QUACKERY

BRIAN WATSON ~ CAPITALISM ~ HEADED INTO THE ABYSS ~ 2019

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~ C-I-NGTSTLO-2100-PNE-20170-NALIAFTYWTE-MOUAT-TTW-AGTBPO-CAD ~ Civilization – Is – Not Going To See The Light Of – 2100 – Perhaps Not Even – 2070 – Not At Least In Any Form That You’d Want To Experience – Most Of Us Alive Today – Throughout The World – Are Going To Be Part Of – Collapse And Dissolution

~ WMCCAFD-TA-AA-POCMTWCITAMOOD-B-WWNDS ~ We Might Change Course Away From Disaster – There Are – After All – Plenty Of Constructive Measures That We Could Implement To Address Most Of Our Difficulties – But – We Will Not Do So

~ ASOMAT-TS-G-A-TAU ~ All Sorts Of Madnesses Abound Today – Throughout Societies – Globally – And – They Afflict Us

~ TW-H-C-A-H-I ~ Today’s World – Hyper-Connected – And – Hyper-Interdependent

~ MVTUTTAS-TT-O-T-ITB-FTOT-B-TANS-I-TA-C/O/I/H/D/S/L/I/E/R/U ~ Many Voices Tell Us That Things Are Simple – That This – Or – That – Is To Blame – For This Or That – But – Things Are Not Simple – Instead – They Are – Complicated / Overlapping / Interrelated / Historical / Dynamic / Simultaneous / Logical / Illogical / Emotional / Resolvable / Unresolvable

~ O-I-A-E-S-A-TCFTC-WBAMFIHTFU ~ Our – Imagination – And – Emotional – Selves – And – The Contest For Their Control – Will Be A Major Factor In How The Future Unfolds

~ OCADEEO-UP-A-BUBP-WA-S-F-D-A-BI ~ Ordinary Citizens Are Dividing Against Each Other – Using Politics – And – Being Used By Politics – We Are – Splintering – Fragmenting – Deteriorating – And – Becoming Impotent

~ FTLT-WDAA-NMCTP-TWNEFP ~ For The Longest Time – We Didn’t Assign Any – Negative Monetary Costs To Pollution – There Was No Explicit Financial Penalty

~ T-GE-I-MAS ~ The – Gig Economy – Is – Mostly A Scam

~ TEIDW-I-WE-ITF-B-NAD-A-TPWO ~ The Economy Is Doing Well – If – We Essentially – Ignore The Future – Both – Near And Distant – And – The Path We’re On

~ T-I-AAF-A-NN ~ Technology – Is – Always A Force – And – Never Neutral

~ EJTR-HJ-A-IHE-JTWMNDCB-DBM-WSBVT-AI ~ Even Jobs That Require – Human Judgement – And – Interpreting Human Emotion – Jobs That We Might Not Dream Could Be – Done By Machines – Will Soon Become Vulnerable To – Artificial Intelligence

~ C-C-A-P-W-SNNWTMW-AFTCTMT-RAP ~ Currently – Corporate – And – Political – Winners – See No Need Whatsoever To Mess With – A Formula That Continues To Make Them – Rich And Powerful

~ D-G-W’-II-U-AU-A-AOI-IIUTMUI-I/I/S-S/S/D/A/C-W-AP ~ Data – Gets – “Weaponized” – It Is – Used – Against Us – And – Against Our Interests – It Is Used To Make Us Into – Impulsive / Impressionable / Status-Seeking / Silly / Distracted / Acquisitive / Consuming – Web-Addicted People

~ D-IUT-M/C/D-B-OM-A-OB ~ Data – Is Used To – Modify / Change / Direct – Both – Our Moods – And – Our Behavior

~ EANETL-C-KT-T-DS-HB-H/B/HFR/C ~ Enterprises Are Not Eager To Let – Customers – Know That – Their – Digital Systems – Have Been – Hacked / Breached / Held For Ransom / Compromised

~ N-D-C-CTTW-T-H ~ Now – Digital – Computerized – Connected To The Web – Therefore – Hackable

~ MAM-WBR-AC-‘L’-HTDTJ ~ More And More – Will Be Replaced – As Computers – “Learn” – How To Do Their Jobs

~ WAP ~ Without Anyone’s Permission

~ WI-DAU-T-ITEO-TI-A-IRI-E/M/H/W ~ What Is – Different And Unprecedented – Today – Is The Existence Of – The Internet – And – Its Role In – Enlarging / Magnifying / Hardening / Weaponizing

~ WAB-L-T.D-M-E/R-A-MEDBMTSRLOOA ~ We Are Becoming – Less – Tolerant / Discerning – More – Emotional / Reactive – And – More Easily Distracted By Matters That Should Receive Less Of Our Attention

~ PTTEOTI-IWFMDF-P-W-BOA-V-T-FEO-T-STP-A-T-BITN ~ Prior To The Existence Of The Internet – It Was Far More Difficult For – People – With – Bizarre Or Antisocial – Views – To – Find Each Other – To – Sell Their Propaganda – And – To – Be In The News

~ TROTIIC-E/S/TDAAA/TGU/TL/TT-P-W-FALVORAF-A-NTEOS-O-D-O-OVT-TO-TEC-O-T-TIOO-WAACOU-TA ~ The Role Of The Internet In Connecting – Extremists / Sociopaths / The Dangerously Angry And Alienated / The Grossly Uneducated / The Lost / The Traumatized – People – Who – For A Large Variety Of Reasons And Forces – Are – Near The Edge Of Sanity – Or – Desperate – Or – Otherwise Vulnerable To – Their Own – Throbbing Emotional Condition – Or – To – The Influence Of Others – Who Are Also – Consciously Or Unconsciously – Thrashing About

~ HWU-HCT-TOT-A-TEOE ~ Heavy Web Users – Have Come To – Think Of Themselves – As – The Equal Of Experts

~ T-I-O-SMAC-C-VAP-O-YP-MT-A-MIHFTTD-A-HS-A-WC-O-A-BP-T-C/A/C/M-A-E-TLDOO-MS-YP-ABE-TTOTLA-‘B’ ~ The – Interwovenness – Of – Social Media And Commercialization – Changes – Values And Perspectives – Of – Young People – Manipulates Them – And – Makes It Much Harder For Them To Develop – A – Healthily Skeptical – And – Wise Critique – Of – And – Balanced Posture – Toward – Commercialization / Advertising / Consumption / Materialism – And – Even – The Larger Design Of Our – Market System – Young People – Are Being Encouraged – To Think Of Themselves Literally As –”Brands”

~ AJIT-GE-T/I/WB/UU ~ A Job In The – Gig Economy – Temporary / Insecure / Without Benefits / Ultimately Unsustainable

~ OC-F-P-F-A-CAU-A-F-CAE-A-BR ~ Our Capacities – For – Patience – For – Accepting – Complexity And Uncertainty – And – For – Cooperation And Empathy – Are – Being Reduced

~ WL-QT-IOL-WAL-T-CAA-F-DAC-RAI ~ With Less – Quiet Time – In Our Lives – We Are Losing – The – Capacity And Affinity – For – Deep And Critical – Reflection And Introspection

~ WW-I-TP-TB-S-W-F/F/S-I ~ WebWorld – Is – Training People – To Be – Satisfied – With – Fast / Fragmented / Superficial

~ WHE-‘C’-A-ASNOC-AT-AAOC ~ We Have Elevated – “Convenience” – And – A Simple-Minded Notion Of Convenience – At That – Above All Other Considerations

~ ITLTP-F-40Y-STR-STCW-A-F-S/P/A/I-TIWYG ~ If You Lie To People – For – 40 Years – Screw Them Royally – Steal The Country’s Wealth – And – Feed – Suspicion / Paranoia / Anxiety / Ignorance – This Is What You Get

~ MO-HWHTO-T-E/T/D-R-TAT-MC-BTSOOW ~ Media Outlets – Have Worked Hard To Obscure – The – Economic / Technological / Deregulatory – Realities – That Are The – Main Culprits – Behind The Struggles Of Ordinary Workers

~ OI-OC-O-APS-CF-SWEO-WWBATA-T-M-IAT-P-WH ~ Only If – Ordinary Citizens – Of – All Political Stripes – Can Find – Solidarity With Each Other – Will We Be Able To Address – The – Most – Important And Threatening – Problems – We Have

~ WLBN-A-WS-IAC-WCCD ~ We Live By Narratives – And – We Seek – Integration And Coherence – We Can Connect Dots

~ WW-SU-AF-CAD-F-II-HW-A-S-B-T-ASS-T-CATAOS ~ WebWorld – Seduces Us – Away From – Confusing And Difficult – Fare – It Is – Hard Work – And – Sometimes – Boring – To – Adequately Study Something – To – Consider All The Aspects Of Something

~ T-EQOE-AA-IT-I ~ The – Essential Quality Of Ecosystems – Above All – Is Their – Interconnectedness

~ RS-A-S-CDS-MM-HOR ~ Rising Seas – And – Salt-Contaminated Drinking Supplies – Massive Migrations – Hordes Of Refugees

