Down The Trump Rabbit Hole - Manufacturing Consent
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-03-13/down-trump-rabbit-hole-manufacturing-consent
By
Cognitive Dissonance
We all begin with assumptions, though most of us think of them as truths. Mention the name Donald Trump in a crowded room and you will be on the receiving end of a boat load of opinions; all formed with the benefit of assumptions and preconceived notions customized to each individual’s point of view of how the ‘system’ (aka The Empire) works.
While our ego leads us to believe our ‘opinion’ is based upon logic, critical thinking and factual evidence, the reality is just the opposite. Opinions are often little more than (firm) beliefs dressed up in pretty clothes in order to legitimize and affirm us. Just as clothes ‘make’ the man, so to does his opinions.
And everyone has an opinion on Donald Trump.
When I witness individuals contradicting themselves in order to support (or oppose) “The Donald” I view this as strong evidence of an emotional response. And as ego deflating as this may be, emotional responses are rarely, if ever, birthed from the womb of logic and reason.
The beauty of any ‘belief’ is that it is an artificial construct composed of bits and pieces of thought flotsam and assumptions specifically selected to confirm a previously formed conviction. Rarely can a ‘belief’ withstand a serious and sustained scrutiny, though it is always entertaining to watch a person piously defend a belief as cold hard fact. The degree of mental backpedaling, logic twisting and emotional posturing can truly be stunning at times.
In order to clearly define my base ‘thinking’ let me start out with a list of some of my admittedly severe assumptions (aka thought flotsam) before moving forward.
The Empire is self perpetuating, self affirming and all consuming. Like a shark that must perpetually swim if it is to breathe, therefore exist, either the Empire is expanding or it is dying. This attribute alone embodies a fatally narcissistic point of view which can only be described as insanity.
The Empire eats its own young. In fact the Empire eats everything because the only purpose of, and for, the Empire is to expand, making the Empire a net consumer. It does not ‘give’ equal to what it ‘takes’, for that is the description of a stable and sustainable system. Therefore the mighty Empire is not sustainable and will die a long horrible death. This self knowledge, and all the cognitive gymnastics involved in its denial, contributes to its insanity.
Once a tipping point is reached, and when speaking of the American/Western Empire, that point was reached decades ago, the Empire cannot be changed, fixed or reformed from within. The Empire will subvert, co-opt or consume anything it perceives as a threat to Empire. When the only purpose to live is to consume, to stop consuming is to die. Therefore ‘revolution’ of any sort or degree not authorized by the Empire will be opposed and suppressed at all costs, subtly if possible in order to maintain the illusion of State benevolence, violently and publically if needed and as the insanity escalates.
‘We’ are ‘The Empire’. There is no ‘they’, ‘them’, and ‘those’, only ‘you’, ‘I’ and ‘us’. The question is not ‘if’ we are The Empire, but the degree to which we participate in Empire. If we wish our credit/debit cards to work, our banks to remain open and operating, our standard of living to remain the same or improve, our peace to remain undisturbed and others to assume responsibility for many aspects of our affairs (such as feed ourselves, personal self defense and the entitled ‘right’ to be blissfully ignorant) then we are Empire.
Empire is corrupt and all corrupting. This means “We the People” are also corrupt, particularly if we support the Empire or benefit from the Empire and do nothing to lessen or withdraw from our own corruption. We are all members of the Emperor’s court, though there is no doubt some are much closer to the Emperor and his/her beneficence than others. There is no moral high ground achieved from ‘defensive’ or ‘ignorant’ corruption. To believe otherwise is a demonstration of our own personal insanity and the degree to which we are thoroughly co-opted.
The Empire, as with all empires, requires ‘consent’ by its captive minions in order to continue consuming and expanding. Willing consent is not required, but is preferred for maximum efficiency. Many express dislike for The Empire, but still ‘consent’ to participate for any of a million reasons including fear, greed, apathy and (often feigned) ignorance.
