run into problem 2 -- the government would rather subsidize failing media industries so they can control the information. You see this in Canada already, and there was a recent bill in the US that would 'reward' loyal media outlets. (Ironically leading to the unraveling of #1!)
To top it all off, the liars are the ones calling US liars and calling for measures that would crack down on dangerous 'malinformation' -- which is true but inconvenient.
About the same time, I noticed a huge uptick in people joining GAB, a truely free speech site. Yes there is a lot of garbage on it, but also a lot of information one would not ordinarily hear. And quite a few Canadians.
I remain at Gab despite race obsessed people who had to hide out at the only place that would allow them freedom to spew. Wish the noise would not have frightened others away. Free speech means that obnoxious speech is allowed.
Gab had the best 24/7 coverage of the Trucker protests, both Canada and U.S.. Gab also had groups to assist employment of the unjabbed, and dissidents from COVID narrative back when such things were utterly banned from other social media.
Yes, I joined Gab back in Jan. 2021, right at the beginning of the Covid-related censorship. For the most part, they do uphold free-speech rights. EXCEPT for a recent incident where a pack of neo-Nazis did a hostile takeover of the "Jewish Conservatives" group, somehow becoming the 'moderators' - promptly announcing that Jews are no longer welcome there.
I made two documented complaints to the Gab Abuse team, and it's been a month now with no response, not even an acknowledgement. So I am rethinking my involvement there.
What bothered me as much as the Nazis was Andrew's faux Christianity. I'm sorry but I find it hard to accept that a true Christian allowed so much hate speech 1A or not.
A lot of the free speech at Gab directly opposes me and my views. But that's what happens when the speech is actually free. The U.S. government was not supposed to have a religious test for those who served. (Wish that were still so.) I grew up with the concept of not having a religious test for those with whom I do business,. So I'm not testing Andrew Torba's personal religion. If I get the impression that the freedom of speech is stopping at Gab, I have a Minds subscription, and LBRY, Odysee and Web3.
I haven't been on gab in many yrs. I'm not testing his religion either but don't pretend to be something you're not. Free speech is fine, if it's hateful, inflammatory speech that is concerning. I am no longer on any other social media than yt. Their censorship is just ridiculously stupid.
From time to time I call them out in a comment, but lately I just block them. If others called them out as well, I might be more inclined to do more, but it does seem most just ignore and block them so it becomes a lonely battle with people who are cultish.
I believe in free speech, and that is why so many are there: it is the only place pretty much where they can spout their idiocy. But free speech doesn't mean free hear...
For me, I think it is important to know the reality, ugly as it can be. However, I recognize that these haters flock there because they have no other place so they may be over represented.
As for Christianity from another comment, they do sound demonic at times. But the devil can quote scripture. I also suspect some of these are trolls or even government trolls trying to get certain reactions. So blocking is probably the best move. And GAB has instituted a means to remove comments off your comment, so I delete them as well.
Group formation around topics is strong at Gab, probably because of race obsessed people that most want to avoid. The way for growth and visibility is through the groups, and Gab Help tells people that.
The “government trolls” are kind of obvious when people engage them :)
Twitter isn’t good for promoting my Substack, but Gab is effective, even with low # followers.
Yes, I joined Gab back in Jan. 2021, right at the beginning of the Covid-related censorship. For the most part, they do uphold free-speech rights. EXCEPT for a recent incident where a pack of neo-Nazis did a hostile takeover of the "Jewish Conservatives" group, somehow becoming the 'moderators' - promptly announcing that Jews are no longer welcome there.
I made two documented complaints to the Gab Abuse team, and it's been a month now with no response, not even an acknowledgement. So I am rethinking my involvement there.
Did the group get abandoned by its moderator? That’s how any group can be taken over. It’s the Wild West. If that’s not the case, the original moderator needs to complain. Did they rename the group?
At Gab, the free speech stops in the groups. You can get kicked out of a group for any reason. I’ve been kicked for accidental (misdirected) off topic post, no warning. I would never request reentry to such a strict group.
Yes, I'm guessing the mod position for "Jewish Conservatives" was abandoned (though I have no idea how someone even finds that out...).
They did not rename the group, they simply announced that it was "now the property of the Reich" with more posturing nonsense using old Nazi parade photos and giving themselves silly 'stormtrooper' ranks, adding that "obviously, Jews don't belong here".
When challenged with the unchanged name, they went through ridiculous contortions trying say that "Jewish Conservatives" really means "conserving" America from "Jewish influence".
I thought it was grounds for a complaint - Gab Terms of Use prohibit misleading the public by impersonating an individual or a group. Over 270 legit members (who are often shunned on liberal Jewish networks for their conservative views) were deprived of their free-speech rights.
But then again I wasn't holding my breath that anything would be done. Anti-Jewish bias is a Gab flaw that goes all the way up to founder Torba.
I'm sorry to hear that you got banned so easily. In the groups I chose to follow, most of the mods are MIA on the issue of staying on-topic.
And with that, I apologize to MWD for muddying this important article with my off-topic complaint. I just didn't want Gab to get more credit than they deserve.
No, thank you for your comment it is most appreciated. I did not know about some of that bc I was there so long ago. And nice to see someone agrees w me on Torba.
I live in a small city (about 14,000 population) in West-Central Wisconsin. The larger city (about 52,000 population) next to us just announced they’re bringing in refugees (from unknown countries) so they can provide them ‘housing, medical care, and employment’. Their only stated reason? “Diversity”
The irony is that all the crowing about "diversity" is accompanied by hamfisted efforts to make everyone look talk and think the same. My city here in tidewater Maryland hangs rainbow flags along Main St imprinted with the words "We are all equal here". The creeps who are responsible for this won't be happy until everyone is a non-descript gray blob of indeterminate sex. Diversity, my ass!
I saw a Maryland Sheriff from a county I don't recall being interviewed by Ben Bergquam of Bannon's War Room and Law And Border. My god is Maryland screwed! The Sheriff says that it has become virtually lawless now.
Just look into the history of the 'Temperence' movement of the 1890s. That movement then produced the Volstead Act of 1919 and the age of prohibition. It's real reason was that alcohol was being made and used as fuel on probably thousands if not hundreds of thousands of farms and homesteads and Rockefeller wanted the early cars to run on dirty petroleum. It took until about 1935 before that act was revoked, by which time there was a 'gas' station on every corner. I wonder why they don't teach that in schools? (I'm English BTW).
Before Congress enacted national prohibition many if not most states had local prohibition laws. It was something that appealed to some locales and if Congress had kept its mitts off it, everyone would have been better off.
But did they have police officers going around destroying farmer's distilleries that were producing alcohol for machinery? It's one thing having say a bye-law to curb the consumption of alcohol say in a public park to preserve respectibility, but quite another for the closure of bars and banning the consumption of alcohol piecemeal. I only know what I've read so I have no real knowledge of how this played out in the USA. The very first Model T Ford's had a lever which turned the carburetor from accepting alcohol to petrol (gas). I'm guessing by the early 1920s this was phased out for a single petrol (gas) carburetor.
It was something that was enforced differently in each locale. The commercial interests behind distilleries have benefit from portraying all prohibitory movements as tyrannical. And no I'm not a teetotaler.
My alma mater is in a dry town in upstate NY. A college town. No fireworks needed.
In the corporate world, 'Diversity' is an opaque way of saying not 'straight white men'. Many people are aware of this, but most have been hoodwinked by the media. Equity is the same circumstance. People associate this word with equality.
I once had a discussion with a fairly educated friend about Bidens mantra to promote equity in government. The media has been portraying it in a positive light. My friend thought it was a noble and compassionate goal. Until I showed him the definition of equity. A marxist concept that promotes discrimination. Usually against 'straight white men'. Seems to be a pattern.
