By Oleg Atbashian January 1, 2013 <http://www.americanthinker.com/oleg_atbashian/>
We
are being played; it's time we learned the game.
Conservatives
have their Constitution. Progressives have their Narrative. The current battle
for America is between these two concepts, and each side uses different rules
to fight it.
One
set of rules is consistent with an unchanging objective: limited
government
and individual freedoms. The other side's rules are as fickle as their goals,
which are never fully disclosed beyond the equivocal references to fairness and
hyphenated forms of justice. They will have to remain vague and deny their true
allegiances until a time when American voters will no longer squirm at the word
"socialism."
And
yet spotting them isn't that hard. As a bird is known by his feathers, socialists
are known by their Game.
First
tried and mastered in the USSR, the Game has since been popularized around the
world, assuming various forms, names, and colors -- from red to brown to green.
It is now taking hold in the United States under the blue web banners of
Obama's campaign infomercials.
The
laws of society and human nature are such that socialism can only be achieved
through a certain sequence of steps and manipulations. For instance, the only
way to attain material equality is to confiscate
someone's
property and give it to others. That necessitates a centralized mechanism of
coercion, redistribution, and control. Such a system gives extraordinary
corrupting powers to a small centralized elite, while turning the rest of the
citizenry into a compliant, obsequious herd.
All
those who claimed they can do it differently were doomed to retrace the same
path. Once you unleash the ancient powers of collectivism, you have only two
options: control the human herd or be trampled underfoot.
Drawing
blood is always an option, but there's also a "cleaner" way to control
the crowds by manipulating their minds with the cattle prods of collectivist
morals and a fictional narrative that supplants the reality.
Let's
call it the Mind Game of Manipulative Illusions.
The
Game existed since Cain and Abel, but it developed into an art form in the 20th
century, with the rise of totalitarian regimes armed with state-controlled
education, entertainment, and the media.
For a
dictatorship to run efficiently, a sufficient number of people must give
the regime a moral license to rule over them. The Mind Game of Manipulative
Illusions secures and extends such a license.
Even
the Soviet Communists, with all their tools of repression and fear, with
all their power over anyone's life and death, were still pressed to play
mind games to make the people feel good about the Party rule. Towards the end
they went easy on the Game and relaxed their grip on the media, entertainment,
and education, accepting the policies of Glasnost. Once they lost the ability
to control people's hearts and minds, they also lost their moral license and,
with it, the country.
The
Game can mutate and adjust to different cultures, but its basic rules always
remain as follows:
Socialism
is not just about taking away your money; it's also about making you praise the
takers as your saviors. You are expected to feel good about being robbed of
opportunities, talents, and success. You must agree that "you didn't build
that." There must be a popular consensus that the crumbs you are getting
back from the government are a sign of caring and largess -- not a meager
fraction of your actual earnings. Last but not least, you must sincerely
believe that those who are trying to protect you from the thieves are really
your enemies and deserve to be destroyed.
Building
up and maintaining such an illusion on a massive scale requires participation
of the media, education, and entertainment industries in a coordinated,
long-term propaganda campaign.
Once
the illusion reaches a critical mass, those afflicted by it become immune
to facts, numbers, or rational arguments. Confronting them with logic will only
cause more resentment, name-calling and, sometimes, violence.
The
little game of illusions that President Obama is running under the name of
"tax cuts for the middle class" is part of the larger Game; it
contains all of the above elements.
The
plan is to pass yet another extension of Bush's tax cuts - i.e., to keep the
status quo for the most -while excluding families with a joint income of over
$250,000. In plain speak, it's a tax hike. But calling things by their real
names would be against the rules; this isn't how the Game is played.
This
mass mailing from Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter shows us how
to play it:
<http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/help-president-obama-right-now-share-
your-story>
I
hope you had a lovely holiday and all is well. I'm writing with a quick update
on the "fiscal cliff" and how you can get involved.