~ F-OE-TS-A-OE-ES-HNR-TT-MPR-OT-P/B/C-W ~ Fundamentally – Our Entire – Technological System – And – Our Entire – Economic System – Have No Relationship – To The – Most Primary Realities – Of The – Physical / Biological / Chemical – World

~ TF-WHMR-F-PTB-EM-D/F/E-~ The Future – Will Hold Many Reasons – For – People To Become – Even More – Depressed / Fearful / Emotional

~ IA-FAD-W-FAE-WCTDTRTP-E-WBT-P-S-B ~ In A – Frightening And Deteriorating World – Fear And Emotions – Will Come To Dominate The Responses That People – Everywhere – Will Bring To – Planetary-Scale-Breakdowns

~ WIMC-I-TTIOATPOTP-WQONRWU-HM-PAW-WG-A-TDTWWU-I-BAC-OT-B ~ What Is Most Critical – Is – The Total Impact Of All The People On The Planet – What Quantity Of Natural Resources We Use – How Much – Pollution And Waste– We Generate – And – The Degree To Which We Upset – Important – Balances And Cycles – Of The – Biosphere

~ V-NB-I-B-B-G/A/D ~ Victimized – Not By – Immigrants – But – By – Globalization / Automation / Deregulation

~ HNOP-W-B-FTF-SC-A-ED ~ Huge Numbers Of People – Will – Be – Forced To Flee – Societal Collapse – And – Ecological Devastation

~ OESNTBMS ~ Our Economic System Needs To Be Made Sustainable

~ TI-A-M-NOWTGF-A-NOWTH ~ This Is – A – Message – No One Wants To Give – And – No One Wants To Hear

BRIAN WATSON ~ CAPITALISM ~ HEADED INTO THE ABYSS ~ 2019 ~ 231

~ II-S-A-D-FPTSAT-TCIFOU-I-E-COS-OOTO-TTWFIMM-NAC-TT-IRUTE-WAW-C-I-P-O-D-AT-RI-IA-IAS-‘S’-A-I-SA-CHU-TWSCT ~ It Is – Silly – And – Dishonest – For People To Speak As Though – The Choice In Front Of Us – Is – Either – Capitalism Or Socialism – One Or The Other – The Task We Face Is Much More – Nuanced And Complicated – Than That – It Requires Us To Examine – Where And Why – Capitalism – Is – Performing – Poorly – Or – Destructively – And Then – Readjust It – In Addition – If Adopting Some – “Socialistic” – Approaches – In – Specific Areas – Can Help Us – Then We Should Consider Them

~ T-M-I-S-O-P-O-C-HB-RC-OOC-FI-SD-F-ESP-A-FAM-O-B-OOP-P ~ Today – Many – Important – Segments – Or – Properties – Of – Capitalism – Have Become – Runaway Capitalism – Out Of Control – Frequently Irresponsible – Significancy Disconnected – From – Ecological Sustainability Principles – And – Fueled And Measured – Overwhelmingly – By – Only One Parameter – Profits

~ T-C-A-C-MR-S-S-A-CNF-W-HL-NL-A-WTAO-C-A-HMC-I-ATR-A-STG-ISOT-MFC-FI-OAP-IS-C-WAL-ISA-POO-C ~ Today’s – Capitalism – A – Cruder – More Rapacious – System – Shortchanges – And – Cares Not For – Workers – Has Little – National Loyalty – And – With The Aid Of – Computerization – And – Highly Mobile Capital – Is – Able To Roam – And – Straddle The Globe – In Search Of The – Most Favorable Conditions – For Its – Operation And Purposes – It Sharply – Creates – Winners And Losers – Inordinate Serves A – Plutocratic Or Oligarchic – Class

~ B-LC-ATL-A-IA-H-CSMP-CCBFFTT-CIOSOG ~ Because – Large Corporations – And – Their Lobbyists – And – Ideological Allies – Have – Captured So Many Politicians – Citizens Can Be Forgiven For Thinking That – Capitalism Is Our System Of Government

~ PT-MFP-W-CT-IINF-CG-WKT-O-F-S-E-CFS-A-C-W-L ~ Probably The – Most Fundamental Problem – With – Capitalism Today – Is Its Need For – Constant Growth – We Know Today – Our – Finite-Sized – Earth – Cannot Forever Support – A – Capitalism-Without-Limits

~ C-C-APD-I-ATTAOC ~ Currently – Capitalism – As Presently Designed – Is – A Threat To All Of Civilization

BRIAN WATSON ~ HEADED INTO THE ABYSS ~ 2019

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~ C-I-NGTSTLO-2100-PNE-20170-NALIAFTYWTE-MOUAT-TTW-AGTBPO-CAD ~ Civilization – Is – Not Going To See The Light Of – 2100 – Perhaps Not Even – 2070 – Not At Least In Any Form That You’d Want To Experience – Most Of Us Alive Today – Throughout The World – Are Going To Be Part Of – Collapse And Dissolution

~ WMCCAFD-TA-AA-POCMTWCITAMOOD-B-WWNDS ~ We Might Change Course Away From Disaster – There Are – After All – Plenty Of Constructive Measures That We Could Implement To Address Most Of Our Difficulties – But – We Will Not Do So

~ ASOMAT-TS-G-A-TAU ~ All Sorts Of Madnesses Abound Today – Throughout Societies – Globally – And – They Afflict Us

~ TW-H-C-A-H-I ~ Today’s World – Hyper-Connected – And – Hyper-Interdependent

~ MVTUTTAS-TT-O-T-ITB-FTOT-B-TANS-I-TA-C/O/I/H/D/S/L/I/E/R/U ~ Many Voices Tell Us That Things Are Simple – That This – Or – That – Is To Blame – For This Or That – But – Things Are Not Simple – Instead – They Are – Complicated / Overlapping / Interrelated / Historical / Dynamic / Simultaneous / Logical / Illogical / Emotional / Resolvable / Unresolvable

~ O-I-A-E-S-A-TCFTC-WBAMFIHTFU ~ Our – Imagination – And – Emotional – Selves – And – The Contest For Their Control – Will Be A Major Factor In How The Future Unfolds

~ OCADEEO-UP-A-BUBP-WA-S-F-D-A-BI ~ Ordinary Citizens Are Dividing Against Each Other – Using Politics – And – Being Used By Politics – We Are – Splintering – Fragmenting – Deteriorating – And – Becoming Impotent

~ FTLT-WDAA-NMCTP-TWNEFP ~ For The Longest Time – We Didn’t Assign Any – Negative Monetary Costs To Pollution – There Was No Explicit Financial Penalty

~ T-GE-I-MAS ~ The – Gig Economy – Is – Mostly A Scam

~ TEIDW-I-WE-ITF-B-NAD-A-TPWO ~ The Economy Is Doing Well – If – We Essentially – Ignore The Future – Both – Near And Distant – And – The Path We’re On

~T-I-AAF-A-NN ~ Technology – Is – Always A Force – And – Never Neutral

~ EJTR-HJ-A-IHE-JTWMNDCB-DBM-WSBVT-AI ~ Even Jobs That Require – Human Judgement – And – Interpreting Human Emotion – Jobs That We Might Not Dream Could Be – Done By Machines – Will Soon Become Vulnerable To – Artificial Intelligence

~ C-C-A-P-W-SNNWTMW-AFTCTMT-RAP ~ Currently – Corporate – And – Political – Winners – See No Need Whatsoever To Mess With – A Formula That Continues To Make Them – Rich And Powerful

~ D-G-W’-II-U-AU-A-AOI-IIUTMUI-I/I/S-S/S/D/A/C-W-AP ~ Data – Gets – “Weaponized” – It Is – Used – Against Us – And – Against Our Interests – It Is Used To Make Us Into – Impulsive / Impressionable / Status-Seeking / Silly / Distracted / Acquisitive / Consuming – Web-Addicted People

~ D-IUT-M/C/D-B-OM-A-OB ~ Data – Is Used To – Modify / Change / Direct – Both – Our Moods – And – Our Behavior

~EANETL-C-KT-T-DS-HB-H/B/HFR/C ~ Enterprises Are Not Eager To Let – Customers – Know That – Their – Digital Systems – Have Been – Hacked / Breached / Held For Ransom / Compromised

~ N-D-C-CTTW-T-H ~ Now – Digital – Computerized – Connected To The Web – Therefore – Hackable

~ MAM-WBR-AC-‘L’-HTDTJ ~ More And More – Will Be Replaced – As Computers – “Learn” – How To Do Their Jobs

~ WAP ~ Without Anyone’s Permission

~ WI-DAU-T-ITEO-TI-A-IRI-E/M/H/W ~ What Is – Different And Unprecedented – Today – Is The Existence Of – The Internet – And – Its Role In – Enlarging / Magnifying / Hardening / Weaponizing

~ WAB-L-T.D-M-E/R-A-MEDBMTSRLOOA ~ We Are Becoming – Less – Tolerant / Discerning – More – Emotional / Reactive – And – More Easily Distracted By Matters That Should Receive Less Of Our Attention