This is the only group that doesn't fit the subjective definition of 'marginalized', 'disadvantaged', 'underrepresented' or 'minority'. Words the media like because it elicits empathy and more clicks.
Any of those words: "marginalized", "disadvantaged", "underrepresented", "minority", even words like "the masses", are so generic as to be completely meaningless. They make me tune out the speaker who uses them. But that bland blanket meaninglessness makes it so easy to trot them out and target, say, the white male applicants for a job. So much of this verbiage is the language of hell: ambiguous, destructive, malignant. Are we happier for having spent the past fifty years dumping all over white men? Look around. It doesn't seem so. Funny how we exalt every other racial and sexual trait, but white maleness is "toxic". My husband and I raised two sons, and I encourage them to pick up the anti-male slurs and flip them right back at the idiots who spout them.
Mom of 3 pasty-white sons here. They all are smart and hard-working, but have had to deal with multiple learning disabilities (which includes difficulty comprehending the speech of anyone with an accent) throughout their schooling. So my oldest son kinda flipped things around with a coworker who tried to throw the "racist" label at him. Son is currently working in a job with noisy machinery, and there's a minority coworker there who nobody wants to work with because he won't work. My son has requested that this guy not be assigned to his location, because the guy has a thick accent, and my son REALLY wouldn't be able to understand him in the noisy area. But the guy got assigned to his area one day, and things weren't going so well, so the guy got all worked up and started accusing my son of being racist, etc. (which is a joke, b/c my son's best friend since kindergarten is Hispanic) My son countered with, "You're discriminating against me! I got a disability! You can't discriminate against me!" (My son was deliberately laying it on thick - he's NEVER made a big deal about his disabilities before that I know of) The guy didn't know what to do with that. The company had wanted to fire him b/c he was so unproductive, but had to build a case against him so they wouldn't get hit with a civil lawsuit for discrimination. But within a day of that shift with my son, he quit on his own. I had to laugh at my oldest son's creativity. What a hoot!
I can't like this enough! God bless you and your family. Your son sounded like he was being genuinely honest with a guy who'd probably never had anyone stand up to his bullshit before. One thing it's good to remember is that everyone is toting some kind of load over his physical or cultural traits: Jews feel discriminated against, women have made a big thing of "patriarchal" attitudes, blacks feel like they're dealing with racism. Etc, etc. It's good to remember that everyone is insecure about something.
You know, I think the "racist" slur is so overworked that people are now resorting to "homophobic" in order to cow others into silence. I've had that one thrown at me by family members. It's funny because I have a lot of "gay" friends. But if you don't spout the party line you get slapped with a label.
I recently read about a situation where a corporation was having a women’s job fair for STEM jobs. Many young men attended by claiming they are non-binary 😁 brilliant! I think this may be the workaround for discrimination against men. Claiming Trans status would work also. However, It shouldn’t be done in athletics. That’s really unfair.
Aw thanks. Raising children is the most meaningful thing I've ever done. But you'd have to ask them about how good we were. I can say this: my husband was a bright light for them, slept on the ground with them during campouts with the Boy Scouts, read to them at bedtime and a million other things. I don't know how single mothers can do it.
I grew tired of all the shouting, moaning, groaning, blaming, lies, and pity parties on the news. I catch a few headlines, that is enough. All the other is emotion. For the most part, there is nothing I can do about what is happening, it doesn't or won't affect me, so why get all worked up? Instead I get detailed information from thoughtful online sources I have learned to trust when it seems important to know more or where I might need to act.
I heard more than once in my long life that taking a week away from the news improves one's happiness. Loved camping, smell of the fire, toasted marshmallows and the sounds of nature. Funny but when I returned, nothing really changed, just a few names. LOL
I was appalled the last time that I looked at a student text book. (Apparently the listening and typing app doesn’t readily recognize the word, appalled)
& I stopped watching TV in 1969...there are hundreds of better things to do with the precious time you have in your day; especially since so many of us have to spend so much time on the freakin* computer for work or school. At least there is more choice for healthier content. Thank you, AMWD. Your writing rings true every time. Blessings.
Thank you AMD for an incredibly thought-provoking post. I became a Hollywood screenwriter to examine the human condition, and explore the best of humanity, rather than celebrate its worst. And very soon realized I had to hide this intent from my employers, who only wanted salacious, exploitive content the equivalent of today's "click bait." But the most compelling stories are those that resonate subconsciously. Gratuitously violent and fear-inducing scenarios do this, bypassing cerebral processing and triggering our "reptilian brain," but I don't write that. So I grounded nearly every story in some universal human truth, while giving my bosses the "commercial" elements they wanted. Stories that "Ring True In The Collective Unconscious" trigger us in ways we don't consciously realize, so they loved them, without knowing why. And luckily, there has been a radical shift at the boxoffice, recently. The typical dark, conflict-driven, derivative trend-piece movies are increasingly struggling. A $15M, positive and humanistic film about "saving children" just beat "Indiana Jones" and "Mission Impossible" at the domestic boxoffice, almost purely on word of mouth, despite Mass Media launching an all-out campaign to thwart it. And "Barbie" made $1.4 BILLION. Barbie is actually a deceptively-deep story of Self Discovery, about a woman who realizes she lives in a false bubble, defined wholly by external "stuff": her toy house, car, outfits, all the Barbie "accessories." She has no genuine relationships, no bond with Ken -- her entire world, and identity, are as fake as the plastic she's made from. This struck a deep, subconscious chord with an audience conditioned to believe the right car, brand-clothing, job, etc. will make them "happy," only to discover a life driven purely by material acquisition leaves them hollow, and empty. In the end, Barbie rejects false values, deciding to live in the Real World, to become a "Real Person." It was a metaphor; but an uplifting, encouraging one that resonated on a deep, subconscious level. I think, as you say, that "fear fatigue" is setting in and people are starting to reject manipulative messaging. Historically, Korean content is ~85% positive, uplifting, and often romantic. The best of it excels at what Hollywood no longer even attempts: revelatory stories that examine the human condition and matters of the heart, with depth and insight. And K-content viewing has soared 600% in just the last four years, with 90% of viewers living outside Korea, all over the world. I pray this appetite for more "positive" entertainment continues, and audiences turn away from the increasingly negative, ghastly view of humanity and the world relentlessly presented by Legacy Media and would-be tyrants, to pit us against each other while they take over. And I hope I can somehow get past the Hollywood gatekeepers to make my latest project, a "love-letter, to love itself." But this time I didn't hide my intent to inspire viewers' most noble instincts, so we'll see. There's still a long fight ahead.
I'm a fiction writer (primarily epic sci-fantasy) and my experience has been pretty much the same. The algorithms favor "the latest woke thing", but what keeps readers coming back is a compelling story, well told, that speaks of the human condition and grips you by the heart.
Information overload! A reality! Separating truth from fiction a challenge. Big Pharma is a master at creating a bias as well demonstrated by the Covid con. Our current allopathic medicine model thrives on chronic treatment of ill health for life. Vaccines are in the forefront! Prevention or reversal are not dominate in medicine. The process in many cases produces a chemical dependance that requires increased dosage over time to maintain a positive effect. This maximizes the drug company's return on investment! The RNA bias produces a degradation of the immune system with each subsequent dose, which in turn re-enforces the false concept that a subsequent dose is mandatory!
When will we all wake up to the fact that the Covid exercise created a lab rat experiment on humanity.
I woke up around 1970 when I read the book The Greening of America by Charles Reich. I was working on Madison Ave at the time for a PR company ironically enough. It really opened my eyes. I was also reading alot of Alan Watts so I was put on the path as they say.