Right
now, President Obama is asking you to think about what $2,000 a year means to
you and your family -- because Congress needs to hear it.
The
Senate has passed a bill that stops taxes from going up for 98 percent of
American families, and asks those who can afford it to pay a little more. If
the House follows suit, President Obama is ready to sign it as soon as it hits
his desk.
If
they fail to do so, a typical middle-class family of four will see their taxes
go up by $2,000 in just a few short weeks.
President
Obama is asking Congress to do the right thing and act before the New Year, but
he needs our help. We've got a good track record here: When we make our voices
heard and urge Congress to take action -- whether it's about health care,
student loans, Wall Street reform, or "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- they
listen.
Watch
this new video about the President's tax plan, and take a moment to share your
story: What does $2,000 a year mean to you and your family?
Listening
to Obama now, one could have never guessed that these are the same "Bush's
tax cuts," against which he had vigorously campaigned in the past -- just
like one could have never learned from his previous speeches that the reviled
"tax cuts for the rich" had been saving middle-class families as much
as $2,200 a year.
Until
recently, the $2,200 amount was treated as classified information, which
the Administration and the compliant media deemed unfit for consumption
by the unwashed masses. Now that Obama wins reelection and needs to postpone
the economic disaster caused by his first term, he "declassifies" the
previously subversive amount and parades it on My.BarackObama.com as a centerpiece
of his new glorious campaign for the people.
<https://my.barackobama.com/page/s/what-does-2000-mean-to-you>
Simply
put, Obama first discredits his predecessor's idea, then steals it, bundles
it with a job-killing tax hike, and rebrands it as his own benevolent
gift to the toiling masses. Judging by responses on Obama's official blog ,
many of his supporters believe they are actually getting something out of it --
but in reality they are about to lose what they have due to the resulting
cutbacks, layoffs, and price increases.
<http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/help-president-obama-right-now-share-
your-story> , WhiteHouse.gov
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/my2k?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_ca
mpaign=shorturl> , and Twitter<https://twitter.com/search?q=%23my2k&src=savs>
As
the Game goes on, just feeling good about the imaginary gift is no longer enough.
You are expected to participate in spreading this Orwellian fantasy by
haranguing Congress with demands of a tax hike while calling it a tax cut.
Join
the herd and you will experience the collectivist sense of belonging, entitlement,
and empowerment by engaging in quixotic class-struggle against the mythical
windmills and all those mean-spirited capitalists who are conspiring to rob you
of the rightful $2,200 disbursement. Forget the phrase "policies that got
us into this mess"; these policies are now all about "doing the right
thing."
You
end up with a sincere belief that greedy corporations, Republicans, the Tea
Party, and the rest of the profligates opposing Obama's policies are the perfidious
enemy who deserves to be punished and purged.
If
you're wondering what kind of ignorant, misinformed, and morally misguided
fools would fall for this trick, look no further than Obama's most recent 56%
job approval rating in the midst of a needlessly prolonged recession.
<http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll>
The
White House propagandist Stephanie Cutter knows her demographic and constructs
simple phrases she believes they can understand. However, one question remains:
if the Obama voters are the best and the brightest half of this nation, why
does Ms. Cutter talk to them in the tone of a condescending kindergarten
teacher?
The
Game has a part for everyone, from top to bottom. As the top players obtain
unprecedented powers, those at the bottom get high on the palliative illusion
of safety and well-being.
That
illusion is as powerful as it is addictive; a mere exposure to facts of life
will cause the addict to writhe in agony. It is truly the Oxycontin for the
masses. No presidential candidate can win on the promise of withdrawal; those
who feel entitled to a pain-free existence will only vote for better and
stronger illusions. The more the addiction spreads, the slimmer the chances of
a realist ever occupying the White House again.
This
can last for as long as there are enough productive taxpayers to support
the habit. Once they also get hooked, stop working, or the system runs out of
resources, expect a fearsome, excruciating withdrawal of epic proportions.