~ PTTEOTI-IWFMDF-P-W-BOA-V-T-FEO-T-STP-A-T-BITN ~ Prior To The Existence Of The Internet – It Was Far More Difficult For – People – With – Bizarre Or Antisocial – Views – To – Find Each Other – To – Sell Their Propaganda – And – To – Be In The News

~ TROTIIC-E/S/TDAAA/TGU/TL/TT-P-W-FALVORAF-A-NTEOS-O-D-O-OVT-TO-TEC-O-T-TIOO-WAACOU-TA ~ The Role Of The Internet In Connecting – Extremists / Sociopaths / The Dangerously Angry And Alienated / The Grossly Uneducated / The Lost / The Traumatized – People – Who – For A Large Variety Of Reasons And Forces – Are – Near The Edge Of Sanity – Or – Desperate – Or – Otherwise Vulnerable To – Their Own – Throbbing Emotional Condition – Or – To – The Influence Of Others – Who Are Also – Consciously Or Unconsciously – Thrashing About

~ HWU-HCT-TOT-A-TEOE ~ Heavy Web Users – Have Come To – Think Of Themselves – As – The Equal Of Experts

~ T-I-O-SMAC-C-VAP-O-YP-MT-A-MIHFTTD-A-HS-A-WC-O-A-BP-T-C/A/C/M-A-E-TLDOO-MS-YP-ABE-TTOTLA-‘B’ ~ The – Interwovenness – Of – Social Media And Commercialization – Changes – Values And Perspectives – Of – Young People – Manipulates Them – And – Makes It Much Harder For Them To Develop – A – Healthily Skeptical – And – Wise Critique – Of – And – Balanced Posture – Toward – Commercialization / Advertising / Consumption / Materialism – And – Even – The Larger Design Of Our – Market System – Young People – Are Being Encouraged – To Think Of Themselves Literally As –”Brands”

~ AJIT-GE-T/I/WB/UU ~ A Job In The – Gig Economy – Temporary / Insecure / Without Benefits / Ultimately Unsustainable

~ OC-F-P-F-A-CAU-A-F-CAE-A-BR ~ Our Capacities – For – Patience – For – Accepting – Complexity And Uncertainty – And – For – Cooperation And Empathy – Are – Being Reduced

~ WL-QT-IOL-WAL-T-CAA-F-DAC-RAI ~ With Less – Quiet Time – In Our Lives – We Are Losing – The – Capacity And Affinity – For – Deep And Critical – Reflection And Introspection

~ WW-I-TP-TB-S-W-F/F/S-I ~ WebWorld – Is – Training People – To Be – Satisfied – With – Fast / Fragmented / Superficial

~ WHE-‘C’-A-ASNOC-AT-AAOC ~ We Have Elevated – “Convenience” – And – A Simple-Minded Notion Of Convenience – At That – Above All Other Considerations

~ ITLTP-F-40Y-STR-STCW-A-F-S/P/A/I-TIWYG ~ If You Lie To People – For – 40 Years – Screw Them Royally – Steal The Country’s Wealth – And – Feed – Suspicion / Paranoia / Anxiety / Ignorance – This Is What You Get

~ MO-HWHTO-T-E/T/D-R-TAT-MC-BTSOOW ~ Media Outlets – Have Worked Hard To Obscure – The – Economic / Technological / Deregulatory – Realities – That Are The – Main Culprits – Behind The Struggles Of Ordinary Workers

~ OI-OC-O-APS-CF-SWEO-WWBATA-T-M-IAT-P-WH ~ Only If – Ordinary Citizens – Of – All Political Stripes – Can Find – Solidarity With Each Other – Will We Be Able To Address – The – Most – Important And Threatening – Problems – We Have

~ WLBN-A-WS-IAC-WCCD ~ We Live By Narratives – And – We Seek – Integration And Coherence – We Can Connect Dots

~ WW-SU-AF-CAD-F-II-HW-A-S-B-T-ASS-T-CATAOS ~ WebWorld – Seduces Us – Away From – Confusing And Difficult – Fare – It Is – Hard Work – And – Sometimes – Boring – To – Adequately Study Something – To – Consider All The Aspects Of Something

~ T-EQOE-AA-IT-I ~ The – Essential Quality Of Ecosystems – Above All – Is Their – Interconnectedness

~ RS-A-S-CDS-MM-HOR ~ Rising Seas – And – Salt-Contaminated Drinking Supplies – Massive Migrations – Hordes Of Refugees

~ F-OE-TS-A-OE-ES-HNR-TT-MPR-OT-P/B/C-W ~ Fundamentally – Our Entire – Technological System – And – Our Entire – Economic System – Have No Relationship – To The – Most Primary Realities – Of The – Physical / Biological / Chemical – World

~ TF-WHMR-F-PTB-EM-D/F/E-~ The Future – Will Hold Many Reasons – For – People To Become – Even More – Depressed / Fearful / Emotional

~ IA-FAD-W-FAE-WCTDTRTP-E-WBT-P-S-B ~ In A – Frightening And Deteriorating World – Fear And Emotions – Will Come To Dominate The Responses That People – Everywhere – Will Bring To – Planetary-Scale-Breakdowns

~ WIMC-I-TTIOATPOTP-WQONRWU-HM-PAW-WG-A-TDTWWU-I-BAC-OT-B ~ What Is Most Critical – Is – The Total Impact Of All The People On The Planet – What Quantity Of Natural Resources We Use – How Much – Pollution And Waste– We Generate – And – The Degree To Which We Upset – Important – Balances And Cycles – Of The – Biosphere

~ V-NB-I-B-B-G/A/D ~ Victimized – Not By – Immigrants – But – By – Globalization / Automation / Deregulation

~ HNOP-W-B-FTF-SC-A-ED ~ Huge Numbers Of People – Will – Be – Forced To Flee – Societal Collapse – And – Ecological Devastation

~ OESNTBMS ~ Our Economic System Needs To Be Made Sustainable

~ TI-A-M-NOWTGF-A-NOWTH ~ This Is – A – Message – No One Wants To Give – And – No One Wants To Hear

JOAN DONOVAN + EMILY DREYFUSS + BRIAN FRIEDBERG ~ MEDIA MANIPULATION ~ MEME WARS ~ 2022

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~ R:RSAN-PIO-CB-A-GTITTTBRII ~ REPETITION: Repeating Something Ad Nauseam – Plays Into Our – Cognitive Biases – And – Gives The Impression That The Thing Being Repeated Is Important

~ R:SAMP ~ REDUNDANCY: Shared Across Multiple Platforms

~ R:R-BCTIR ~ RESPONSIVENESS: Reactions – Brings Communities Together In Replies

~ R:CUATBA ~ REINFORCEMENT: Conferred Upon A Topic By Algorithms

JOAN DONOVAN + EMILY DREYFUSS + BRIAN FRIEDBERG ~ MEME WARS ~ 2022

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~ M-POM-T-R-F-DR ~ Meme – Piece Of Media – That – Resonated – For – Different Reasons

~ R/R/R-CASOM ~ Recontextualized / Remixed / Redistributed – Carrying All Sorts Of Meaning

~ M-SM-IA-I-G-STASA-IJ-TTA-I-T-POTO-Y-EWYA-PAA-TCA-POV-A-ATPOTS ~ Memes – Signify Membership – In An – In-Group – Sometimes They Are Such An – Inside Joke – That They Are – Inscrutable – To – People On The Outside – Yet – Even When They Are – Popular And Accessible – They Contain A – Point Of View – And – Announce The Positioning Of The Sharer

~ OHOALM-I-IATB-R/C-O-A-UAIC ~ One – Hallmark Of A Lasting Meme – Is – Its Ability To Be – Recontextualized / Co-Opted – And – Used Against Its Creators

~ TMW-HB-TS-EATL-RTLOTPWDEIT-T-MP-MW-NF-I-P-B-A-LO-FAI-B-I-I-CITBOOSTM-P ~ The – Meme Wars – Have Been – Tremendously Successful – Even As They Largely – Ruined The Lives Of The People Who Directly Engaged In Them – The – Most Powerful – Meme Warriors – Now Face – Indictment – Prison – Bankruptcy – And – Loss Of – Family And Identity – But – Their – Ideas – Carried Into The Bloodstream Of Our Society Through Memes – Persist

~ MW-A-CW-CAI-BOT-IAI-OT-I-W-T-OAE-A-C-R-SAS-A-FTEOTW-IA-N-ES-O-IAW-A-M-COS-P/KU ~ Meme Wars – Are – Culture Wars – Accelerated And Intensified – Because Of The – Infrastructure And Incentives – Of The – Internet – Which – Trades – Outrage And Extremity – As – Currency – Rewards – Speed And Scale – And – Flattens The Experience Of The World– Into A – Never-Ending Scroll – Of – Images And Words – A – Morass – Capable Of Swallowing – Patience / Kindness / Understanding

~ S-YDNARS-TGYITMOP-YJNT-FOTDO-A ~ Suddenly – You Didn’t Need A Radio Show – To Get Your Idea To Millions Of People – You Just Needed To – Figure Out The Desires Of – Algorithm

~ MW-UTIY-CTN-Y-CE ~ Meme Warlords – Understand That If You – Control The Narrative – You – Control Everything