I woke up about the same time. I went to Vietnam and with my own naive eyes even I could see that there was no possible way for the people there to be a threat to the "great" US of A. Suffice it to say that my illusions were quickly and decisively "perdued."
Stupendous, brazen criminality built on utter bollox. Much like nearly everything else around us.
Thank you for your service. Sorry you and all the other innocents had to go thru that. We knew better after all that nonsense but the backlash was overwhelming. We've come a long way only to face the worst of their insanity. It's really maddening.
I cringe whenever I read/ hear that "thank you",etc., since any "service" I was duped into performing was in support of outrageous evil but I hold no ill will towards those who say it since I realize most people say it with good intentions. I'm sorry for what "we" did to those people for the benefit of the money grubbing classes.
Yes, the insanity has been growing since then and well before.
The USSR and CCP in turn were/are flunkies of the international banking mafia who funded them and the criminal banking cartels are the major threats.
The biggest threat to the US has always been certain big banking concerns based in New Yoik as near as I can tell. They were the ones who supported the Reds and who contrrol "our" government. Details can be found in Bella Dodd's excellent book, School of Darkness.
Samiple.:
“Famous names, Vanderbilt, Lamont, Whitney, Morgan, mingled with those of communist leaders. The Russian Institute was so respectable that it was allowed to give in-service courses to New York City schoolteachers for credit.”
I don’t just blame Doctors for allopathic failure. We have to own up to our failure to have a healthy lifestyle. Deep down I believe people know how to live well, good food, good sleep, good movement, time in nature. We just tend to look for quick fixes so guess what here’s a drug for that. Health is a two way street but patients have a responsibility too.
Absolutely and I completely educated myself to the point where I can barely find a Dr bc I they are all intimidated by me. But that was only after I learned very precious lesson bc of an iatrogenic procedure in my dumb early 20s. that cost me the inability to have children thank you very much.
Newton's "Third Law" (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) comes to mind here. One MUST wonder by whom, when, and where these sadistic, ideas are hatched. Surely, with such a consistency toward evil, they are not simply products of chance; a windfall for the companies involved. There MUST be a point in time, where, at some "think-tank" behind closed doors, with no stenographer taking notes, someone puts forth a devious proposition that is likely to produce wealth for the company. E.G... J.D. Rockefeller was neck deep in the crude oil industry, surely with his hands, mind, and bank accounts full, when an epiphany came to him (from someone or somewhere.....or some THING) which gave birth to the pharmaceutical industry. From the crude, many marketable products' raw materials might be extracted. But his mind was way ahead of itself there, and he saw the potential wealth locked up within the science of "medicine" manufacture. And extrapolating further, it MUST have at some point been brought out that allopathic "medicine" addresses the symptoms only, but has a silver lining, in that it also creates ill-health, so the "machine" is self-fueled, causing all sorts of physical and mental problems, calling for MORE meds.
The demonic J.D.R. and his multitude of agents have probably killed more people than the Inquisition, and both world Wars combined. He rightly knew that he would have to control education facilities, in order to pull off the heist, and wasted no time procuring that necessary portion of the plan. And the truly unfortunate part of the story, is that it not only DID exist back then, but, thrived, and proliferated, to its extent that we see today in every country, with no resistance from even the victims it created!
'Such a great example of a superbly working propaganda machine!
So how does that relate to Newton's Third Law? It's a stretch, but a "spin" on it. There WAS and still IS no public or govt. "reaction" to this most horrible "action" of assaulting humanity.
I guess the propaganda machine did its work effectively and relatively flawlessly! In later years, it was the same family who dreamed up, organized, funded, and instituted "women's lib." Most of the population does not know that it was a scheme to enrich the family's banking cartel, by promoting women to join the work-force. Why do that? Double (almost) the taxable workers for starters. Remove the childrens' mothers from the home, ergo their duty to raise and teach their children rightly evaporates, leaving a void to be exploited.
And that's just ONE family. There are many more, with aspirations that overshadow those of the Rockefellers. Living in these treacherously demonic times is NOT boring, but I for one would choose to be born back about 150 or so years ago, when morals, logic and truth were still in tact.
The only way to have a "healthy relationship" with the mass media is to understand that they are your enemy.
They are not there to report "the news" or to transmit information they exist to control the way you think about issues and tell you what issues you should be thinking about.
As one who has lived without mass media for most of his life when I am in front of a TV screen e.g., I am struck at how jarring and how facile these productions are- it is patently obvious they are poor theatrical performances with hamfisted actors/actresses reading canned scripts. How can anyone not see this?
Once you understand this you know immediately that what you were subjected to with the Covid Operation had nothing whatsoever to do with a health emergency- you were being subjected to a military grade psychological operation in 2020 not a "viral event."
The urgent message that we must take from these past three and a half years is that we are under sustained psychological warfare and have been for quite some time. Even many "in the know" are still trapped in some version of the Covid merry-go-round.
The official narrative of "Covid" is a fiction- all facets it. There was no "pandemic" and there is no "lab leak" nor gain of function anything.
Excellent summary and I love your personal insights. I have watched a major shift in my interest in even the local newspaper, let alone the attention grabber world news from M.S.M. Years ago I realized that going to movies that were loud and violent upset me to such a degree that I simply stopped going. The problem is when people who are young and malleable are exposed to too much everything. Where are the parents? Well, they too are exposed to too much everything. This has been a generational downward spiral, when it hits a certain degradation, the energy slowly rises up. Perhaps I will see that trend in my life.
Thanks doc! Your info and perspective is always refreshing and thought provoking.
Many years ago my sister and I used to have discussions (arguments) on the big issues. One day I thought about what each of us was saying and realized we were both using slogans…and those same words were being used in the same way in the various outlets we were listening to. Holy cow!!! Neither of us ever made any progress on the thoughts of the other one. One day I made a fabulous irrefutable series of observations to which she replied “I don’t care. I just feel the way I feel.” Shazam! I got it. Never argued with her about anything again. Her feelings trumped any logical argument, all facts, everything. Of course she took the vaccine because “We’re all in this together” and keeps getting boosted for whatever related emotionally based media-spread reason. And of course is now vax injured (long COVID says the media.). God help us all!!!
On a side note, I had been struggling with various gastro issues…and struggling. Your posting on stomach acid (and recommendation of Dr. Jonathan Wright’s book/work) was an IMMENSE help!!! Thank you so much!!!
Well about 9 years ago I was having issues swallowing. Endoscopy showed Barrett’s. They wanted me to take PPIs. I said no way. I don’t have reflux. Additional test showed no reflux so not taking PPIs. Doc very scoldish. Dropping the C word. I made a few lifestyle and food changes and a doctor change.
Next endoscopy showed slight Barrett’s. New Doc wanted me to take PPIs. Nope! Then I got H pylori. Did not take the antibiotics. Tried various alternative stuff. 3 years so far trying various things with spotty success. Now recent terrible bloating that won’t go away.
Then I read your article on gastro issues. Woah! Get Dr. Wright’s book on stomach acid and realize that most of my issues have been related to LOW stomach acid. LOW stomach acid…not high!!! May also need some more food tweaks (my coffeeee…noooo!!!).
Next new doc and endoscopy (2 weeks ago) show a little inflammation but no Barrett’s. But some inflammation in my stomach from H Pylori. Latest new doc tried to put me on PPI’s. Sheesh! But did finally talk me into antibiotics for the intractable H pylori. But now because of your writing, I have the tools to finally start to work through these issues from the root cause. I went through your article 3 or 4 times and took notes. Now I get it and it makes a lot of sense. I intuitively realized the PPI’s were wrong but now I know they are and know why and better yet have a game plan.
Brilliant! Why don’t the gastros know this???
