Fear is a powerful motivator.
In this post I will talk about how fear is used to manipulate our thoughts, control our behavior, and effectively enslave us. It can be purposefully as with propaganda or religions ‘teachings’ or it can occur organically through cultural constructs and social interactions.
I will show the odd relationship between fear and our sense of well-being, and how important it is to understand fear and its consequences if we are to find happiness.
Happiness cannot be found outside of yourself.
That is different than saying what is outside yourself cannot cause unhappiness. The truth that happiness can only be found within does not say that happiness cannot be crushed by what is without.
All of the great spiritual teachers, masters, and philosophers of the world share the same message that happiness cannot be found outside of us, in the external world. There is no person, place, material possession, or amount of money that will bring you true, lasting happiness.
Understanding fear tactics
Fear can sway opinions but knowing the deliberate and strategic ways in which our fears are exploited can help lessen its effects.
For example, fear can be used to drive votes toward a particular candidate or party—a method that relies on our natural instinct to find safety in numbers. Studies show that messages with fear are nearly twice as effective as messages without fear. As you read through the various political use of fear to manipulate voters, you will have no difficulty seeing how these strategies have been successfully used to control you and others.
I hope, after reading how fear is used as mind-control, you will be less susceptible to influence and more of an independent-thinker.
Campaigns use fear to herd people to a candidate as part of a group. Politicians using this strategy use deception to show that they (or their party) are best suited to address a specific issue. Once that is established, they make people scared about that issue causing them to seek comfort in the ranks of the group perceived as most capable. It is successful mind-manipulation that has been around for a long time.
Groupthink
The term "groupthink" was derived from the word, "doublethink" in George Orwell's novel, "1984," coined by William H. White in 1952. It connotes "a deterioration in mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgments as a result of group pressures." The primary principle of groupthink is that "The more amiability and esprit de corps there is among the members of a policy-making-in-group, the greater the danger that independent critical thinking will be replaced by groupthink, which results in irrational and dehumanizing actions against out-groups." "In-group," members give up their own "independent critical thinking" and replace it with the thinking of the group. Their words and behavior parrot those of the group
Campaigns use fear to drive votes away from political opponents. This strategy uses facts, misleading statements, and lies about the opposing candidate with claims that an election victory for the opposition will lead to outright disaster. They attack on a personal level casting doubt about the physical or mental capacity of their opponent employing fear to make people doubt the competitions competency.
Campaigns use fear to reduce voter turnout. When supporters are made anxious about an election or their candidate, they tend to avoid information about the candidate or the election, for fear of confirming those suspicions. They become apprehensive about voting for a ‘questionable’ candidate or in a rigged election. Raising anxiety around an election or candidate is a common tactic used to suppress voter turnout for an opponent. In elections that are often decided by just two or three percentage points, these voter suppression strategies can be quite effective, even if only 5% of voters are convinced to stay home.
Divisive campaigns are an extension or enhancement of groupthink politics, by using a combination of herding the group and driving people away from the opponent. Fear is used to make people run to the group, and fear is used to demonize the other side. This creates a toxic mutual hate environment where voters despise and fear those viewed as outside of the safe group. Think of all the derogatory terms used on social media to demean the others. You will see bigot, commie, extremist, elitist, idiot, moron, nutjob, and shill used as hateful adjectives in conjunction with an identified group. The purpose of these divisive campaigns is to enlist members of the group to fight for the Party or candidate and against the other Party or candidate thus strengthening camaraderie against a common enemy.
The Cult is an extreme example of groupthink. Studies show that cults are created when a charismatic figure creates a situation that is strong and isolating, without any clear escape route. In that situation the average person can cave to the traumatizing pressure of brainwashing. He creates ignorance of the principles of the subject’s social surroundings, then uses fear of the outside control subjects. Fear and information isolation are the tools of a cult leader.
False memories and false belief. Our minds make memories out of our perceptions, stories we’ve heard, images we’ve seen, and gap-filling when perception fades. Research shows, this happens regardless of the truth or reality of those inputs. False memories are as common, maybe more common, as true memories. All your beliefs are based on your memories; therefore, you are as likely to hold false beliefs as real beliefs. When you let this sink in, you will find it very disturbing. You do not know what you think you know and what you believe is based on a lot of fiction.