~ WT-COTI-C-INSTCB-MME-H ~ With The – Connectivity Of The Internet – Culture – Is Now Something That Can Be – Much More Easily – Hacked

~ SIFI ~ Spreading Intentionally False Information

~ AEC-I-N-A-T ~ Algorithmic Echo Chambers – Individual – News – And – Timelines

~ PP-E-ITBE-O-ET ~ Political Polarization – Embedded – Into The Back End – Of – Every Tool

~ ASPFH ~ A Safe Space For Hate

~ ESA-L-D-C-OT-I-CC-R-WC-IIHEEBI ~ Even A – Lose – Distributed – Coalition – On The – Internet – Could Cause – Real-World Chaos – If It Had Enough Energy Behind It

~CW ~ Cringe Watching

~ MM-A-J-T-WQAJ ~ Meme Magic – A – Joke – That – Wasn’t Quite A Joke

~ TIO-MM-BIOM ~ The Idea Of – Meme Magic – Became Its Own Meme

~ T-POTC-II-SE-B-II-COS-F-WESTS ~ The – Power Of The Crowd – Isn’t In – Surfacing Evidence – But – In Its – Chorus Of Support – For – Whatever Explanation Seems To Stick

~ WYF-HTAO-PD-WEAFO-OAP ~ Whatever You Find – Has The Aura Of – Personal Discovery – Which Engenders A Feeling Of – Ownership And Pride

~ M-FAT-SG-FC-BTTIACL-W-SIJ-A-SE ~ Memes – Function As The – Social Glue – For Communities – Binding Them Together In A Common Language – With – Shared In-Jokes – And – Sworn Enemies

~ SM-INLA-ET-IWTPOF-SC-B-GVTSG;IHIB-ATOTP-UT-D/H/C-VG ~ Social Media– Is No Loner An – Emerging Technology – Imbued With The Possibility Of Fostering – Social Change – By – Giving Voice To Small Groups; It Has Instead Become – A Tool Of The Powerful – Used To – Dominate / Harass / Coerce – Vulnerable Groups

DAVID GRAEBER ~ CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL CAPITALISM ~ THE DEMOCRACY PROJECT ~ 2013

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~ CGC ~ Contemporary Global Capitalism

~ CGC-DB-S/CT/GC ~ Contemporary Global Capitalism – Dominated By – Speculators / Currency Traders / Government Contractors

~ GC-WSFSNATPBC-POT-FG-OTTTKTPFT-HPOOPI-EUGTFT-PS-T-HF-A-E-P-IF-T-ES-O-CP-DOT ~ Government Contractors – Why Such Firms Should Not At This Point Be Considered – Part Of The – Federal Government – Other Than That They Keep Their Profits For Themselves – Huge Proportions Of Ordinary People’s Incomes – End Up Going To Feed This – Predatory System – Through – Hidden Fees – And – Especially – Penalties – In Fact – The – Entire System – Is Now Geared Toward Ensuring We Make Such Mistakes – Since – The – Entire System – Of – Corporate Profits – Depends On Them

~HMOA POTAIEU-FOT-T-FSI-?-TIITYS-S-FAAOJAEE ~ How Much Of A Proportion Of The Average Income Ends Up – Funnelled Off To – The – Financial Service Industry – ? – Figures Are Available On Just About Everything Else

~ T-D-OT-FI-FU ~ The – Depredations – Of The – Financial Industry – Fall Unevenly

DAVID GRAEBER ~ THE DEMOCRACY PROJECT ~ 2013

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~ PO-TV-P-S-MC-O-PP ~ Performances Of – TV – Pundits – Sado-Masochistic Celebrations – Of – Popular Powerlessness

~ MPAA-TTVMO-WS-P-ANLF-TFOIOC-BF-SS-A-TCO-CFI-EMT-WWIEBSSIE ~ Most People Are Aware – That The Vast Majority Of – Wall Street – Profits – Are No Longer From – The Fruits Of Industry Or Commerce – But From – Sheer Speculation – And – The Creation Of – Complex Financial Instruments – Elaborate Magic Tricks – Whisking Wealth Into Existence By Simply Saying It Exists

~ W-FHRM-I-CB-G-A-FI-TET-ALALPOC-F-DAD-ID ~ What – Financialization Has Really Meant – Is – Collusion Between – Government – And – Financial Institutions – To Ensure That – A Larger And Larger Proportion Of Citizens – Fall – Deeper And Deeper – In Debt

~ WA-T-RM-DA-E-TOI-I-TBS ~ When A – True – Revolutionary Movement – Does Arise – Everyone – The Organizers Included – Is – Taken By Surprise

~ TOOI-HH-TAH-TSWCTH ~ Transformative Outbreaks Of Imagination – Have Happened – They Are Happening – They Surely Will Continue To Happen

~ OTPOAWOAIPTFTYNQSWITTS ~ Often The Power Of A Work Of Art Is Precisely The Fact That You’re Not Quite Sure What It’s Trying To Say

~ PP:TITT-OF-TAAGT-SE-TKOSIWTC ~ Prefigurative Politics: The Idea That The – Organizational Form – That An Activist Group Takes – Should Embody – The Kind Of Society It Wishes To Create

~ TT-IW-T-TW-BHB-FC-A-DAP-TT-TCHCH ~ This Time – It Wasn’t – The – Third World – Being Hit By – Financial Crises – And – Devastating Austerity Plans – This Time – The Crisis Had Come Home

~ AAC-I-WPUD-WTDWT-TARA ~ Appointing A Committee – Is – What Politicians Usually Do – When They Don’t Want To – Take Any Real Action

~ T-1%-W-TO-CTR-FHT-PS-W-A-HTIIOBO-LB ~ The – 1 Percent – Were – The Ones – Creating The Rules – For How The – Political System – Works – And – Had Turned It Into One Based On – Legalized Bribery

~ YAWTBATGHS-YDSTNOHEDB ~ You Always Want To Be Able To Go Home Saying – You’ve Done Something That No One Has Ever Done Before

~ VW ~ Vibes Watcher

~ WDWFDR? ~ What Did We Finally Do Right?

~ WDIW? ~ Why Did It Work?

~ WFBA-BO-NI-‘FOO’-WNHTRT-P-PB-T-DT-SQ ~ When Faced By A – Band Of – Nonviolent Idealists – “Forces Of Order” – Will Not Hesitate To Resort To – Pure – Physical Brutality – To – Defend The – Status Quo

~ LC-D-TAO-PSTE-A-AT ~ Local Courts – Declared – The Application Of – Pepper Spray To Eyeballs – An – Acceptable Tactic

~ AT-BOLAAD-I-TB-TAIOAL ~ And To – Begin One’s Life As A Debtor – Is – To Be – Treated As If One Already Lost

~ DINOH-B-D ~ Debt Is Not Only Hardship – But – Degradation

~ ILL-WS-SO-C-A-SS-WGTHTBRS ~ It Looked Like – Wall Street – Spending On – Cocaine – And – Sexual Services – Was Going To Have To Be Retrenched Somewhat

~ TOWSC-PHL-WT-WFTSFOTVPWHLHTM-A-WB-HF-TD-HJBO ~ The Only Way She Could – Pay Her Loans – Was To – Work Fulfilling The Sexual Fantasies Of The Very People Who Had Loaned Her The Money – And – Whose Banks – Her Family’s – Tax Dollars – Had Just Bailed Out

~ D-A-A-SF-TPATTR-A-W-T-FC-CFTPBTR-DTWETFS-GR-B-PAM-GI-A-AAR-WEGP-A-BTWEGHTB-W-T-A-RTALO-APH ~ Debt – And – A – Stolen Future – They Played According To The Rules – And – Watched – The – Financial Class – Completely Fail To Play By The Rules – Destroy The World Economy Through Fraudulent Speculation – Get Rescued – By – Prompt And Massive – Government Intervention – And – As A Result – Wield Even Greater Power – And – Be Treated With Even Greater Honor Than Before – While – They – Are – Relegated To A Life Of – Apparently Permanent Humiliation

~ IIC ~ Infrastructure Is Crumbling

~ B-R-‘CL’ ~ Bribery – Renamed –”Corporate Lobbying”

~ LB-IMC-PNFTAA ~ Largest Banks – In Many Cases – Paying No Federal Taxes At All

~ C-T-TVP-W-VTBTO ~ Cash – To – The Very Politicians – Who – Voted To Bail Then Out

~ AGOYP-HERTF-TDEWTWSTO-ATTR-A-GWTN ~ A Generation Of Young People – Has Every Reason To Feel – They’d Done Exactly What They Were Supposed To Do – According To The Rulebook – And – Got Worse Than Nothing

~ LMTAESOE-UBUBTPO-C/P/P-A-TGWTGTC-TPTCM ~ Little More Than An Elaborate System Of Extraction – Ultimately Backed Up By The Power Of – Courts / Prison / Police – And – The Government’s Willingness To Grant To Corporations – The Power To Create Money

~ E-SA-IP-B-GST-‘F’-P-WT-EV-IT-BS-WTMIP-I-E-CTBB-MAM-O-SE-‘S’ ~ Empires – Start As – Industrial Powers – But – Gradually Shift To – “Financial” – Powers – With The – Economic Vitality – In The – Banking Sector – What This Means In Practice – Is – Empires – Come To Be Based – More And More – On – Sheer Extortion – “Seigniorage”