By the way, the lifestyle and diet changes I used initially 9 years or so ago were:
1. Intermittent fasting
2. Nothing to eat 3 hours before bedtime
3. Discovered and eliminated food allergies (dairy, egg, sesame)
4. Ginger tea after meals
5. I tried to raise the head of the bed a few inches but had such uncomfortable nights and woke in such pain that I ditched that in short order (not to mention my husband’s bitter complaints)
Thanks again for your writings. I keep reading and tweaking.
Drinking water right before or with a meal can dilute the hydrochloride acid in the stomach . That acid is needed for digestion of proteins. Barbara O Neil explained this very well in one of her videos. She talked about a patient who was having GI issues for years and he used to drink water with his meals and that was causing him to have poor digestion. He also made some diet changes , stopped the PPI and drank his water more than 30 mins prior to a meal or one hour after but not with the meal .
I had been doing that but started taking supplements, some of which were to be taken with a meal…so started drinking some water while eating. Maybe a little ginger tea would be better.
This is the mass medias business model. If they publish something that is sensational or goads ppl or triggers ppl on one side or the other of an ideological argument, they are more likely to get clicks , views, comments etc. Just like commercial TV in the 1960s-70s and beyond existed to sell ads and content was really “filler”, so now all the major news outlets are not reporting news, they are publishing “content” . To avoid irrelevancy and bankruptcy the content has to generate views and clicks. Veracity, ethics , morality, perspective, impartiality are all secondary or even irrelevant.
In New York metropolitan area there was an AM radio station call WINS news .
FB did something similar a few years ago. In the 'before times', you'd see a picture and a couple of the "most liked" comments. This means that if you see a picture of a cute kitten, the comments would be something like "What an adorable kitty!"
But then they added a bunch of different 'reactions' and started showing the 'most reactions' comments instead of the 'most liked'. This means that when you scroll by the cute kitty picture, instead of positive comments you see "I want to throw this cat in the ocean!" -- along with a string of angry people who just HAVE to stop and comment about what an idiotic comment that is.......
This one change altered the whole vibe of the site.
Isn’t it interesting, as well as ludicrous, that so many people have been convinced they can’t live without Facebook? There ARE other methods for keeping in touch with friends and family, after all. Wouldn’t it be fun if everyone simply stopped using it? I wish.
I deleted my account when they turned into the Ministry of Truth, and have only regretted it a couple times (when trying to keep in touch with people who use it exclusively).
“In music, we’ve shifted from works of art that open the human heart to mass-produced music which uses a variety of algorithms known to trigger dopamine responses ad-infinitum.”
Interesting that whenever I would hear Arianna Grande I want to rip my skin off. And this was before ontological shock set in.
This discussion makes me think of a fine tweet by Ethical Skeptic that I thought was brilliant:
Ethical Skeptic ☀
@EthicalSkeptic
·
Oct 23
Replying to
@McDaddy99
The first AI which can express blues guitar, flavored through its abject imperfection, lawlessness, humanity, and tragic backstory - that is the AI I will fear most.
Thanks for labeling the brainwashing machine "mass media" which more accurately decribes the continous outpouring of refuse than does the modifier, "mainstream."
Regarding the current antics in the Middle East, there is no way I can know much about it but I suspect it's largely the usual histrionic hype typical of what you describe at the beginning of your article.
Here's a link that well describes what went on in that regard in the past and I doubt that the methods have changed substantially or materially.
Now, go read Ron Unz's article and let us know what you think. (Hint: None of what you wrote is very new. The techniques have been long used.)
And as for Kessler the former FDA commissioner (the junk food critic), he's a mixed bag...
If WIki can be believed, he also "served (sic) as Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team since 2021...He co-chaired the Biden-Harris transition’s COVID-19 Advisory Board from November 2020 to January 2021 and was the head of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government program to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments, from January to February 2021.[1][2]
Kessler is not perfect (e.g., he signed off on the experimental anthrax vaccines and Oxycontin being approved), but he was much better than any other recent FDA commissioner I can think of.
I stopped referring to it as the Mainstream Media; I now call it the Corrupted Corporate Media. Corrupted - not captured. Captured implies a helpless victim with whom we should sympathize. No.
They just want us to think it's somehow mainstream. They're playing on the fears of those who are afraid of being left out of something "big."
Theye've always been corrupt and even including such things as the goofy "Poolitzer" prize. Same with what passes for "education."
Thomas Jefferson on the lying sources of "news." The Brits have long been masters of porpaganda.:
"These friends I know to be so well disposed towards America that they wished the reverse of what they repeated from the public papers.
I have enquired into the source of all this misinformation and have found it not difficult to be traced. The printers on the Continent have not yet got into the habit of taking the American newspapers.1 Whatever they retail therefore on the subject of America, they take from the English. If your readers will reflect a moment they will recollect that every unfavourable account which they have seen of the transactions in America has been taken from the English papers only. Nothing is known in Europe of the situation of the U.S. since the acknowlegement of their independance but thro’ the channel of these papers.2 But these papers have been under the influence of two ruling motives 1. deep-rooted hatred, springing from an unsuccesful attempt to injure; 2. a fear that their island will be depopulated by the emigration of it’s inhabitants to America. Hence no paper comes out without a due charge of paragraphs manufactured by persons employed for that purpose.
[Thomas] Jefferson’s Reply to the Representations of Affairs in America by British Newspapers, [before 20 November 1784]
"Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day. "
There's two major issues in play, from what I can tell:
1) The advertising model of media is terrible. Substack does this much better, because writers produce content for THE READERS, not to get outrage clicks.
2) Since the "modernization" of the Smith-Mundt Act, it's completely legal for media and government to collude and outright lie to Americans.
The first issue is already working itself out -- millions of people are abandoning 'legacy' media for truthful voices -- here at Substack and elsewhere as well. elgatomalo calls this the "reputation economy".
But sooner or later we run into problem 2 -- the government would rather subsidize failing media industries so they can control the information. You see this in Canada already, and there was a recent bill in the US that would 'reward' loyal media outlets. (Ironically leading to the unraveling of #1!)
To top it all off, the liars are the ones calling US liars and calling for measures that would crack down on dangerous 'malinformation' -- which is true but inconvenient.
Great comment! I'm pinning it.
Thanks for pinning that comment, and thanks for thoughtful and considerate unraveling of how media is made addictive.
Another bit is the rapidity of the little bit of positive feedback. Even if it is not much, if it gets to you right away, you'll keep coming back.
Conversely, putting a delay on people's screen response times induces them to wander away.
Thank you! Hope things are well in your part of the world :)
About the same time, I noticed a huge uptick in people joining GAB, a truely free speech site. Yes there is a lot of garbage on it, but also a lot of information one would not ordinarily hear. And quite a few Canadians.
I used to be on there. Couldn't take the ignorant Nazis anymore.
I remain at Gab despite race obsessed people who had to hide out at the only place that would allow them freedom to spew. Wish the noise would not have frightened others away. Free speech means that obnoxious speech is allowed.
Gab had the best 24/7 coverage of the Trucker protests, both Canada and U.S.. Gab also had groups to assist employment of the unjabbed, and dissidents from COVID narrative back when such things were utterly banned from other social media.
A lot of what I see depends on the group. Memes gets a lot of this junk, cooking and gardening, I haven't seen any.
Yes, I joined Gab back in Jan. 2021, right at the beginning of the Covid-related censorship. For the most part, they do uphold free-speech rights. EXCEPT for a recent incident where a pack of neo-Nazis did a hostile takeover of the "Jewish Conservatives" group, somehow becoming the 'moderators' - promptly announcing that Jews are no longer welcome there.