Cognitive dissonance is the state of discomfort felt when two or more thoughts contradict each other. The clashing cognitions may include memories, ideas, beliefs, or behavior. When a person learns new information that challenges a deeply held belief or acts in a way that is contrary to a favorable self-image, that person may have cognitive dissonance and feel compelled to somehow resolve those negative feelings.
People experiencing cognitive dissonance may feel anxious, guilty, or ashamed and as a result may try to hide their actions or beliefs from others, rationalize their actions or choices, shy away from debates about those topics, avoid learning new information that challenges their existing beliefs, and ignore research, newspaper articles, or doctor’s advice that causes dissonance.
Political campaigns destroy civil society and infringe on general happiness. You can see where I am going with this. Political campaigns use groupthink and fear to implant false memories and beliefs resulting in a fragile divided populous susceptible to the negative thoughts and behaviors caused by cognitive dissonance. Because of our politics we are a nation of agitated uncivil unhappy uninformed people. And it all goes back to being manipulated by scaremongering.
What can you do about it?
Understanding fear.
Perhaps the best way to prevent being manipulated is to understand the emotion of fear. Fear induces withdrawal, stepping back, being cautious. Fear and anxiety cause us to stop and re-assess. But often when we re-assess because of fear, we tend to seek out information that reinforces the idea that a threat exists. That is what politicians want you to do, and they oblige by flooding the media with fake news to reinforce their brainwashing - ripe for the picking.
If you’re experiencing fear, outrage, or disgust while listening to a politician, it is important to understand that statements made by politicians and candidates are made for strategic reasons that extend beyond changing your vote to demobilizing the electorate. They are building an army of mindless drones, who are eager to put the politician’s cause in front of reason
Fear has a good side – use it to your advantage.
Fear, like hope, can be very motivating and is not inherently bad. The challenge is to identify when fear is being used deceptively in order to control you. For example, intentional distortion of evidence and disinformation are used to foment fear for political purposes. Some research suggests that a simple awareness of bias and false information can help you combat the brainwashing effect. The understanding that someone is attempting to manipulate or influence you can lead to your eliminating the intended effects and may even cause the ‘fear appeal’ to backfire.
Conspiracy theories.
The use of disinformation to promote fear is quite striking when we look at how in recent years some political leaders have been increasingly spreading conspiracy theories. But is there a way to know when we come across a conspiracy theory? Conspiracy theories are not always easily spotted as they are often be pitched as questions or an opposition to an official account rather than proposing any concrete details that can be put to the test. But those types of ‘arguments’ are a clue that a conspiracy theory is afoot.
But what about when the fear tactic is more nuanced than a conspiracy theory? You should check the facts. Be wary because cognitive dissonance may cause you to choose fake sources that confirm your programmed bias. Make that ‘cognitive dissonance’ your friend. When you have that uncomfortable feeling caused by mental conflict let it steer you to seek out multiple, reputable, nonpartisan sources of information, instead of giving into the urge to reject information that contradicts your ‘memories,’ and ‘beliefs.’
It is up to you to change yourself. No one can make you see the truth – especially if you are programmed with lies.
Many media outlets are propaganda sites that carry highly emotional content intended to exacerbate anxiety and pollute your mind. There is evidence that highly emotional content is more likely to be shared on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, and it is a good practice to train yourself to recognize the deceptive sources.
Can you change others?
If you’re planning to reach across the divide, ask yourself what your motivation is. Whether you’re trying to change someone’s mind or the way they vote, or just stay connected, you should try to understand people on the other side and do what you can to make them feel safe and understood. Beyond that, trying to argue facts or sharing stats may be counterproductive. The greatest mistake people make in trying to have dialogue across lines is assuming that providing info or a statistic or research will persuade someone on the other side. The reality is that staying curious about the others’ viewpoints and maintaining a relationship goes a lot further.
You cannot change others; you can only change yourself.