Until then, keep rational arguments to yourself unless you crave losing friends
and alienating people.
If
you tell them that there is no such thing as a pain-free life, they'll think
you are some sadistic fascist who thrives on pain and takes pleasure in hurting
people.
The
problem with that attitude is that pain is nature's way to warn us of danger.
If it burns, don't touch it. If it hurts, don't repeat it. People who
are born without an ability to feel pain are incapable of learning safe behaviors
and are doomed to live a short life of bumps, burns, broken bones, and worse. A
pain-free society would be even less viable.
The
real choice, therefore, is between the occasional sharp pain of individual
effort and the dull, permanent pain of collective misfortune, since
redistributive economies always end in misery, shortages, and corruption.
Western Europe's gradual introduction of socialism is directly proportional to its
gradual economic and moral decline, as evidenced by violent riots in response
to inevitable austerity measures.
In
the U.S., the pain-free life will be even shorter if the country falls off a
cliff.
When
the painkillers become useless, The Game remedies it by directing the massive
anger toward the opposition.
The
perception of a relentless struggle with the opposition must be permanent
and persuasive. Even in times of calm and prosperity the people must believe
that the opposition is holding them hostage and only the firm, wise guidance of
the People's Leader is saving them from imminent ruin. When the opponents are
too few, too weak, and too disoriented to put up a real fight, their power and
influence must be exaggerated.
The
Game has its logic: for socialism to work, there has to be unanimity and compliance.
Dissent leads to system malfunctions, causing hardship for all those in the
care of the state. That effectively makes the dissenter a traitor and a public
enemy. The need to suppress opposition necessitates a totalitarian form of
government. While we aren't at that stage yet, the demonization of dissenters
has already begun.
<http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-liberal-pundits-use-race-to-demonize-republicans/article/2506560#.UN9jvG_hrXA>
.
Until
a time when the opposition can be eliminated completely, having opponents
can still be useful: you can steal their ideas, take advantage of their desire
to help the economy, and blame them for any of your own failures. In the
meantime, certain rules must be followed to control the public opinion and,
through it, the opposition itself.
Maintain
the perception of being constantly under attack. Don't examine the opponents'
beliefs, nor answer their arguments. Discredit any media channels that offer
them a platform. Enforce the following media template: the opposition is evil,
treasonous, unfathomable, and psychotic. They can't be reasoned with. They are
inspired by fascism and financed by a conspiracy of shady oligarchs. Defame
their donors. Whatever the mischief you're planning to pull off, accuse them of
doing it first; then proceed as planned, describing your actions as a necessary
intervention. And above all, ridicule, ridicule, ridicule!
Imagine
a scenario in which a theoretical group of left-wing radicals takes over
America by playing the Game as described; then answer this question: how would
their actions be different from what Obama, the Democrat Party, and their
allies are doing today?
The
stated intentions and the feel-good, vague rhetoric are just words. If the
result is the same, nothing else matters. We lose.
Oleg
Atbashian, a writer and graphic artist from the former USSR, currently lives in
Florida. He is the creator of ThePeoplesCube.com <http://www.thepeoplescube.com/> , a satirical website where
he writes under the name of Red Square. He is also the author of Shakedown
Socialism <http://www.shakedownsocialism.com/> .
Source:
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Comments:
If
we are ever to return to a free market economy, we need to get government out
of those unconstitutional activities the free market can do better. Anything with high cost and poor quality
should be targeted for elimination from Federal government control.
Adolph
Hitler knew that German industry could be bribed into “cooperating”. Hitler secured international bank funding and
began to build infrastructure and the German military. That was sufficient to put enough Germans to
work, that they took the bribe as well. The
war ended this cabal.
Obama
uses the same bribes to gain the cooperation of state and local government
officials and global corporations, but he wants a global communist government
under the U.N. and our global corporations and investors are timidly supporting
this. U.S. citizens have the most to
lose.
Norb
Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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