I made two documented complaints to the Gab Abuse team, and it's been a month now with no response, not even an acknowledgement. So I am rethinking my involvement there.
What bothered me as much as the Nazis was Andrew's faux Christianity. I'm sorry but I find it hard to accept that a true Christian allowed so much hate speech 1A or not.
A lot of the free speech at Gab directly opposes me and my views. But that's what happens when the speech is actually free. The U.S. government was not supposed to have a religious test for those who served. (Wish that were still so.) I grew up with the concept of not having a religious test for those with whom I do business,. So I'm not testing Andrew Torba's personal religion. If I get the impression that the freedom of speech is stopping at Gab, I have a Minds subscription, and LBRY, Odysee and Web3.
I haven't been on gab in many yrs. I'm not testing his religion either but don't pretend to be something you're not. Free speech is fine, if it's hateful, inflammatory speech that is concerning. I am no longer on any other social media than yt. Their censorship is just ridiculously stupid.
From time to time I call them out in a comment, but lately I just block them. If others called them out as well, I might be more inclined to do more, but it does seem most just ignore and block them so it becomes a lonely battle with people who are cultish.
I believe in free speech, and that is why so many are there: it is the only place pretty much where they can spout their idiocy. But free speech doesn't mean free hear...
For me, I think it is important to know the reality, ugly as it can be. However, I recognize that these haters flock there because they have no other place so they may be over represented.
As for Christianity from another comment, they do sound demonic at times. But the devil can quote scripture. I also suspect some of these are trolls or even government trolls trying to get certain reactions. So blocking is probably the best move. And GAB has instituted a means to remove comments off your comment, so I delete them as well.
Group formation around topics is strong at Gab, probably because of race obsessed people that most want to avoid. The way for growth and visibility is through the groups, and Gab Help tells people that.
The “government trolls” are kind of obvious when people engage them :)
Twitter isn’t good for promoting my Substack, but Gab is effective, even with low # followers.
Yes, I joined Gab back in Jan. 2021, right at the beginning of the Covid-related censorship. For the most part, they do uphold free-speech rights. EXCEPT for a recent incident where a pack of neo-Nazis did a hostile takeover of the "Jewish Conservatives" group, somehow becoming the 'moderators' - promptly announcing that Jews are no longer welcome there.
I made two documented complaints to the Gab Abuse team, and it's been a month now with no response, not even an acknowledgement. So I am rethinking my involvement there.
Did the group get abandoned by its moderator? That’s how any group can be taken over. It’s the Wild West. If that’s not the case, the original moderator needs to complain. Did they rename the group?
At Gab, the free speech stops in the groups. You can get kicked out of a group for any reason. I’ve been kicked for accidental (misdirected) off topic post, no warning. I would never request reentry to such a strict group.
Yes, I'm guessing the mod position for "Jewish Conservatives" was abandoned (though I have no idea how someone even finds that out...).
They did not rename the group, they simply announced that it was "now the property of the Reich" with more posturing nonsense using old Nazi parade photos and giving themselves silly 'stormtrooper' ranks, adding that "obviously, Jews don't belong here".
When challenged with the unchanged name, they went through ridiculous contortions trying say that "Jewish Conservatives" really means "conserving" America from "Jewish influence".
I thought it was grounds for a complaint - Gab Terms of Use prohibit misleading the public by impersonating an individual or a group. Over 270 legit members (who are often shunned on liberal Jewish networks for their conservative views) were deprived of their free-speech rights.
But then again I wasn't holding my breath that anything would be done. Anti-Jewish bias is a Gab flaw that goes all the way up to founder Torba.
I'm sorry to hear that you got banned so easily. In the groups I chose to follow, most of the mods are MIA on the issue of staying on-topic.
And with that, I apologize to MWD for muddying this important article with my off-topic complaint. I just didn't want Gab to get more credit than they deserve.
No, thank you for your comment it is most appreciated. I did not know about some of that bc I was there so long ago. And nice to see someone agrees w me on Torba.
The "about" description is what saves them from TOS violation. It's a wasteland now. Almost zero activity and visits except from the new "admins".
I suggest that you keep posting the news from the ground on Gab. Try different groups.
Re: "the government would rather subsidize failing media industries so they can control the information"
Indeed. See the Judas list:
https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Paid%20Media%20List%20for%20Posting%207.12.22_508c.pdf
Hat tip: https://docpruyne.substack.com/p/on-journalism-i-know-why-the-caged
Sometimes the programming backfires. When I hear the word "diversity" I smell bullshit.
I live in a small city (about 14,000 population) in West-Central Wisconsin. The larger city (about 52,000 population) next to us just announced they’re bringing in refugees (from unknown countries) so they can provide them ‘housing, medical care, and employment’. Their only stated reason? “Diversity”
The irony is that all the crowing about "diversity" is accompanied by hamfisted efforts to make everyone look talk and think the same. My city here in tidewater Maryland hangs rainbow flags along Main St imprinted with the words "We are all equal here". The creeps who are responsible for this won't be happy until everyone is a non-descript gray blob of indeterminate sex. Diversity, my ass!
Or dead.
I saw a Maryland Sheriff from a county I don't recall being interviewed by Ben Bergquam of Bannon's War Room and Law And Border. My god is Maryland screwed! The Sheriff says that it has become virtually lawless now.
The Eastern Shore is pretty conservative, but my City elected a Democrat mayor and you can see where that leads if you look at Detroit and Baltimore
I wonder if they get funding for this "Diversity"? It smells.
Just look into the history of the 'Temperence' movement of the 1890s. That movement then produced the Volstead Act of 1919 and the age of prohibition. It's real reason was that alcohol was being made and used as fuel on probably thousands if not hundreds of thousands of farms and homesteads and Rockefeller wanted the early cars to run on dirty petroleum. It took until about 1935 before that act was revoked, by which time there was a 'gas' station on every corner. I wonder why they don't teach that in schools? (I'm English BTW).
Before Congress enacted national prohibition many if not most states had local prohibition laws. It was something that appealed to some locales and if Congress had kept its mitts off it, everyone would have been better off.
But did they have police officers going around destroying farmer's distilleries that were producing alcohol for machinery? It's one thing having say a bye-law to curb the consumption of alcohol say in a public park to preserve respectibility, but quite another for the closure of bars and banning the consumption of alcohol piecemeal. I only know what I've read so I have no real knowledge of how this played out in the USA. The very first Model T Ford's had a lever which turned the carburetor from accepting alcohol to petrol (gas). I'm guessing by the early 1920s this was phased out for a single petrol (gas) carburetor.
It was something that was enforced differently in each locale. The commercial interests behind distilleries have benefit from portraying all prohibitory movements as tyrannical. And no I'm not a teetotaler.
My alma mater is in a dry town in upstate NY. A college town. No fireworks needed.
They are the military that will be used against us to destroy our republic if possible. Stay vigilant. Get armed, 2024 is going to be wild.
UUGGHH!
In the corporate world, 'Diversity' is an opaque way of saying not 'straight white men'. Many people are aware of this, but most have been hoodwinked by the media. Equity is the same circumstance. People associate this word with equality.
I once had a discussion with a fairly educated friend about Bidens mantra to promote equity in government. The media has been portraying it in a positive light. My friend thought it was a noble and compassionate goal. Until I showed him the definition of equity. A marxist concept that promotes discrimination. Usually against 'straight white men'. Seems to be a pattern.
This is the only group that doesn't fit the subjective definition of 'marginalized', 'disadvantaged', 'underrepresented' or 'minority'. Words the media like because it elicits empathy and more clicks.
