How Manipulators Subvert the Truth
Do not use these tactics on others. Be aware of how others might be using them on you.
Note: From September 7 to 23, new articles on CEH will be sparse or non-existent while the Editor is on travel and speaking. Thanks for your patience.
For your entertainment and education, here is a selection from our Baloney Detector under Propaganda Tactics. Some of these will sound like current events!
Subversion
Definition: Preventing your opponent from getting a hearing.
Catch-phrase: Head ’em off at the pass.
Examples:
- Spying.
- Trojan Horse: “Please accept this gift with our blessing.”
- Dumbing down the students to make them compliant, or so that they could never understand the Bible or The Federalist.
- Raising a generation of “loyal” followers (Nazi schools, communist “Young Pioneers” clubs).
- Raising a generation of citizens dependent on your services (e.g., welfare) so they keep voting for you lest you take away their entitlements.
- Campaigning for open borders, hoping that the flood of illegal immigrants will all vote Democra.
- Infiltrating the opposition’s organization to water it down, redirect it or expose its weaknesses for conquest.
- Slipping the opponent a truth serum or sedative.
- Framing your opponent; planting incriminating evidence.
- Communist strategy: three steps forward, two steps back.
- Watering down the opposition through compromise (see Appeasement).
- Getting the opposition’s leader to appear in a compromising situation or making a confession.
- Passing a law against teaching intelligent design or even weaknesses of evolution, or making it appear to be illegal.
- Getting your advocate on the Supreme Court or Borking your opponent’s nominee.
- Keeping the populace fat and happy with bread and circuses so they don’t revolt.
- Keeping the students spaced out on drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll.
- Getting your enemies to fight each other so they stop bothering you.
- Getting the opposition leader to defect to your side.
- Jamming the Voice of Freedom or bombing the studio.
- Preventing publication by your opponent.
- Book burning.
- Banging cowbells during your opponent’s speech and calling it “First Amendment right of protest.” (Heckler’s Veto)
- Pulling the cables on the sound system during your opponent’s speech.
- Sending a streaker through the audience to distract attention.
- Hacking the opposition’s website or mounting a denial of service attack against their computers.
- Dirty tricks.
- Gerrymandering.
- Gaining control of the media and pretending your opponent doesn’t exist.
- Throwing garbage or a pie in his face.
- Abortion and euthanasia: using population dynamics to build a base of loyalists.
- Shutting the heretic up: lobotomy, imprisonment, drugs, cutting out his tongue, hiring a hit man.
- Crucifying the leader so the movement will come to naught.
- Terrorism.
- Whatever works: anything but allowing the opposition to be heard – the end justifies the means.
Fortunately, you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. But you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Be one of those people who can spot the Subversion trick. Notice when these tactics are being used, and speak out! Often it is necessary to prevent these tactics long before they become a problem, such as gerrymandering, open borders or making it illegal to teach intelligent design. Be proactive, not reactive.
