Joseph Mercola has published this Epoch Times interview with Dr Robert Epstein which I found very interesting (there’s also an interview with Mercola and Epstein on the same landing page as well - click on the image below).
What I found most interesting is the research he has done in manipulating people’s choices without their awareness, and then even when the researchers explain what was done to manipulate choice, the people manipulated honestly believed they were making choices purely from their independent convictions. In other words, the manipulation changed their minds to the degree that their newly biased choice became their perspective, their belief.
What’s more is that even when you understand the manipulation techniques involved, simply being exposed to the biased servings from Google et al., will still shift your bias!
For example, (and he talks about this in the interview but doesn’t use it as an example like I’m about to) Google knows that most firefighters are male, but they reason that the reality isn’t “fair” and therefore manipulate image search results for “firefighters” to show an equal number of men and women who are firefighters1 (and then adding racial and gender equality into the mix as well). Now the image search results may seem “fair” to Google, but is a distortion of reality. That distortion becomes unconsciously embedded into our minds. This may, given enough exposure to those addicted to googling firefigher images, create a completely unrealistic ‘reality’ of who constitutes the firefighting community. Upon visiting the local fire station, such a person may become outraged at the fact that the place has employed a majority of white males and assume that the station is highly chauvinistic and bigoted. Then there’s an exposé in the local newspaper, an enquiry, and a drive to make sure there’s an equal number of males, females, gender fluid and as many races as possible represented at the local fire station - regardless of how compatable they may be for the actual job of firefighting2.
If you do get to watch the interview I’d love to hear your takeaways in the comments.
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Just an example of what can happen (I can’t point to a study about this exact example) - they may not be so obsessed with “equality” at fire stations, but it’s a simple example everyone will get.
And there are likely women who make great firefighters, but the point is there is probably a natural bias toward stronger bigger men to do that particular job. But you know we have all been so brainwashed by the very manipulation that Epstein is talking about, that it feels ‘kinda wrong’ to accept that a particular job calls for particular attributes to do a highly physical job like firefighting. Women who are up to it and pass the physical requirements - good on ‘em! Go for it! But forcing half that work force to be women and lowering physical reqirements to do so (I’ve been a psych to firefighters and know what goes on to meet politically correct expectations) is just detrimental to everyone.
I think with enough awareness we have a freedom to choose but those choices are certainly biased based upon what we absorb - so maybe it's free will within limited parameters, not total freedom, whatever that would look like. It's just concerning now, with most people so addicted to their devices, that the technocrats can manipulate the 'hive mind' so well. Even in areas previously considered 'objective' like peer-reviewed journals, now are so biased and controlled that we have to be just as careful about them as we are with Facebook!
Isn't that the truth! Most humans seem to believe that THEY are the ones that KNOW what is REALLY going on. We are all manipulated. Once you realize that, there is some freedom of choice I suppose. You raise good points Rob. Thanks.
Joe Rogan also interviewed him.
The mind tends to think that it chooses, free will is an illusion until you know that your subconscious and unconscious are what really decide.
So in effect we have no free will, but we have free won't.
Question everything and believe nothing, especially the crap that books or people told you but you cannot verify.
I think with enough awareness we have a freedom to choose but those choices are certainly biased based upon what we absorb - so maybe it's free will within limited parameters, not total freedom, whatever that would look like. It's just concerning now, with most people so addicted to their devices, that the technocrats can manipulate the 'hive mind' so well. Even in areas previously considered 'objective' like peer-reviewed journals, now are so biased and controlled that we have to be just as careful about them as we are with Facebook!
Isn't that the truth! Most humans seem to believe that THEY are the ones that KNOW what is REALLY going on. We are all manipulated. Once you realize that, there is some freedom of choice I suppose. You raise good points Rob. Thanks.
Why bother with any covert tech manipulation? Just ask the media to amplify any lie. It has been working a charm so far!