Any of those words: "marginalized", "disadvantaged", "underrepresented", "minority", even words like "the masses", are so generic as to be completely meaningless. They make me tune out the speaker who uses them. But that bland blanket meaninglessness makes it so easy to trot them out and target, say, the white male applicants for a job. So much of this verbiage is the language of hell: ambiguous, destructive, malignant. Are we happier for having spent the past fifty years dumping all over white men? Look around. It doesn't seem so. Funny how we exalt every other racial and sexual trait, but white maleness is "toxic". My husband and I raised two sons, and I encourage them to pick up the anti-male slurs and flip them right back at the idiots who spout them.
Mom of 3 pasty-white sons here. They all are smart and hard-working, but have had to deal with multiple learning disabilities (which includes difficulty comprehending the speech of anyone with an accent) throughout their schooling. So my oldest son kinda flipped things around with a coworker who tried to throw the "racist" label at him. Son is currently working in a job with noisy machinery, and there's a minority coworker there who nobody wants to work with because he won't work. My son has requested that this guy not be assigned to his location, because the guy has a thick accent, and my son REALLY wouldn't be able to understand him in the noisy area. But the guy got assigned to his area one day, and things weren't going so well, so the guy got all worked up and started accusing my son of being racist, etc. (which is a joke, b/c my son's best friend since kindergarten is Hispanic) My son countered with, "You're discriminating against me! I got a disability! You can't discriminate against me!" (My son was deliberately laying it on thick - he's NEVER made a big deal about his disabilities before that I know of) The guy didn't know what to do with that. The company had wanted to fire him b/c he was so unproductive, but had to build a case against him so they wouldn't get hit with a civil lawsuit for discrimination. But within a day of that shift with my son, he quit on his own. I had to laugh at my oldest son's creativity. What a hoot!
I can't like this enough! God bless you and your family. Your son sounded like he was being genuinely honest with a guy who'd probably never had anyone stand up to his bullshit before. One thing it's good to remember is that everyone is toting some kind of load over his physical or cultural traits: Jews feel discriminated against, women have made a big thing of "patriarchal" attitudes, blacks feel like they're dealing with racism. Etc, etc. It's good to remember that everyone is insecure about something.
You know, I think the "racist" slur is so overworked that people are now resorting to "homophobic" in order to cow others into silence. I've had that one thrown at me by family members. It's funny because I have a lot of "gay" friends. But if you don't spout the party line you get slapped with a label.
I recently read about a situation where a corporation was having a women’s job fair for STEM jobs. Many young men attended by claiming they are non-binary 😁 brilliant! I think this may be the workaround for discrimination against men. Claiming Trans status would work also. However, It shouldn’t be done in athletics. That’s really unfair.
That's wonderful! You must be great parents.
Aw thanks. Raising children is the most meaningful thing I've ever done. But you'd have to ask them about how good we were. I can say this: my husband was a bright light for them, slept on the ground with them during campouts with the Boy Scouts, read to them at bedtime and a million other things. I don't know how single mothers can do it.
Off topic, I had a magnificent half Newfie half lab many years ago! Never find another like him.
I've had both and they are great. All the kids in my neighborhood thought my Newfoundland dog was a bear. It was hugh but very loving.
They're wonderful! One of my fav breeds!
I grew tired of all the shouting, moaning, groaning, blaming, lies, and pity parties on the news. I catch a few headlines, that is enough. All the other is emotion. For the most part, there is nothing I can do about what is happening, it doesn't or won't affect me, so why get all worked up? Instead I get detailed information from thoughtful online sources I have learned to trust when it seems important to know more or where I might need to act.
I'm taking a camping break but still check my sources at night lol
I heard more than once in my long life that taking a week away from the news improves one's happiness. Loved camping, smell of the fire, toasted marshmallows and the sounds of nature. Funny but when I returned, nothing really changed, just a few names. LOL
Sometimes i wish I would've gone on a three year trip!
Of course, one may simply turn off the computer and read a book.
Have you noticed what's happened to children's textbooks? Carved up with big stupid graphic inserts and text boxes.. Defeats concentration.
No escaping it.
Try taking a look at the children and teen book sections in your local public library. You’ll be shocked. :(
:(
I was Paul the last time I looked at the students textbook
I was appalled the last time that I looked at a student text book. (Apparently the listening and typing app doesn’t readily recognize the word, appalled)
& I stopped watching TV in 1969...there are hundreds of better things to do with the precious time you have in your day; especially since so many of us have to spend so much time on the freakin* computer for work or school. At least there is more choice for healthier content. Thank you, AMWD. Your writing rings true every time. Blessings.
Thank you AMD for an incredibly thought-provoking post. I became a Hollywood screenwriter to examine the human condition, and explore the best of humanity, rather than celebrate its worst. And very soon realized I had to hide this intent from my employers, who only wanted salacious, exploitive content the equivalent of today's "click bait." But the most compelling stories are those that resonate subconsciously. Gratuitously violent and fear-inducing scenarios do this, bypassing cerebral processing and triggering our "reptilian brain," but I don't write that. So I grounded nearly every story in some universal human truth, while giving my bosses the "commercial" elements they wanted. Stories that "Ring True In The Collective Unconscious" trigger us in ways we don't consciously realize, so they loved them, without knowing why. And luckily, there has been a radical shift at the boxoffice, recently. The typical dark, conflict-driven, derivative trend-piece movies are increasingly struggling. A $15M, positive and humanistic film about "saving children" just beat "Indiana Jones" and "Mission Impossible" at the domestic boxoffice, almost purely on word of mouth, despite Mass Media launching an all-out campaign to thwart it. And "Barbie" made $1.4 BILLION. Barbie is actually a deceptively-deep story of Self Discovery, about a woman who realizes she lives in a false bubble, defined wholly by external "stuff": her toy house, car, outfits, all the Barbie "accessories." She has no genuine relationships, no bond with Ken -- her entire world, and identity, are as fake as the plastic she's made from. This struck a deep, subconscious chord with an audience conditioned to believe the right car, brand-clothing, job, etc. will make them "happy," only to discover a life driven purely by material acquisition leaves them hollow, and empty. In the end, Barbie rejects false values, deciding to live in the Real World, to become a "Real Person." It was a metaphor; but an uplifting, encouraging one that resonated on a deep, subconscious level. I think, as you say, that "fear fatigue" is setting in and people are starting to reject manipulative messaging. Historically, Korean content is ~85% positive, uplifting, and often romantic. The best of it excels at what Hollywood no longer even attempts: revelatory stories that examine the human condition and matters of the heart, with depth and insight. And K-content viewing has soared 600% in just the last four years, with 90% of viewers living outside Korea, all over the world. I pray this appetite for more "positive" entertainment continues, and audiences turn away from the increasingly negative, ghastly view of humanity and the world relentlessly presented by Legacy Media and would-be tyrants, to pit us against each other while they take over. And I hope I can somehow get past the Hollywood gatekeepers to make my latest project, a "love-letter, to love itself." But this time I didn't hide my intent to inspire viewers' most noble instincts, so we'll see. There's still a long fight ahead.
Thank you so much for this comment. I am going to add it to the article.
I'm a fiction writer (primarily epic sci-fantasy) and my experience has been pretty much the same. The algorithms favor "the latest woke thing", but what keeps readers coming back is a compelling story, well told, that speaks of the human condition and grips you by the heart.
Information overload! A reality! Separating truth from fiction a challenge. Big Pharma is a master at creating a bias as well demonstrated by the Covid con. Our current allopathic medicine model thrives on chronic treatment of ill health for life. Vaccines are in the forefront! Prevention or reversal are not dominate in medicine. The process in many cases produces a chemical dependance that requires increased dosage over time to maintain a positive effect. This maximizes the drug company's return on investment! The RNA bias produces a degradation of the immune system with each subsequent dose, which in turn re-enforces the false concept that a subsequent dose is mandatory!
