The Pressure to Radicalize ~ Centering Self Amidst Polarized Forces
Brief 6 minute video message from me on tips for staying centered, followed by hand selected resources to assist and support.
Additionally, in our Subscriber’s monthly question and answer call on Jan 13 2021, within a week of the US Capitol being stormed, a susbscriber asked:
Hi Jill, is there any deeper insight you could share about the storming of Congress by Trump supporters today? Does Trump have a broader agenda beyond this event? How influenced is he by Wetiko? How influenced were the Congress Stormers By Wetiko? Thank you.
This question was answered in the call, recording is here.
Message of support for staying centered, discerning and in authority of oneself.
Many are finding themselves or loved ones being pulled into what turn out to be radical, highly charged, divisive groups which initially felt innocent, benevolent and productive. Recent and heated examples are:
- the vaccination communities (on both sides),
- political endeavors (on all sides),
- mask wearing advocates and also anti-maskers,
- first amendment advocates and also safe speech advocates
- Q Anon
It is easy to find oneself deep within radicalized movements. In this message we offer tips for centering, and advocating for those who feel better suited to be in the middle, not because they don’t care, but because they are able and willing to see all sides of these very complex, over simplified issues.
When one is radicalized, it is easy to feel like a different person, like something has taken over, with almost little control to even acknowledge the intelligence, reasoning and insights held by those with opposing views.
Other related resources you may enjoy, in my order of having deeply appreciated the concepts and insights:
The Great Hack, Netflix Documentary to me although the filmmaker focus more on data privacy, to me the film was most relevant into how internet psychological operations are used on citizens across the globe for varying, and growing, agendas. Pay particular attention at 1:01:01 that outlines how internet behavior data, internet memes and online communities are used to decrease to help one political side win in a Trinidad and Tobago vote by creating an apolitical, apathetic campaign that convinced the Afro-carribean community that it was cool and socially responsible to not vote… stunning strategy, that allowed the opposing party that was predominantly of the country’s Indian community to win the election… This isn’t just Cambridge Analytica. Q has shown us that such infiltration of various online communities is used regularly, for specific agendas and also just by internet trolls. For more on my take on internet trolls, this post is my attempt to inform people (it is so twisted).
The Social Dilemma, Netflix Documentary
This one is a bit cheesy (it is from Vice). I’ve noticed all documentaries seem to have some degree of artistic license, bias and slanting information, or omitting important views because it doesn’t fit the filmmakers preferred narrative. But then in Season 1 Episode 2 at 14:30:
Potential QAnon founder “Microchip” supposedly known as a famous Pro-Trump troll says in a disguised voice in interview “[In October 2017] I started talking about different ways that we could engage Trump supporters and people responded to it. But it’s turned dangerous and I don’t like that.”
So it feels to me that Q was initially started as a way to engage Trump voters and was so successful that it was then used to bring over voters from the middle and from the democrats into the Trump supporter camp (which has become cult-like in many regards). The proposition that democrat elites were deeply involved in child sex trafficking, abuse and pedophilia along with the other Q themes were wildly successful at bringing loyal liberals to suddenly find themselves voting Republican in the US 2020 elections.
CNN (not my favorite source of news by far), Rolling Stone and other news outlets have done a fair job trying to raise the voice of those who have made their way out of Q, letting them tell their stories, and this can be so helpful for others that have lost themselves to radicalized groups. Here are some of them:
Former QAnon Follower Explains Why She Left the Movement
Former QAnon follower: I really believe it’s a cult
He once thought Hillary Clinton and Lady Gaga ate babies. Now he wants to help people out of QAnon
Former follower details the real danger of QAnon
Former QAnon Followers Explain What Drew Them In — And Got Them Out
I hope these resources are helpful to you, your loved ones and anyone who has felt like they lost themselves in a fringe movement that is detached from reality (a solid definition for a cult, by the way).
With love,
Jill
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