As a rule, Empires die a long, slow, agonizing death while taking with it as many people as possible in the process. Since its ‘citizens’ are deliberately conditioned to identify with the Empire, while in reality the interests of both entities are diametrically opposed, in practice its citizens continue to support the Empire long past its freshness date.
While Empire is always mentally conceptualized with respect to its physical manifestation in a geographic location (i.e. the United States of America located on the North American Continent) Empire is actually, first and foremost, a thought meme and a belief system manifested into physical form by those who ‘believe’ they are what they believe themselves to be. A perfect example of this was the United State’s belief in “Manifest Destiny”, a time period many historians mark as the US’s first entry onto the world’s stage as a power to be reckoned with. And the period of time I mark as the US’s entry into sociopathic psychosis.
The Empire’s base of power is not primarily its weapons of war, its resources or its people. Its power springs from its ability to create currency units which are widely accepted even by its enemies, often called the reserve currency. The point when the reserve currency creation becomes unconstrained is usually when the Empire goes rogue, with the tipping point reached soon after. It is at this point where more stick and less carrot are employed against friend and foe alike, including the resident citizens. Soon after it becomes all stick.
Everyone within the empire serves the Empire, including its individual and corporate ‘citizens’. This especially holds true for its upper level civil ‘servants’, political appointees, elected office holders, state and federal judges, the military at all levels including ‘civilian police officers, the oligarchs and elites. And most importantly, the President of the United States. All are beholden to the Empire and constitute the court of the Empire. While the president may be considered the Chief Executive Officer, the president works for the Empire and is controlled by the Empire’s court. The power of the president flows up from the Empire’s court, not down from the president.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Unless and until “We the People” view everything through the lens of Empire, meaning we wash the “America the benevolent democracy” myth out of our mind, reality will elude us. This, by the way, is exactly what the myth creators and promoters wish to occur, for you and me to remain spellbound and chasing mythical thought creatures.
Mythical Thought Creatures
Sampling the Myth
Some things we clearly see as a myth. Other things, not so much.
The myth of the presidential ‘elected’ office is far too important to the Empire to allow just anybody to serve in that position. All candidates for the office are carefully screened by the Empire’s court before being allowed a ‘serious’ run for office. This doesn’t mean mainstream outsiders are prevented from pursuing the office, since allowing the oddballs to run helps support the presidential and democratic myth.
Since the court’s best interest is aligned to the empire’s best interest, there is an unofficial screening or leveling process that filters out those candidates considered unworthy long before the second Tuesday in November supposedly decides the matter. It is all made to appear very natural, an expression of the will of the people you might say, and not a deliberate and calculated selection process designed to give the Empire precisely what the Empire wants.
Any ‘rouge’ candidate who doesn’t fit the desired parameters is eventually marginalized and pushed aside by the inability to raise significant campaign funds from court members, by the use of the state’s controlled mass media to discredit the individual (and groups supporting the candidate) and, if need be, by more direct persuasion such as blackmail, threats and financial sabotage.
The American myth of the ability of anyone to become President is precisely that, a myth.
This brings us back to Donald Trump, who on face value alone appears to contradict just about everything I’ve just written. That is unless we check under the covers and read between the lines. Rather than focus on the man and the specifics of what he says and does, let’s pull back and absorb the bigger picture so we may place Trump in his proper context.
As the Empire itself turns rogue and escalates its attacks on foreign and domestic entities, there is a point in time when the illusion begins to slip. One cannot remain married to an abusive spouse for long before the abused begins to question the very basis of the relationship.
This is beginning to happen both within other nations, some who are now beyond questioning the Empire and have begun to directly challenge it (a tricky matter because they are also wedded to, and dependent upon, the Empire) and with “We the People” domiciled within the Empire. These stirrings are the very seeds of revolution.
Obviously the Empire will perceive this as a clear and present danger and will begin to marshal forces to neutralize the issue. One of the most effective ways to do so is by subverting, co-opting or consuming anything it perceives as a threat to Empire. A careful study of the revolutionary movements of the 1960’s and 70’s, using both empire approved history books as well as published alternative sources, reveals the time tested blueprint for co-opting and defusing budding uprisings.
