Friend of the show and frequent guest Jon Atack joins me once again for a wide ranging discussion. We start off by talking about Scientology’s launch of their television channel. Jon and I watch a little bit of Scientology TV live on the air and comment on it. We talk about the stupidity of launching the a media platform this late in the game, and comment on David Miscavige’s increasingly manikin like face. We then move onto a discussion of Jon’s book Opening Minds: The Secret World of Manipulation, Undue Influence and Brainwashing. Jon starts off by talking about why he decided to write the book and why he choose to cover the topics involved. Jon and I discuss how Opening Minds deals less with cults such as Scientology or the Moonies, and more with how the human actually works, and why we are so susceptible to undue influence. We talk about how our minds are conditioned from a very young age to be obedient to authority, and how this can lead us into very toxic relationships and situations. Jon and I use the Louise Ogborn strip search phone call scam case as an example. Later Jon and I discuss the loaded term hypnosis and how most people experience some form of hypnotic or altered state throughout their daily life. Jon also talks about how salesman use these tactics in order to make you buy whatever product there are hocking.
In the second hour Jon and I explore the cult like realities of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and salafi cults like Hizb ut-Tahrir. Later we explore the notion of aversion and how that is one of the strongest factors at play in the formation and devotion to a high control group. We talk about aversion as it pertains to racist cults like the Aryan Brotherhood or even the KKK. Jon and I discuss how we have become a society that unites around our aversion. As a society we would rather unite over what we mutually hate rather than a positive ideal. Jon and I talk about the effect this is having and why this opens us up to manipulation, particularly when it comes to the political and economic elite. Later Jon and I discuss the deteriorating political climate that we are in. We touch on the fact that the bar has been lowered to such a level where we now fully accept that politics is entirely corrupt from top to bottom. Jon and I finish by teasing our new exclusive podcast series for the Open Minds Foundation.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/rub2w99743g2c7t/Porkins_Policy_Radio_episode_135_Jon_Atack_on_Opening_Minds%2C_power_of_aversion%2C_and_the_danger_of_obedience.mp3
Download PPR episode 135
Show Notes:
Open Minds Foundation
Opening Minds: The Secret World of Manipulation, Undue Influence and Brainwashing
Strip search phone call scam
Institute for Propaganda Analysis
Hizb ut-Tahrir
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