~ CGD – WD ~ Circulating Government Debt – War Debt

~ ‘MC’ ~ “Mafia Capitalism”

~ TFT-MP-OATT-TW-DA-FC-AA-SN-BOE-T-SSS-REMWTTR-1%-A-OTETEMPBT-FSI-IN-BAAH-TRT-TCCH-IT-HBAWO-DI ~ The Formula The – Major Powers – Once Applied To The – Third World – Declare A – Financial Crisis – Appoint A – Supposedly Neutral – Board Of Economist – To – Slash Social Services – Reallocate Even More Wealth To The Richest – 1 Percent – And – Open The Economy To Even More Pillaging By The – Financial Services Industry – Is Now – Being Applied At Home – The Response To – The Crisis Coming Home – In Turn – Has Been A Wave Of – Democratic Insurrections

~ A-RR-MAOATLO-CS ~ A – Real Revolution – Must Always Operate At The Level Of – Common Sense

~ BI-MIP-B-DOMBSOR-T-CI-IT-T-CE ~ Buying Influence – Money Is Power – Bribery – Defines Our Most Basic Sense Of Reality – To – Challenge It – Is Therefore – To – Challenge Everything

~ YKYAITPOA-CPS-WTWDI-CCTBTPN-E-A-CW-PEAO-PD ~ You Know You Are In The Presence Of A – Corrupt Political System – When – Those Who Defend It – Cannot Call Things By Their Proper Names – Euphemisms – And – Code Words – Pervade Every Aspect Of – Public Debate

~ OTWAT-W-GPM-SATIT-P-WRTA-‘B’-A-IW-I-N-SB-HBR-‘F-R’-A-B-I-‘L’ ~ Once There Was A Time – When – Giving Politicians Money – So As To Influence Their – Position – Was Referred To As –”Bribery” – And – It Was – Illegal – Now – Soliciting Bribes – Has Been Relabeled – “Fund-Raising”– And – Bribery – Itself –”Lobbying”

~ J-F-PPP ~ Justifications – For – Preconceived Political Positions

~ EETCUWS-SRF-DWWHADTD ~ Economists Exist To Come Up With Scientific-Sounding Reasons For – Doing What We Have Already Decided To Do

~ M-O-IA ~ Manufacture – Of – Intellectual Authority

~ CTTAAML ~ Cynicism Taken To An Almost Mystical Level

~ A-ES-BO-TMO-G-A-FI-W-MITIP-WITUT-MMM ~ An – Economic System – Based On – The Marriage Of – Government – And – Financial Interest – Where – Money Is Transformed Into Power – Which Is Then Used To – Make More Money

~ HHST-VIO-W/S/DP/WL-COE-IBUB-A/P/P ~ History Has Shown That – Vast Inequalities Of – Wealth / Slavery / Debt Peonage / Wage Labor – Can Only Exist – If Backed Up By – Armies / Prisons / Police

~ WRDCAF-WRAWTD-IAB-T-SOP-STST-RTDS ~ When Regimes Do Crumble And Fall – When Revolutionaries Actually Win The Day – It’s Always Because – The – Soldiers Or Police – Sent To Shoot Them – Refused To Do So

~ WT-N-FMI-HFIAAAA-ROB-IH-IF-BRF-TFASTHOOAPS ~ While The – New – Free Market Ideology – Has Framed Itself Above All As A – Rejection Of Bureaucracy – It Has – In Fact – Been Responsible For – The First Administrative System That Has Operated On A Planetary Scale

~ AFIM-OD-V-I-BAP-TIWHIHAB-TPTOTS ~ Aside From Its More – Obvious Disadvantages – Violence – Is – Boring And Predictable – This Is Why Historically It Has Always Been – The Preferred Tactic Of The Stupid

ROB BROTHERTON ~ SUSPICIOUS MINDS ~ 2015

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~ O-UOTW-IS-IA-I-TIA-IJ-MS-IOB ~ Our – Understanding Of The World – In Short – Is An – Illusion – This Is An – Inside Job – More Specifically – It’s Our Brain

~ TACTFE ~ There’s A Conspiracy Theory For Everything

~ TRHRD ~ The Rabbit Hole Runs Deep

~ TAM-CT-OT-TYME-CA-YKS-CA-YAO ~ There Are More – Conspiracy Theorists – Out There – Than You Might Expect – Chances Are – You Know Some – Chances Are – You Are One

~ CT ~ Conspiracy Thinking

~ WANATBJOWWBWWB ~ We Are Not Always The Best Judge Of Why We Believe What We Believe

~ WHS-OAC-ATB-A-ITE-DAC-WTH-WMTT-COB-O-SITI-ATOSOO ~ We Habitually Seek – Order And Consistency – And – To Be – Ambivalent – Is To Experience – Disorder And Conflict – When That Happens – We Might Try To – Change Our Beliefs – Or – Simply Ignore The Issue – Ambivalence Threatens Our Sense Of Order

~ TB-ASOAGO-BTS-OOCA-A-EBOC-WIOTB-PM-IFCOOMF ~ The Brain – All Sorts Of Activity Goes On – Behind The Scenes – Outside Our Conscious Awareness – And – Entirely Beyond Our Control – We Imagine Ourselves To Be – Puppet Masters – In Full Control Of Our Mental Faculties

~ CT-RWSOOB-B-I-BAS-A-TISOOD-D/FA-A-TW-A-TPII-WAA-N-B-CT ~ Conspiracy Theories – Resonate With Some Of Our Brain’s – Built-In – Biases And Shortcuts – And – Tap Into Some Of Our Deepest – Desires / Fears / Assumptions – About – The World – And – The People In It – We Are All – Natural-Born – Conspiracy Theorists

~ TP-WN-C-WTG-B-I ~ The Problem – Was Not – Conspiracy – Within The Government – But – Incompetence

~ RI-TTRMLAF-TP-A-TM-TD-CT Real Issues – Tend To Receive Much Less Attention From – The Public – And – The Media– Than Do – Conspiracy Theories

~ R-I-S-SOG ~ Reality – Is – Shades Of Grey

~ B-MS-O-IC-CTDAF-R-A-PRI-YCWWYFACTDE ~ By – Making Scapegoats – Of – Imagined Conspirators – Conspiracy Theories Distract Attention From – Real – And – Potentially Rectifiable Issues – You Can’t Win When You’re Fighting A Conspiracy That Doesn’t Exist

~ WTTOTB-TON-CT-DD-A-UQ ~ Whether They Turn Out To Be – True Or Not –Conspiracy Theories – Deep Down – Are – Unanswered Questions

~ TAVWSTHSOOTPOACB ~ These Are Villains Who Seem To Have Stepped Out Of The Pages Of A Comic Book

~ TWAT-CT-IOO-HS-A-MA-WAUA-EI ~ The World According To – Conspiracy Theories – Is One Of – High Stakes – And – Moral Absolutes – We Are Up Against – Evil Incarnate

~ YCF-AE-IYLFT ~ You Can Find – Anomalies Everywhere – If You Look For Them

~ WICT-CT-LOE-JM-TCIW ~ When It Comes To – Conspiracy Theories – Lack Of Evidence – Just Means – The Conspiracy Is Working

~ ATRACT-IL-NJTAW ~ Attempting To Refute A Conspiracy Theory – Is Like – Nailing Jelly To A Wall

~ SADD/PFDATSE/UMP-RDTP ~ Sometimes: Appearances Do Deceive / Powerful Forces Do Attempt To Suppress Evidence / Unimaginably Malicious Plots – Really Do Take Place

~ FO-AH-UI ~ Founded On – Anomaly Hunting – Ultimately Irrefutable

~ WAMO-SUE-T-IA-SRT ~ Weaving A Multitude Of – Seemingly Unrelated Events – Together – Into A – Single Rich Tapestry

~ TLSWL-P-AIG-A-TLCOTOCTFTH-TMLTATACT ~ The Less Satisfied With Life – People – Are In General – And – The Less Control Over Their Own Circumstances They Feel They Have – The More Likely They Are To Accept Conspiracy Theories

~ BT-SSIIC-EITDHYBIAH-IPTTTTCOULIDBNMTC-U-FR-IE-CPB-T/M/U ~ Believing That – Someone Somewhere Is In Control – Even If They Don’t Have Your Best Interest At Heart – Is Preferable To Thinking That The Course Of Our Life Is Dictated By Nothing More Than Chance – Unlike – Faceless Randomness – Identifiable Enemies – Can Potentially Be – Thwarted / Managed / Understood

~ TTOSOC-SOBIA-WB-H-W-EOTSOS ~ Threats To Our – Sense Of Control – Spur Our Brain Into Action – We Become – Hypervigilant – We – Err On The Side Of Suspicion

~ WAGA-LP-FTTT-EWWH-LCOOC-OC-SPEIMTO-A-SWGR ~ We All Get A – Little Paranoid – From Time To Time – Especially When We Have – Little Control Over Our Circumstances – Of Course – Some People Experience It More Than Others – And – Sometimes With Good Reason

