Quotation of the Day:
“We're shifting gears. We're no longer interested in fighting rear-guard actions on the enemy's fortified territory. We want to take the offensive. Obamacare was our final straw. The actors managing The State are lawless, engaging routinely in immoral acts — even going so far as to interpret our Constitution as a protection for their powers instead of our rights. They've rigged the game. I'm tired of begging them to behave just a bit better. That's no longer enough. Peacefully, we need to rewrite the rules.”
– Jim Babka, responding to a supporter
In this Dispatch:
- What should you expect from the organizations you support?
- Curing The Euphemism Disease and The Stockholm Syndrome
What should you expect from us?
How many organizations…
- really intend to cause change?
- have goals they measure?
- adapt to meet their objectives?
Look around. Most organizations never change their tactics. They never question whether their good work will cause real change.
We're different. We truly want to change the world. And so . . .
If what we're doing won't cause change, then WE'LL CHANGE.
Shouldn't you expect this from us? And from every other organization you support?
Shouldn't you want us to experiment?
Remember, we can always restore our old ways if the experiments don't work, or better yet, try new things!
So we hope you'll cheer us on as we pursue the best way to . . .
Persuade and recruit.
These two actions are the keys to changing the world. And tomorrow . . .
We'll ask you to test EXPERIMENTAL new software designed to both persuade and recruit. But today's subject is . . .
Our experiments with language.
We've been changing the way we talk about politicians and the “government.” We have . . .
- Called for open but peaceful rebellion
- Advocated altering or abolishing our present form of government
- Called politicians criminals.
Will this bold new way of speaking help YOU to persuade and recruit? We think it will, once we learn to do it with finesse. But it's important for you to understand WHY we're doing this.
Our experiments with language aim to solve two big problems . . .
- The Euphemism Disease
- The Stockholm Syndrome
The Euphemism Disease
A euphemism is a soft word used to hide a harsh reality. It's a crucial tool of the demagogue and the con-man. It allows the speaker to make criminal and immoral acts sound virtuous.
- If you're expanding the supply of currency, don't call it legalized counterfeiting, call it quantitative easing.
- If you hold someone against their will without legal due process, don't call it kidnapping, call it indefinite detention.
- If you use threats of violence to take money from people against their will, don't call it theft or looting, call it taxation and investment.
This list could continue without end. Every politicial speech is loaded with euphemisms. But the deceptive way that politicians speak isn't even the main problem. The real issue is . . .
How euphemisms corrupt the American Mind
We're so drenched in euphemisms that our minds naturally operate in the same terms.
We can no longer think honestly because the words we think with are inherently dishonest.
We must change the words that comprise thought, but the attempt to speak honestly is . . .
SHOCKING
If I call a politician a criminal many people will find this too harsh. But what if I ask questions instead (as we will with the new software you'll test tomorrow) . . .
- What do you call people who break the law?
- Is the Constitution a law?
- Do politicians violate the Constitution?
Don't the answers suggest that it's accurate to call politicians criminals? Carry it further . . .
- Are there moral principles that are more important than legislation, like the principles invoked during the Nuremberg trials?
- Do politicians break these higher laws?
What should we call people who violate fundamental moral principles?
Do politicians have some magic power to turn wrong into right?
Shouldn't we judge politicians by the same standards we apply to citizens? If citizens break laws, we call them criminals. So when politicians break laws, shouldn't they also be called criminals?
This approach reduces the shock. It helps the mind reflect, rather than react. The euphemisms get pushed out, and the mind begins to use honest words to think accurate thoughts.
Causing this to happen is the key to solving another big problem . . .
The Stockholm Syndrome
The Stockholm Syndrome is a strange phenomenon by which victims come to sympathize with their oppressors and even seek their approval.
Perhaps the most famous example was the heiress Patty Heart. She was kidnapped by a terrorist gang and held for ransom. But she ended up joining the gang. She even led them in a bank robbery.
We think the entire world suffers from Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to politicians and The State.
Euphemisms and the Stockholm Syndrome prevent us from seeing things as they really are. We suck up to the politicians. We make excuses for them. We give them the benefit of the doubt when we should really be doing the exact opposite. Our friend Michael Cloud gets it right. He says, “We should give politicians the PENALTY of the doubt.”
Great power requires great responsibility. So politicians should be held to a HIGHER STANDARD, not a lower one. And yet . . .
Because of euphemisms and the Stockholm Syndrome politicians can get away with murder, literally.
And we, sadly, are their willing accomplices . . .
- We endorse the process that gives them the power they use to commit their crimes.
- We let them assume and proclaim that they have our consent.
- We fail to take concrete actions to deny our consent.
We even get shocked and offended when someone dares to use honest words to say accurate things.
- To improve the world we must persuade and recruit.
- And to persuade and recruit we must learn how to cure the Euphemism Disease and the Stockholm Syndrome.
- And to make the changes and conduct the experiments required to achieve these goals, we need . . .
YOUR ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT
Our finances remain tight. YOUR enthusiasm is our hope.
At our secure contribution page, there's a mail-in form for checks. We accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. We have portals for PayPal and BitCoin.
Thanks to all who support us with monthly pledges. You are the main reason we can do what we do.
Perry Willis
Downsize DC