Prop 8: Don't be taken in by the divide-and-conquer group think tactics [View All]

[ConsAreLiars]

You know the primary meaning of Group Think - the brain dead zombyism that just repeats what "everyone" knows and defends/argues on the belief that "everyone knows that ...," and never even wants any fact checking. Dittoheads, Freeptards, hate-mongers, talking point TV monkeys.

But underlying that mindset and the ease with which some are so easily led any which way is a specific propaganda technique. The basic method involves labeling groups as actors and entities, rather than acknowledging and teaching that these concepts are simply demographic and social abstractions and generalizations. This is an essential feature of the divide-and-conquer strategy of the ruling elites and their agents, and a deadly trap for all would serve the common good and bring about a social system that actually serves the cause of promoting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately, led by the corporate media, too much of the discussion here and elsewhere has accepted that divide-and-conquer framework, and the discussions within such a framework, despite the good efforts of many to provide counterpoints, often simply reinforce that destructive labeling and stereotyping and promote antagonisms among the people. People are not defined by the group labels others assigns to them.

The truth, of course, is that this hate campaign was funded and organized by some very rich and powerful people who are trying, with varying emphases, to build a theocratic corporatist political movement. It differed from the same broad alliances that have been building a fascist movement in the US for 80 years only in the strong role of the Romney Mormons this time, but this movement has a very long history.

Inevitably every propaganda campaign is more successful among some demographic categories within society than others, but such outcomes only identify the areas where the justice movement failed. It does NOT mean that those groups are responsible for the outcome. That kind of "blaming the victim" of the propaganda is worse than useless. Those responsible are the organizers and funders of the campaign. And they are not an abstraction or a sociological label. They are a relatively small number of very wealthy individuals and their hirelings with a very definite set of goals, and this was simply one battle in their larger strategy and and attempt to build and extend their power.