~ TIFTBH-CC/STS/U-LK-ASP~ There Is Fun To Be Had – Cracking Codes / Sifting Through Signs / Lost Knowledge / Secret Plots

~ WMTW-USID-B-WICTTPOMWOMI-IOTO-OULALTBD ~ We Might Think We – Understand Something In Depth – But – When It Comes Time To Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is – It Often Turns Out – Our Understanding Leaves A Lot To Be Desired

~ WHA-BS-WICTO-IBS ~ We Have A – Blind Spot – When It Comes To Our – Intellectual Blind Spots

~ A-L-I-EWII-BI-CMU-IO ~ A – Little – Information – Even When It Is – Barely Informative – Can Make Us – Inordinately Opinionated

~ A-CT-POA-O-GOE ~ All – Conspiracy Thinking – Plays On Archetypes – Of – Good Overcoming Evil

~ ELAW ~ Everybody Loves A Winner

~ BIRG ~ Basking In Reflected Glory

~ T-BCT-HATTOA-CUS-TEIF-LEV-H-TCHOFWLIOTSCB-ETL-TEBP ~ The – Best Conspiracy Theories – Have All The Trappings Of A – Classic Underdog Story – The Enemy Is Formidable – Like Every Villain – However – The Conspiracy Has One Fatal Weakness: If Only Their Schemes Can Be – Exposed To The Light – The Enemy Becomes Powerless

~ As A – Social Species – Our Very Survival – Depends On Cooperating With Others Without Being Taken Advantage Of – And – So – Natural Selection – Made Sure We Are Keenly Attuned To Other People’s Scruples

~ RIC-E-ARMB-PS-A-V-ANA-EI-V-IOTRO-MP-A-EH ~ Reality Is Complicated – Evildoers – Are Rarely Motivated By – Pure Sadism – And – Victims – Are Not Always – Entirely Innocent – Violence – Is Often The Result Of – Mutual Provocation – And – Escalating Hostility

~ A-B-A-W-W-PAPCFCT ~ A – Black-And-White – Worldview – Provides A – Perfect Canvas – For – Conspiracy Thinking

~ C-IATDF-EPD-IIM-I-A-SON ~ Conspiracism – Isn’t All That Different From – Everyday Political Discourse – It Is Merely – Intensified – And – Stripped Of Nuance

~ The – Best Conspiracy Theories – Are – Stories About – Manically Evil Villains – With – The Vaguest Of Motives – Wantonly Perpetrating Outrageous Evils – On – An – Innocent Unsuspecting Public

~ CT-A-AEI-CD ~ Conspiracy Theories – Are – An Exercise In – Connecting Dots

~ OALTU-I-AB-PT-SC-A-IC-FTMP-O-H-T-PAC-SUW-WACLHTWAUW ~ Our Ancestors’ Legacy To Us – Is – A Brain – Programmed To – See Coincidence – And – Infer Cause – For The Most Part – Our – Hypersensitivity – To – Patterns And Causes – Serves Us Well – We Are Constantly Learning How The World Around Us Works

~ B-WL0T-LOF-GITWOA-GS-? ~ B-WL-T-LOF-GITWOA-GS-?~ But – Why Let – The – Lack Of Facts – Get In The Way Of A – Good Story – ?

~ PP-EC-F-EC-A-MA-F-LC ~ People Prefer – Extreme Causes – For – Extreme Crimes – And – Mundane Attributions – For – Lesser Crimes

~ TAFGC-YSTTSAWDTAC-A-TUAWTWOALG ~ There’s A – Far Greater Chance – You’ll Suspect That The Successful Assassination Was Down To A Conspiracy – And – The Unsuccessful Attempt Was The Work Of A Lone Gunman

~ TP-CLAPTS-SOF-A-CT-RDC ~ Two People – Can Look At Precisely The Same – Set Of Facts – And – Come To – Radically Different Conclusions

~ OWHA-HAS-WH-ADRTTPOR ~ Once We Have A – Hunch About Something – We Have – A Deeply Rooted Tendency To Prove Ourselves Right

~ WSWWETF ~ WSWWETF ~ We Seek What We Expect To Find

~ WB-AFOPI-AOB-A-WRSO-OE-POTW ~ We Build – A Fortress Of Positive Information – Around Our Beliefs – And – We Rarely Step Outside – Or Even – Peek Out The Window

~ EW-TFAI-SP-W-FAWTCT-A-IYLT-RAAIF-NBA-CT ~ Even When – The Facts Are Incontrovertible – Some People – Will – Find A Way To Controvert Them – And – If You’re Looking To – Rationalize Away An Inconvenient Fact – Nothing Beats A – Conspiracy Theory

~ CT-IAPO-PQ-TA-BIEB-IOPI ~ Conspiracy Thinking – Is A Product Of – Psychological Quirks – That Are – Built Into Everyone’s Brain – Independent Of Political Ideology

~ OBCF-WMURFTAWGA ~ Our Beliefs Come First – We Make Up Reasons For Them As We Go Along

~ BS-O-HATMI-DNMULST-FB-S-IJMUBAT-EA-UF ~ Being Smarter – Or – Having Access To –

More Information – Doesn’t’ Necessarily Make Us Less Susceptible To – Faulty Beliefs – Sometimes – It Just Makes Us Better Able To – Explain Away – Unpalatable Facts

~ SPIP ~ Sometimes Paranoia Is Prudent

ROB BROTHERTON ~ WHY WE FALL FOR FAKE NEWS ~ 2020

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~ PHBCT-NI-FS-FN-FBALATHBA-NI ~ People Have Been Criticizing The – News Industry – For Spreading – Fake News – For Basically As Long As There Has Been A – News Industry

~ WTTTO-OP-A-LR-A-MC-T-O ~ We Tend To Think Of – Other People – As – Less Rational – And – More Conformist – Than – Ourselves

~ TMDPAFU-TMWTTTOTA-VTI ~ The More Different People Are From Us – The More We Tend To Think Of Them As – Vulnerable To Influence

~ INTWW-TWTBE-B-IWBE-WI?-A-IYWTNR-YCBFF-TTWIE-ICSL-OESO-D-FB-T-FB-A ~ It’s Not That We Want – The World To Be Ending – But – It Would Be Exciting – Wouldn’t It? – And – If You Watch The News Regularly – You Could Be Forgiven For – Thinking The World Is Ending – It Can Seem Like – One Endless Stream Of – Disaster – Followed By – Tragedy – Followed By – Atrocity

~ DT-TAE-O-TN-PIPF-DAG-IBNA-W-WG ~ Decrying The – Tropes And Excesses – Of – The News – Particularly Its Proclivity For – Doom And Gloom – Is By Now A – Well-Worn Genre

~ IIB-IL ~ If It Bleeds – It Leads

~ OPF-O-ID-CTOEIOAP ~ One Personality Flaw – Or – Ignoble Deed – Can Taint Our Entire Impression Of A Person

~ A – Bad Reputation – Is – Easy To Acquire – And – Hard To Shake – Whereas – A – Good Reputation – Is – Hard-Won – And – Easily Lost

~ TTTO-DNMYH-B-TOL-MUAL ~ Telling The Truth Once – Does Not Make You Honest – But – Telling One Lie – Makes You A Liar

~ T-BE-TBU-B-SS-A-MS-TTSOIOM-MT-GE ~ The – Bad Events – That Befall Us – Both – Small Slights – And – Major Setbacks – Tend To Stand Out In Our Minds – More Than – Good Events

~ IAFS-BT-GOAMT-GT-WR-BE-MT-G-A-WLB-W-P-F-WR-T-W-R-F-CR ~ In A Fundamental Sense – Bad Things – Grab Our Attention More Than – Good Things – We Remember – Bad Experiences – More Than – Good – And – We Learn Better – When – Punished – For – Wrong Responses – Than – When – Rewarded – For – Correct Responses

~ DOFPTTTMOI-IOT-BN-TWWT-RAS ~ Despite Our Frequent Protestations That There’s Too Much Of It – It’s Often The – Bad News – That We Want To – Read And Share

~ ‘BN’-I-T-CP-O-ET ~ “Breaking News” – Is – The – Current Pinnacle – Of – Expected Timeliness

~ PCR-A-SPOI-AAT ~ People Can Remember – Around – Seven Pieces Of Information – At A Time

~ WPH-TMC-TRS-TM-OWC ~ When People Have – Too Many Choices – The Research Suggested – They Make – Objectively Worse Choices

~ TI-IWBNTA-TATWSPTITVNWC-WBAUG-B-ICBEMTWIOAA-CM ~ The Internet – It Would Be Naive To Assume – That A Technology With Such Potential To Influence The Very News We Consume – Would Be An Unmitigated Good – But – It Could Be Equally Misguided To Write It Off As A – Catastrophic Mistake

~ INECWP-DOAAE-NUTATCTI-MWFEITPTIAT-A-TTETYCEIIMBT-IETTTNS-A-ATIIT ~ Its Not Entirely Clear Why Photos – Devoid Of Any Actual Evidence – Nudge Us Toward Accepting The Clams They Illustrate – Maybe We Find Evidence In The Photos That Isn’t Actually There – And – To The Extent That You Can Easily Imagine It Might Be True – It’s Easier To Take The Next Step – And – Assume That It Is True