In every (American) case I have studied the technique used is multifaceted. The mainstream population, meaning those still sufficiently enthralled by the illusion to defend their belief system, is convinced through ‘official’ pronouncements and media propaganda that the trouble makers are disaffected malcontents (long haired hippies in the 60’s, conspiracy theorists in the 00’s) who are threatening the court’s peaceful existence.
Simultaneously the resistance is carefully infiltrated with low level agent provocateurs placed on the protest line to sow discord and ‘force’ police suppression to protect life and property. In addition, highly trained operatives are infiltrated into the resistance command structure, including the very top tier, in order to destroy from within using divide and conquer methods.
And let’s not forget the ever popular and nearly always effective false flag attacks perpetrated by the Empire and blamed on the resistance in order to justify crackdowns, imprisonments and vilification. When carefully coordinated with a lapdog ‘free’ press, even resistance sympathizers can be turned against their better judgment and back into the arms of the empire. Fear is, and always will be, an effective tool against those who unwilling to think for themselves.
But what is to be done when the vast majority of the population is beginning to recognize the wolf wears sheep’s wool? While many still believe the ‘democracy’ narrative, meaning they believe democracy (actually a representative republic) is the best form of government for them, they are increasingly doubtful “We the People’ presently live in the believed narrative. The governmental corruption, economic crony capitalism and income disparity can no longer be hidden as the entire middle class slips down a peg or two in the wealth hierarchy. The frayed socioeconomic rope is about to be exposed.
Frayed Rope
The frayed socioeconomic rope is about to be exposed.
When your credibility is suddenly called into question and people begin to seek alternative ‘authorities’, give the people what they want…though not exactly what they want, just what you have conditioned them to believe they want. Or as is the case with our current situation, since anyone who is presently an authority is not to be trusted, give people the antithesis of the existing authority structure.
For example….Donald Trump.
This is not to say Trump is controlled opposition. Far from it in fact I suspect, though the parameters of the election structure acts to buffer and direct in much the same way a cattle shoot guides but does not impede. As far as the cattle or Donald Trump are concerned, given the inherent limitations of the system, both moves forward of their own free will. The huge Trump ego is also its own effective straight jacket.
The Empire does not need to give birth to something in order to control or direct it. Denying creation actually affords plausible deniability, thereby distancing Empire from the tools it employs to stifle or misdirect discontent and resistance.
The brilliance behind this technique is how well it plays upon the mind of the resistance itself. Those who have finally seen the futility of the system and have begun to withdraw, particularly from the act of giving consent by way of ‘voting’, thereby expressing ‘choice’ and consent, are flocking back if only to register their ‘protest’ vote. Just when they think they’re out, it pulls them back in. The cattle chute is just as effective regardless of what, or who, is being corralled.
The Empire’s only purpose is to consume. And in order to consume it must live another day. Especially during the last several election cycles, hope and change was, and is, the only product being sold. When the meal can no longer be served within the narrative, the side dishes are changed so the message is to ‘fix’ the system in order to conform to the narrative.
Thus Donald Trump and his rebel yell, the great white hope (in distinct contrast to the 2008 great black hope), is simply a reflection of the escalation of Empire’s attempt to control whatever it perceives as a threat.
Again, ‘control’ doesn’t mean absolute and unwavering. There are more than enough conflicting synergies and special interests in the system to contain Trump right up to the point where it is possible for Trump to do significant damage to the system. At that point there are many methods, many of them used in the past, which can once again be used to neutralize even the great and almighty Trump. Personally I don’t think that will become necessary.
Trump is every bit the media creation as any other politician, only in this case strengthened by negative press rather than positive. Whenever I see the MSM singing with one voice I try to ignore the spoken message, the narrative if you will, and look elsewhere for the real agenda. When the elite are declaring they are worried about a mere mortal I really start looking for a hidden agenda.