When will we all wake up to the fact that the Covid exercise created a lab rat experiment on humanity.
I woke up around 1970 when I read the book The Greening of America by Charles Reich. I was working on Madison Ave at the time for a PR company ironically enough. It really opened my eyes. I was also reading alot of Alan Watts so I was put on the path as they say.
I woke up about the same time. I went to Vietnam and with my own naive eyes even I could see that there was no possible way for the people there to be a threat to the "great" US of A. Suffice it to say that my illusions were quickly and decisively "perdued."
Stupendous, brazen criminality built on utter bollox. Much like nearly everything else around us.
Thank you for your service. Sorry you and all the other innocents had to go thru that. We knew better after all that nonsense but the backlash was overwhelming. We've come a long way only to face the worst of their insanity. It's really maddening.
I cringe whenever I read/ hear that "thank you",etc., since any "service" I was duped into performing was in support of outrageous evil but I hold no ill will towards those who say it since I realize most people say it with good intentions. I'm sorry for what "we" did to those people for the benefit of the money grubbing classes.
Yes, the insanity has been growing since then and well before.
Bless you.
You as well. 🙏
Well actually, it was the Soviet Union and their CCP flunkies who were the threat.
The USSR and CCP in turn were/are flunkies of the international banking mafia who funded them and the criminal banking cartels are the major threats.
The biggest threat to the US has always been certain big banking concerns based in New Yoik as near as I can tell. They were the ones who supported the Reds and who contrrol "our" government. Details can be found in Bella Dodd's excellent book, School of Darkness.
Samiple.:
“Famous names, Vanderbilt, Lamont, Whitney, Morgan, mingled with those of communist leaders. The Russian Institute was so respectable that it was allowed to give in-service courses to New York City schoolteachers for credit.”
-Bella Dodd, School of Darkness, Chap 11
I don’t just blame Doctors for allopathic failure. We have to own up to our failure to have a healthy lifestyle. Deep down I believe people know how to live well, good food, good sleep, good movement, time in nature. We just tend to look for quick fixes so guess what here’s a drug for that. Health is a two way street but patients have a responsibility too.
Absolutely and I completely educated myself to the point where I can barely find a Dr bc I they are all intimidated by me. But that was only after I learned very precious lesson bc of an iatrogenic procedure in my dumb early 20s. that cost me the inability to have children thank you very much.
Newton's "Third Law" (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) comes to mind here. One MUST wonder by whom, when, and where these sadistic, ideas are hatched. Surely, with such a consistency toward evil, they are not simply products of chance; a windfall for the companies involved. There MUST be a point in time, where, at some "think-tank" behind closed doors, with no stenographer taking notes, someone puts forth a devious proposition that is likely to produce wealth for the company. E.G... J.D. Rockefeller was neck deep in the crude oil industry, surely with his hands, mind, and bank accounts full, when an epiphany came to him (from someone or somewhere.....or some THING) which gave birth to the pharmaceutical industry. From the crude, many marketable products' raw materials might be extracted. But his mind was way ahead of itself there, and he saw the potential wealth locked up within the science of "medicine" manufacture. And extrapolating further, it MUST have at some point been brought out that allopathic "medicine" addresses the symptoms only, but has a silver lining, in that it also creates ill-health, so the "machine" is self-fueled, causing all sorts of physical and mental problems, calling for MORE meds.
The demonic J.D.R. and his multitude of agents have probably killed more people than the Inquisition, and both world Wars combined. He rightly knew that he would have to control education facilities, in order to pull off the heist, and wasted no time procuring that necessary portion of the plan. And the truly unfortunate part of the story, is that it not only DID exist back then, but, thrived, and proliferated, to its extent that we see today in every country, with no resistance from even the victims it created!
'Such a great example of a superbly working propaganda machine!
So how does that relate to Newton's Third Law? It's a stretch, but a "spin" on it. There WAS and still IS no public or govt. "reaction" to this most horrible "action" of assaulting humanity.
I guess the propaganda machine did its work effectively and relatively flawlessly! In later years, it was the same family who dreamed up, organized, funded, and instituted "women's lib." Most of the population does not know that it was a scheme to enrich the family's banking cartel, by promoting women to join the work-force. Why do that? Double (almost) the taxable workers for starters. Remove the childrens' mothers from the home, ergo their duty to raise and teach their children rightly evaporates, leaving a void to be exploited.
And that's just ONE family. There are many more, with aspirations that overshadow those of the Rockefellers. Living in these treacherously demonic times is NOT boring, but I for one would choose to be born back about 150 or so years ago, when morals, logic and truth were still in tact.
In the Battle for Souls,
Ray
You did a fine job there until the last sentence.
"Separating truth from fiction a challenge. "
Only at first. WIth experience it's a breeze.
The only way to have a "healthy relationship" with the mass media is to understand that they are your enemy.
They are not there to report "the news" or to transmit information they exist to control the way you think about issues and tell you what issues you should be thinking about.
As one who has lived without mass media for most of his life when I am in front of a TV screen e.g., I am struck at how jarring and how facile these productions are- it is patently obvious they are poor theatrical performances with hamfisted actors/actresses reading canned scripts. How can anyone not see this?
Once you understand this you know immediately that what you were subjected to with the Covid Operation had nothing whatsoever to do with a health emergency- you were being subjected to a military grade psychological operation in 2020 not a "viral event."
The urgent message that we must take from these past three and a half years is that we are under sustained psychological warfare and have been for quite some time. Even many "in the know" are still trapped in some version of the Covid merry-go-round.
The official narrative of "Covid" is a fiction- all facets it. There was no "pandemic" and there is no "lab leak" nor gain of function anything.
Hence why many people advise avoiding it entirely
Excellent summary and I love your personal insights. I have watched a major shift in my interest in even the local newspaper, let alone the attention grabber world news from M.S.M. Years ago I realized that going to movies that were loud and violent upset me to such a degree that I simply stopped going. The problem is when people who are young and malleable are exposed to too much everything. Where are the parents? Well, they too are exposed to too much everything. This has been a generational downward spiral, when it hits a certain degradation, the energy slowly rises up. Perhaps I will see that trend in my life.
Thanks doc! Your info and perspective is always refreshing and thought provoking.
Many years ago my sister and I used to have discussions (arguments) on the big issues. One day I thought about what each of us was saying and realized we were both using slogans…and those same words were being used in the same way in the various outlets we were listening to. Holy cow!!! Neither of us ever made any progress on the thoughts of the other one. One day I made a fabulous irrefutable series of observations to which she replied “I don’t care. I just feel the way I feel.” Shazam! I got it. Never argued with her about anything again. Her feelings trumped any logical argument, all facts, everything. Of course she took the vaccine because “We’re all in this together” and keeps getting boosted for whatever related emotionally based media-spread reason. And of course is now vax injured (long COVID says the media.). God help us all!!!
On a side note, I had been struggling with various gastro issues…and struggling. Your posting on stomach acid (and recommendation of Dr. Jonathan Wright’s book/work) was an IMMENSE help!!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you, that makes me really happy and is why I write here!
Feel free to write a longer summary of what happened and I can include it in next month's open thread.
Well about 9 years ago I was having issues swallowing. Endoscopy showed Barrett’s. They wanted me to take PPIs. I said no way. I don’t have reflux. Additional test showed no reflux so not taking PPIs. Doc very scoldish. Dropping the C word. I made a few lifestyle and food changes and a doctor change.
Next endoscopy showed slight Barrett’s. New Doc wanted me to take PPIs. Nope! Then I got H pylori. Did not take the antibiotics. Tried various alternative stuff. 3 years so far trying various things with spotty success. Now recent terrible bloating that won’t go away.