~ P-C-IT-TOC-P-ROWTTUAAA-CJM-TFT ~ Photos – Can – Inflate The – Truthiness Of Claims – Photos – Regardless Of Whether They Tell Us Anything At All – Can Just Make – Things Feel True

~ ITETSW-D-WUIT-P-TA-ISU-MP-HBBTLB-FAF-STDOP ~ It’s Too Early To Say Whether – Deepfakes – Will Usher In The – Post-Truth Apocalypse – It Seems Unlikely – Manipulated Photos – Have Been Blurring The Line Between – Fact And Fiction – Since The Dawn Of Photojournalism

~IYWTMP-YDNTGTTTO-F-AP-O-AV-UI-CDTJJF-RP-CHMPB-FN ~ If You Want To Mislead People – You Don’t Need To Go To The Trouble Of – Faking – A Photo – Or – A Video – Unmanipulate Images – Can Do The Job Just Fine – Real Photos – Can Help Make People Believe – Fake News

~ WSTW-TTLO-OEB ~ We See The World – Through The Lens Of – Our Existing Beliefs

~ A-WP-LTC-T-RT-‘E’-A-MP-WT-DLTC-T-RT-E-A-W ~ Again – When People – Liked The Conclusions – They – Rated The – “Evidence” – As – More Persuasive – When They – Didn’t Like The Conclusions – They – Rated The – Evidence – As – Weaker

~ IHTAA-WN-S-I-F ~ It’s Harder To Agree About – Which News – Specifically – Is – Fake

~ FDSFT;WCTWETTOTCTBU ~ Facts Don’t Speak For Themselves; We’re Constantly Tasked With Evaluating The Truth Of The Claims That Bombard Us

~ TIOA-‘PT’-S-STWOA-GA-W-ECAA-WWT-A-WW-B-TWNTC ~ The Idea Of A – “Post-Truth” – Society – Suggests There Was Once A – Golden Age – When – Everyone Could Agree About – What Was True – And – What Wasn’t – But – That Was Never The Case

~ TI-I-A-UI ~ True Impartiality – Is – An – Unattainable Ideal

~ “Fake News” – Meaning – Outright Lies Masquerading As News – Is Just – The Highly Visible Tip Of A Much Larger Iceberg – Sensationalism / Negativity / Bias / Inaccurate Facts / Misleading Interpretations – Are – Just As Concerning – And – Far More Pervasive

~ We’re Quick To Call Bias On News That We Don’t Agree With – But – More Reluctant To Acknowledge Bias In The News That We Approve Of – We’re Slower Still To Realize How Our Own Beliefs Shape Our Perception Of The World To Begin With

~ WMNBAT-AATF-IWCEA-WF-A-WO ~ We May Never Be Able To – Agree About The Facts – If We Can’t Even Agree – What’s Fact – And – What’s Opinion

MICHAEL SHERMER ~ AN EXGESIS OF WHY AND HOW WE ARE MORAL ~ THE SCIENCE OF GOOD & EVIL ~ 2004

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~ MN ~ MORAL NATURALISM

~ WTIAGONIITTT-BISOAANO-AEH-NC-STSA ~ Whether There Is A God Or Not – Is Irrelevant To The Theory – Because – In Science Our Approach Is A Naturalistic One – All Effects Have – Natural Causes – Subject To Scientific Analysis

~ AN EVOLVED MORAL SENSE

~ MSIH-AMPIHG-E-PTTFONSOOI-A-S-TTFO-GSOOP ~ Moral Sentiments In Humans – And – Moral Principles In Human Groups – Evolved – Primarily – Through The Force Of Natural Selection Operating On Individuals – And – Secondarily – Through The Force Of – Group Selection Operating On Populations

~ AEMS ~ AN EVOLVED MORAL SOCIETY

~ HEAASPSWAAHON-F-S-SOTI-T-TEOTITTF-T-ASOBWTEF-T-TRAOTC-T-IAOS-T-SA-A-B-AAOOMOTSABCTD ~ Humans Evolved As A Social Primate Species With An Ascending Hierarchy Of Needs – From – Self-Survival Of The Individual – To – The Extension Of The Individual Through The Family – To – A Sense Of Bonding With The Extended Family – To – The Reciprocal Altruism Of The Community – To – Indirect Altruism Of Society – To – Species Altruism And Bioaltruism – As Awareness Of Our Membership Of The Species – And – Biosphere Continues To Develop

~ T-BB-HN-A-MF-ALU-BC-W-TM-SAC-HN-A-MF-ALU-CC ~ The – Most Basic – Human Needs – And – Moral Feelings – Are Largely Under – Biological Control – Whereas – The More – Social And Cultural – Human Needs – And – Moral Feelings – Are Largely Under – Cultural Control

~ TNOMN ~ THE NATURE OF MORAL NATURE

~ H-A-BN-MAI-GAE/AAS/CAC/PAB/VAN-SMTVWI-AWA-WAB-G ~ Humans – Are – By Nature – Moral And Immoral / Good And Evil / Altruistic And Selfish / Cooperative And Competitive / Peaceful And Bellicose / Virtuous And Nonvirtuous – Such Moral Traits Vary Within Individuals – As Well As – Within And Between – Groups

~ PM ~ PROVISIONAL MORALITY

~ MP-A-PT-TI-TAT-MP-I-MC-I-MC-MOTT ~ Moral Principles – Are – Provisionally True – That Is – They Apply To – Most People – In – Most Cultures – In – Most Circumstances – Most Of The Time

~ PRAW ~ PROVISIONAL RIGHT AND WRONG

~ A-FP:TFOWAAI-ROW-AF ~ Ask-First Principle: To Find Out Whether An Action Is – Right Or Wrong – Ask First

~ HP:IIAHMPTASHWSEHIM-A-NSHWILTSEU ~ Happiness Principle: It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Happiness With Someone Else’s Happiness In Mind – And – Never Seek Happiness When It Leads To Someone Else’s Unhappiness

~ LP:IIAHMPTASLWSELIM-A-NSLWILTSELOL ~ Liberty Principle: It Is A Higher Moral Principle To Always Seek Liberty With Someone Else’s Liberty In Mind – And – Never Seek Liberty When It Leads To Someone Else’s Loss Of Liberty

~ MP:WIPD-EITDOAINV-A-MITPOEINV ~ Moderation Principle: When Innocent People Die – Extremism In The Defense Of Anything Is No Virtue – And – Moderation In The Protection Of Everything Is No Vice

~PJ ~ PROVISIONAL JUSTICE

~ AWAAST-LON-A-FO-C-A-H-TSO-TAB-WA-FMA-RFOA-TI-C-A-SJ-WHCTPFO-RAG-A-A-RAP-SATTIAL-PJ-IN-HAN ~ Although We Are All Subject To – Laws Of Nature – And – Forces Of – Culture – And – History – That Shape Our – Thoughts And Behaviors – We Are– Free Moral Agents – Responsible For Our Actions – There Is – Individual Culpability – And – Social Justice – Within Human Communities That Produce Feelings Of – Righteousness And Guilt – And – Administer – Rewards And Punishments – Such That There Is At Least – Provisional Justice – In The – Here And Now

~ EEE ~ ENNOBLING EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS

~ AA-EMOHP-T-MS-T-IAG-A-BTTS-POTIFO-E/H/C ~ As An – Evolved Mechanism Of Human Psychology – The – Moral Sense – Transcends – Individuals And Groups – And – Belongs To The Species – Products Of The Impersonal Forces Of – Evolution / History / Culture