The elite want us to beg Trump to be our President just like they will want us to beg the Fed to print more money to save ‘our’ money system. If I (assuming I was an ‘elite’) knew an economic shit storm was headed my way and I wanted someone pre-positioned to do the dirty work for me, in this case a 'strong' leader who will ram 'reforms' down their throats, I would manipulate the herd into begging me for my foul tasting ‘medicine’.
Careful what you wish for.
Medicine
A spoon full of sugar Trump helps the socioeconomic medicine go down.
People are not moving towards Trump as much as they are moving away from what the elites (through their various political, business and media mouthpieces) say they don't want. It's called reverse psychology and it’s very effective when done right. The narrative is that Trump is a danger to the establishment, a ‘fact’ shouted from every mountain top, thereby making it ‘true’ simply by virtue of repetition and not by any established fact.
If ‘they’ hate Trump, ‘We the People’ should love him. Incredibly, once again ‘we’ are being played perfectly both by Trump himself, who understands all too well the effect he has by portraying himself as the outsider taking on the filthy corrupt machine. And by the machine of Empire, which uses feigned manufactured outrage at the ‘people’s choice’ to once again regain credibility in a system engineered to deceive and entrap.
There is no doubt there truly are many people genuinely alarmed by Trump’s rapid rise in the Republican primary. What many fail to recognize is how this simply illustrates how deeply dependent upon, and embedded within, the illusion these people are. An extremely valuable side benefit is how this genuine outrage creates additional plausible deniability for the Empire as the overall orchestrating force.
Remember, true control comes from limiting options to force direction rather than to attempt to micromanage every twitch and utterance.
Then there is the bandwagon phenomenon. As Trump looks more and more 'electable' people will begin to jump on the Trump bandwagon. If nothing else people want to run with the herd, particularly when it appears the herd is going to stick it to the farmer and his minions.
As far as I’m concerned, when viewed through the clarifying lens of Empire, Trump, at least at this point in the fall of Empire, is far more beneficial than harmful to both the empire and the empire’s court. And the benefits extend far beyond just an election. While the mainstream consensus, backed up by every consensus ‘poll’ published so far, is that Hillary Clinton is the favorite horse and will beat Trump head to head, Clinton, if elected, will not possess a popular mandate to implement ‘reforms’.
As much as the empire’s court wishes the gravy train to continue, therefore they as individuals and groups will do everything possible to serve their best interest, there is a growing awareness that structural reforms are desperately needed to kick the can down the road several more years, if not decades.
Clinton is establishment, a child of the court, and will not deliver the needed medicine, virtually assuring a swifter end to the free lunch. Trump, on the other hand, known worldwide for his signature “You’re fired”, will fire off some mighty reforms which will bleed and permanently weaken the middle class even further. You didn’t expect the elite and court to actually pay for the reforms…did you?
But, and here’s the rub, Trump, being “We the People’s” choice, will possess the very mandate Clinton would lack and maintain enough credibility to do what no other candidate can do….gut the system of its social safety net while maintaining the financial system with ‘whatever it takes’, all while being cheered by the populace for doing so in the name of sticking it to the elites. Reform you can believe in.
Supposedly beholden to no special interests while holding credentials forged in the blast furnace of business building and bankruptcy, Trump may just be the only person everyone will hate enough to actually garner enough credibility and respect to ‘git ‘er done’. And make no mistake about it, managing a business through bankruptcy means making tough decisions and will be seen as an asset and not a liability when reforms are jammed through.
This is not to say any reforms proposed or enacted will ‘fix’ the system. As I stated at the beginning, the system cannot and will not be fixed. In fact, for many (including not only the crony capitalists and beneficiaries of the corruption, but the millions living off state provided entitlements) the system is not broken and needs at best some fine tuning and adjustment.
Never let a crisis go to waste, and this one will not be wasted. Structural reforms will eventually be made, especially to ‘entitlements’. The question is, will they go deep enough to satisfy no one, but still allow the can to be kicked down the road another few decades?
Stay tuned.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled cognitive programming already in progress.
03-13-2016
Cognitive Dissonance
Trump wants you to elect him to the office of the President. And contrary to public pronouncements, I suspect so does the elite.