Then I read your article on gastro issues. Woah! Get Dr. Wright’s book on stomach acid and realize that most of my issues have been related to LOW stomach acid. LOW stomach acid…not high!!! May also need some more food tweaks (my coffeeee…noooo!!!).
Next new doc and endoscopy (2 weeks ago) show a little inflammation but no Barrett’s. But some inflammation in my stomach from H Pylori. Latest new doc tried to put me on PPI’s. Sheesh! But did finally talk me into antibiotics for the intractable H pylori. But now because of your writing, I have the tools to finally start to work through these issues from the root cause. I went through your article 3 or 4 times and took notes. Now I get it and it makes a lot of sense. I intuitively realized the PPI’s were wrong but now I know they are and know why and better yet have a game plan.
Brilliant! Why don’t the gastros know this???
By the way, the lifestyle and diet changes I used initially 9 years or so ago were:
1. Intermittent fasting
2. Nothing to eat 3 hours before bedtime
3. Discovered and eliminated food allergies (dairy, egg, sesame)
4. Ginger tea after meals
5. I tried to raise the head of the bed a few inches but had such uncomfortable nights and woke in such pain that I ditched that in short order (not to mention my husband’s bitter complaints)
Thanks again for your writings. I keep reading and tweaking.
Drinking water right before or with a meal can dilute the hydrochloride acid in the stomach . That acid is needed for digestion of proteins. Barbara O Neil explained this very well in one of her videos. She talked about a patient who was having GI issues for years and he used to drink water with his meals and that was causing him to have poor digestion. He also made some diet changes , stopped the PPI and drank his water more than 30 mins prior to a meal or one hour after but not with the meal .
I had been doing that but started taking supplements, some of which were to be taken with a meal…so started drinking some water while eating. Maybe a little ginger tea would be better.
“I don’t care. I just feel the way I feel.” Freud bearing fruit 100+ years later.
Hahahaha!!! That’s a great comment and so darn true. But sad, really sad.
I had to get old to wait for good timing and not force things!
This is the mass medias business model. If they publish something that is sensational or goads ppl or triggers ppl on one side or the other of an ideological argument, they are more likely to get clicks , views, comments etc. Just like commercial TV in the 1960s-70s and beyond existed to sell ads and content was really “filler”, so now all the major news outlets are not reporting news, they are publishing “content” . To avoid irrelevancy and bankruptcy the content has to generate views and clicks. Veracity, ethics , morality, perspective, impartiality are all secondary or even irrelevant.
In New York metropolitan area there was an AM radio station call WINS news .
They’re tagline was “all news all the time”
Now we have “ All lies all the time”!
FB did something similar a few years ago. In the 'before times', you'd see a picture and a couple of the "most liked" comments. This means that if you see a picture of a cute kitten, the comments would be something like "What an adorable kitty!"
But then they added a bunch of different 'reactions' and started showing the 'most reactions' comments instead of the 'most liked'. This means that when you scroll by the cute kitty picture, instead of positive comments you see "I want to throw this cat in the ocean!" -- along with a string of angry people who just HAVE to stop and comment about what an idiotic comment that is.......
This one change altered the whole vibe of the site.
poor kitty : (
I left FB in 2012 during the election campaigning. I was mostly in jail so I saw the handwriting on the wall. Never looked back. What a bunch of bs.
Isn’t it interesting, as well as ludicrous, that so many people have been convinced they can’t live without Facebook? There ARE other methods for keeping in touch with friends and family, after all. Wouldn’t it be fun if everyone simply stopped using it? I wish.
I deleted my account when they turned into the Ministry of Truth, and have only regretted it a couple times (when trying to keep in touch with people who use it exclusively).
Yeah a bud lite boycott would be awesome. 🤞
Thanks for a well written and thoughtful piece.
All so true and so unacknowledged at the same time.
Happy I didn't skip past it.
Thank you
“In music, we’ve shifted from works of art that open the human heart to mass-produced music which uses a variety of algorithms known to trigger dopamine responses ad-infinitum.”
Interesting that whenever I would hear Arianna Grande I want to rip my skin off. And this was before ontological shock set in.
I agree, it can be very irritating :(
That goes for a lot of mass produced musical caca. I feel like stomping the speakers.
Anything produced by large corporations for the masses is caca. There oughta be a whole lotta stompin goin on...
This discussion makes me think of a fine tweet by Ethical Skeptic that I thought was brilliant:
Ethical Skeptic ☀
@EthicalSkeptic
·
Oct 23
Replying to
@McDaddy99
The first AI which can express blues guitar, flavored through its abject imperfection, lawlessness, humanity, and tragic backstory - that is the AI I will fear most.
>Interesting that whenever I would hear Arianna Grande I want to rip my skin off.
...I'm no doctor but that does not sound very much like a dopamine spike to me.
😂🤣😂
NEVER HAS DIVIDE AND CONQUER BEEN SO EASY!!
to wit:
https://commonreader.wustl.edu/how-a-company-called-blackrock-shapes-your-news-your-life-our-future/
and "Why are People so Obedient - Compliance and Tyranny":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URdXC6UtfVg
Thanks for labeling the brainwashing machine "mass media" which more accurately decribes the continous outpouring of refuse than does the modifier, "mainstream."
Regarding the current antics in the Middle East, there is no way I can know much about it but I suspect it's largely the usual histrionic hype typical of what you describe at the beginning of your article.
Here's a link that well describes what went on in that regard in the past and I doubt that the methods have changed substantially or materially.
https://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-jews-and-nazis/
Thank you. It's always hard to chose the best words to use for these things.
Now, go read Ron Unz's article and let us know what you think. (Hint: None of what you wrote is very new. The techniques have been long used.)
And as for Kessler the former FDA commissioner (the junk food critic), he's a mixed bag...
If WIki can be believed, he also "served (sic) as Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team since 2021...He co-chaired the Biden-Harris transition’s COVID-19 Advisory Board from November 2020 to January 2021 and was the head of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government program to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments, from January to February 2021.[1][2]
Kessler is not perfect (e.g., he signed off on the experimental anthrax vaccines and Oxycontin being approved), but he was much better than any other recent FDA commissioner I can think of.
I stopped referring to it as the Mainstream Media; I now call it the Corrupted Corporate Media. Corrupted - not captured. Captured implies a helpless victim with whom we should sympathize. No.
They just want us to think it's somehow mainstream. They're playing on the fears of those who are afraid of being left out of something "big."
Theye've always been corrupt and even including such things as the goofy "Poolitzer" prize. Same with what passes for "education."
Thomas Jefferson on the lying sources of "news." The Brits have long been masters of porpaganda.:
"These friends I know to be so well disposed towards America that they wished the reverse of what they repeated from the public papers.
I have enquired into the source of all this misinformation and have found it not difficult to be traced. The printers on the Continent have not yet got into the habit of taking the American newspapers.1 Whatever they retail therefore on the subject of America, they take from the English. If your readers will reflect a moment they will recollect that every unfavourable account which they have seen of the transactions in America has been taken from the English papers only. Nothing is known in Europe of the situation of the U.S. since the acknowlegement of their independance but thro’ the channel of these papers.2 But these papers have been under the influence of two ruling motives 1. deep-rooted hatred, springing from an unsuccesful attempt to injure; 2. a fear that their island will be depopulated by the emigration of it’s inhabitants to America. Hence no paper comes out without a due charge of paragraphs manufactured by persons employed for that purpose.
[Thomas] Jefferson’s Reply to the Representations of Affairs in America by British Newspapers, [before 20 November 1784]
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-07-02-0390
"Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day. "
-Thomas Jefferson to John Norvell, 14 June 1807
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_speechs29.html
What an absolutely EXCELLENT Topic.