The release of the Epstein files has revealed a disturbing truth that goes beyond the horrific crimes being exposed. Our country is so divided, and the propaganda being used against us is so effective, that we can’t get on the same page and demand justice. While many conservatives are still clinging to the Q-“trust the plan” narrative, insisting that the files vindicate President Trump, there is a deeper, more disturbing reality that many Americans are not looking at. As a country, we have become so addicted to entertainment that we fail to stop and think about what we are really witnessing. All of our decisions, our worldviews, beliefs, opinions and attitudes are formed by the information we expose ourselves to. That information, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, is controlled and meant to shape our perceptions of reality. Republicans and Democrats, for example, both cling tightly to the respective narratives parroted by the news networks they choose to watch. These narratives are cleverly crafted with an intent to persuade audiences into abandoning critical thought and just follow along. In fact, these narratives are written to reflect the pre-existing cognitive biases of the audience. Mass persuasion is always more effective when it targets the beliefs and psychological dispositions of those receiving the message. Why? Because it affirms those beliefs as reality when they are presented by what appears to be, an official source of important information.
At defenseofournation.com, I have written a great deal on the methods of persuasion and its relation to propaganda. Researchers are starting to turn their attention towards the effectiveness of something called narrative persuasion. They have found that stories, or narratives, are effective methods of achieving attitude change. What we are witnessing in the media, concerning the Epstein files, or any other major event, is very much presented in narrative form. If researchers are discovering narratives are an effective means of persuasion, then it must be considered that they are using that knowledge in the media. The book, Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, after all, states that the purpose of the media is to overcome the psychological barriers to change. This means that the media narratives are crafted to get the audience to accept the persuaders, or propagandists point of view. In other words —
When it comes to narrative persuasion, there are various theories that describe the different ways narratives are able to turn off the critical thinking abilities of the audience. One such theory is called transportation. This is the idea that when a person can be swept away by the narrative, to the point that they are deeply immersed in the story, there is a tendency to accept the fiction of the story as reality. In other words, the audience accepts the truth of the story as opposed to the actual truth. This is based off an existing understanding of human psychology that suggests that when receiving new information, the brain processes it as it were real, even if it isn’t. This makes more sense than most people would realize because it takes an assertive effort on the part of the individual to question what it is they are experiencing. In fact, most people, when wrapped up in a storyline, are not likely to counterargue or offer what researchers call–a negative cognitive response–to what they are hearing. This may lead to deeper attitude change as the narrative is resonating with the audience. Another aspect of narrative persuasion that should be seriously considered is that researchers have found that believing what we hear, when we hear it, is the default of the human condition. Again, questioning information requires considerable cognitive effort along with the ability to admit what was previously held to be true, may be incorrect. In other words, it is believed by these researchers that people automatically accept what they hear or see, as reality. This would be particularly true, as noted earlier, if that information is coming from what is perceived to be, an official source. This is what is currently being studied by persuasion and propaganda specialists.
Identification with characters is also a major part of narrative persuasion research. The more an audience can identify with the main character’s emotional make up, and the things they are going through in the story, the more likely it is that persuasion, or attitude change, will be achieved. Let’s look at Trump a moment. The common perception is that he has a very loyal voting base. To the point that some people would call it a cult. The conservative media depicts Trump as a lone warrior, doing everything in his power to fight the deep state and expose the systematic corruption within our government. Everything Trump does is touted as the greatest achievement of any president in history. Even when it comes to the Epstein files, there are people still pushing the idea that Trump is exposing them, and that soon, the hammer will drop. When Pam Bondi gave her congressional testimony on the Epstein issue and tried to hide behind Trump’s so called historic achievements, Trump loyalists framed her performance as a brilliant trap in the face of an aggressive attack. Bondi’s testimony accomplished two things. First, it reflected the beliefs of those loyal to Trump. When she accused Thomas Massie of having Trump Derangement Syndrome, for example, she was speaking to the loyal Trump voters by appealing to their pre-existing cognitive bias. Secondly, narrative researchers have discovered that support for a character can be reinforced when it is perceived that the main character is under attack. Persuasion can be achieved when feelings of resentment are generated towards the antagonists who are causing problems for the main character in the story. This revelation goes along with something I have been saying for a long time. The more the left attacks Trump, the more his loyalists seem to support him. The more unquestionable he becomes in their minds. In theory then, Bondi’s performance was meant to create conflict knowing that it would reinforce support from their most loyal voters.
What does this any of this mean? I have argued for some time that we are the subject of a massive experiment in compliance gaining. Our reactions to media messaging are studied, and the means in which they have gained compliance, are reviewed, refined and perfected. Of course, it isn’t me saying this. Joost Meerloo, in his book The Rape of the Mind, said “that at this very moment, in our country, an elaborate research project into motivation is going on, whose object is to find out why and what the buyer likes to buy. What makes him tick? The aim is to bypass the resistance barriers to the buying public.” This was in the 1950’s. How much have they learned since then? According to some researchers, narrative persuasion, also known as entertainment-education, is an emerging new field in need of deeper inquiry. The extent of this research should, and probably already does, include how the various elements of narrative persuasion, i.e., identification, transportation theory, and emotional connection play a role in individually overcoming the different mechanisms of resistance. Remember, the role of the media is to overcome the psychological barriers to change. If anything is taken from this article at all, it should be that very salient point. Research is being done into how storylines, or narratives, can be used to induce compliance with agendas we may otherwise oppose. There is no reason to believe that researchers would not take this beyond the scope of entertainment programming and apply to it media research as well. What we are witnessing with the Epstein files goes beyond the horrific crimes being revealed. They are examining our responses, verifying research, and seeing how effectively their propaganda has worked on us. Don’t doubt it.
Be on the lookout for my upcoming book on propaganda and persuasion. In the meantime, check out my previous books.
Without a Shot Indeed: Inducing Compliance to Tyranny Through Conditioning and Persuasion.
A Critical Look at CRT in Education, Research and Social Policy, now available in paperback.