MICHAEL SHERMER ~ THE SCIENCE OF GOOD & EVIL ~ 2004 ~ 999

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~ TBA-FFMA-OCPAMPHDBF-MP-R-MR ~ To Be A – Fully Functioning Moral Agent – One Cannot Passively Accept Moral Principles Handed Down By Fiat – Moral Principles – Require – Moral Reasoning
~ M:RAW-TAB-ITCOTROASG ~ Morality: Right And Wrong – Thoughts And Behaviors – In The Context Of The Rules Of A Social Group
~ E:T-SS-O-A-TA-M-TAB-ITCOTROASG ~ Ethics: The – Scientific Study – Of – And – Theories About – Moral – Thoughts And Behaviors – In The Context Of The Rules Of A Social Group
~ LBTW-S-ECR-FT-POBF-HDVMO-BC-T-FG-A-T-A-EX-A-A-OV ~ Long Before There Were – State-Enforced Constitutional Rights – For The – Protection Of Basic Freedoms – Humans Devised Various Mechanisms Of – Behavioral Control – To – Facilitate Goodwill – And – To – Attenuate – Excessive Greed – Avarice – And – Other Vices
~ T-RF-O-H-VAV-SAS-IF-IA-COAIP-O-MAI-B ~ The – Religious Foundation – Of – Human – Virtues And Vices – Saints And Sinners – In Fact – Is A – Codification Of An Informal Psychology – Of – Moral And Immoral – Behavior
~ HAA-HS-PS-AAS-RAM-AA-SS-T-ET ~ Humans Are A – Hierarchical Social – Primate Species – And As Such – We Need – Rules And Morals – And A – Social Structure – To – Enforce Them
~ RMS-SATEI-J/C/I-A-MO-EMS-SATEBIP(TMROOPS)A-TOMO~ Religious Moral Systems – Such As Those Expressed In – Judaism / Christianity / Islam – Are – Millennia Old – Evolutionary Moral Systems – Such As Those Expressed By Indigenous Peoples (The Modern Remnants Of Paleolithic Societies) Are – Tens Of Millennia Old
~ W-Q-ADF-H-Q ~ Why – Questions – Are Different From – How – Questions
~ AHSACH ~ All Humans Share A Common Humanity
~ WCCA-MS-TIN-DA-N-IR-A-PM-FAAOS-TP-EE-A-A-RBFB-SASOM-SAM-UAY-E-AETW-ET-W-BAS-O-MOTS-A-O-AS ~ We Can Construct A – Moral System – That Is Neither –Dogmatically Absolute – Nor – Irrationally Relative – A – Provisional Morality – For An Age Of Science – That Provides – Empirical Evidence – And – A – Rational Basis For Belief – Such A System Of Morality – Suggests A More – Universal And Tolerant – Ethic – An Ethic That Will – Ensure The – Well-Being And Survival – Of – All Members Of The Species – And – Of – All Species
~ M-ITEDO-HS ~ Morality – Is The Exclusive Domain Of – Homo Sapiens
~ AA-I-HA-A-JTTS-A-ITOT-CIAGS ~ All Animals – Including – Human Animals – Are – Just Trying To Survive – And – It Turns Out That – Cooperation Is A Good Strategy
~ IATTSOPP-R-HASAAIO-SO-A-BC-TROPMS-A-TPONO-BACRO-R-L-O;T-C-S-SAM-N-A-WT-IOW-L-C-T-I-S-SAT ~ In Addition To The Sanction Of Political Power – Religion – Has Also Served As An Institution Of – Social Order – And – Behavior Control – The Reinforcement Of Positive Moral Sentiments – And – The Punishment Of Negative Ones – Became A Central Role Of – Religious – Leaders – And – Organizations; They – Codified – Subjective – Social And Moral – Norms – And – With The – Invention Of Writing – Literally – Canonized – Them – In – Sacred – Scrolls And Texts
~ TWO-GAM ~ The Wedding Of – God And Mammon
~ B-SS-‘LTN’-M-O-IF/EF/C-‘O-G’-WTBDWC-TWT-CWF-DBWWC ~ Before State – Societies – “Love The Neighbor” – Meant – One’s – Immediate Family / Extended Family / Community – “Out-Groupers” – Were To Be Dealt With Cautiously – Trust Was Tentative – Conflict Was Frequent – Death By War Was Common
~ M-A-T-MN-150 ~ Morality – And – The – Magic Number – 150
~ LO-SGS-A-RTTCCO-HM-AT-HADEB-ITOT-150-IRTNOLD-C/G/GC-A-PC-WPIFG-AT-B-O-H-G-P ~ ~ Limits On – Social Group Size – Are – Related To The Carrying Capacity Of – Human Memory – And Thus – Have A Deep Evolutionary Basis – It Turns Out That – 150 – Is Roughly The Number Of Living Descendants – Children / Grandchildren / Great-Grandchildren – A – Paleolithic Couple – Would Produce In Four Generations – At The – Birthrate – Of – Hunter-Gather – Peoples
~ WGGL-TSISG-W?-TAI-MD-A-BC-OGE-200P-A-HS-INT-ETROC-A-TDWO-WITSGCBDWT-IPC-A-SP ~ When Groups Get Large – They Split Into Smaller Groups – Why? – The Answer Is – Moral Discipline – And – Behavior Control – Once Groups Exceed – 200 People – A – Hierarchical Structure – Is Needed To – Enforce The Rules Of Cooperation – And – To Deal With Offenders – Who In The Smaller Group Could Be Dealt With Through – Informal Personal Contracts – And – Social Pressure
~ IOTPTGO-R-YNTK-WBNS-A-WYWTTSY-TIIGTTSAOP-MCKA-G-ATO-SC-TC-CN ~ In Order To Play The Game Of – Reciprocation – You Need To Know – Whose Back Needs Scratching – And – Who You Will Trust To Scratch Yours – This Information Is Gathered Through Telling Stories About Other People – More Commonly Known As – Gossip – A Tool Of – Social Control – Through Communicating – Cultural Norms
~ M-S-A-B-WI-CI-ES-B-R-REAT-SS-T-ETROHI ~ Moral – Sentiments – And – Behaviors – Were Initially – Codified Into – Ethical Systems – By – Religion – Religion Emerged As The – Social Structure – To – Enforce The Rules Of Human Interactions
~ W-BAT-GWT-CAS-RDATP-SI-TF-CAG-ITSB-EAAS-D-EGAS-P-COC-A-RTLOCTTGT-SE-S-RR ~ ~ When – Bands And Tribes – Gave Way To – Chiefdoms And States – Religion Developed As The Principal – Social Institution – To Facilitate – Cooperation And Goodwill – It Di So By – Encouraging – Altruism And Selflessness – Discouraging – Excessive Greed And Selfishness – Promoting – Cooperation Over Competition – And – Revealing The Level Of Commitment To The Group Through – Social Events – And – Religious Rituals
~ PC-WPMB-NS-NC-A-MS-WAA-PSB-CS ~ Paleolithic Communities – Were Primarily Molded By – Natural Selection – Neolithic Communities – And – Modern Societies – Were And Are – Primarily Shaped By – Cultural Selection
~ IIAMAPO-HN-TBMAIITB-H/H/J/IL ~ It Is As Much A Part Of – Human Nature – To Be Moral As It Is To Be – Hungry / Horny / Jealous / In Love
~ TNCWGOWWAATDO-ALLTBEIYABTDY-LANLITBTL ~ The Normal Cues We Give Off When We Are Attempting To Deceive Others – Are Less Likely To Be Expressed If You Actually Believe The Deception Yourself – Liars Are Not Liars If They Believe The Lie
~ T-COMP-EAAFO-SC-TE-TSOIWG-A-TSOHGT ~ The – Codification Of Moral Principles – Evolved As A Form Of – Social Control – To Ensure – The Survival Of Individuals Within Groups – And – The Survival Of Human Groups Themselves
~ TM-O-PE ~ The Myth – Of – Pure Evil
~ TIN-SF-OOTRO-T-KL-O-N-A-HB-TWCC-E ~ There Is No – Supernatural Force – Operating Outside The Realm Of – The – Known Laws – Of – Nature – And – Human Behavior – That We Can Call – Evil
~ TCS-‘E’-DNLUTADUOTCOEB ~ To Call Something – “Evil” – Does Not Lead Us To A Deeper Understanding Of The Cause Of Evil Behavior
~ ITWNH-TWBNE ~ If There Were No Humans – There Would Be No Evil
~ WETB-M-B-HTCTB-I-SOTT-ISC-WSP-WDAOOUTIAGS-WDOA-CAOV ~ We Evolved To Be – Moral – But – Have The Capacity To Be – Immoral – Some Of The Time – In Some Circumstances – With Some People – Which Direction Any One Of Us Takes In Any Given Situation – Will Depend On A – Complex Array Of Variables
~ FW-HUA-A-FW-IFO-D-A-MC-FOTCW ~ Free Will – Holds Us Accountable – Abandon – Free Will – In Favor Of – Determinism – And – Moral Culpability – Flies Out The Courtroom Window
~ FW-AA-UF-WNAAIYDH-FW-GT-EG-A-SB-TGAWI? ~ Free Will – As A – Useful Fiction – Why Not Act As If You Do Have – Free Will – Gaining The – Emotional Gratification – And – Social Benefits – That Go Along With It?
~ CWCAESWR? ~ Can We Construct An Ethical System Without Religion?
~ IIAHLOM-TB-GFIOS-T-FTCIMB ~ It Is A Higher Level Of Morality – To Be – Good For Its Own Sake – Than – For The Consequences It May Bring
~ PMP:AFMPIMCMOTT-Y-FETAFTWDOH-B/C/C ~ Provisional Moral Principles: Applicable For Most People In Most Circumstances Most Of The Time – Yet – Flexible Enough To Account For The Wide Diversity Of Human – Behavior / Culture / Circumstances
~ B-CMBAS? ~ But – Can Morality Become A Science?
~ EUSCSAU ~ Even Unattended Stimuli Can Subtly Affect Us
~MJ-IN-CR-II-IE ~ Moral Judgment – Is Not – Calculatingly Rational – It Is – Intuitively Emotional
~ CB-PAPRIO-MI ~ Cognitive Biases – Play A Powerful Role In Our – Moral Intuitions
~ PE-A-PJ-ATBWCD-ALAHC-STWM-PTIMB ~ Provisional Ethics – And – Provisional Justice – Are The Best We Can Do – As Long As Humanity Continues – So Too Will Morality – Provisional Though It May Be
~ WCAPBM ~ We Can Also Practice Being Moral