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Have you ever had a friend hit you with
the classic word trap, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" Answer
yes or answer no, and you incriminate yourself. This joke is based
on the technique of using an implicit premise. While it may get a
laugh, it is also used by politicians as more than a joke.
Political manipulation is most effectively
accomplished when you control the framework in which others can
argue and, ultimately, think. For example, if you want to get your
viewpoint accepted without openly debating it, you make it an
assumption, a premise for any other debates. Not only will you win
the public over to your view, but you will effectively exclude the
possibility of any serious opposition.
Suppose many years ago a government wanted
to expand it's power to by having control over what people put in
their bodies. There may have been real debate among the populace as
to whether this is an appropriate function of law or government.
Many may not have wanted such a "war" on drugs, which, after all,
is just a war on people who ingest certain plants or chemicals.
How, then, does the government get the
public to accept such control? By simply presuming that all people
want to see drug use controlled, and arguing only on the basis of
the best way to do that. The politicians and the public can argue
all they want about whether more treatment or stricter laws are
needed. In fact, such argument only strengthens the underlying
premise.
Soon anyone who questions whether there
should be any government involvement in this area is on the
"fringe." They are not allowed in the "serious" debates, because
they don't share this now "obvious" premise. The control of
government over what goes into a person's body is assured, and
it's power to regulate peoples lives in other similar ways is
easily expanded.
As I write this the U.S. government has
held people in prisons for years without charges or access to
attorneys. They claim this is okay because these prisoners are not
citizens. The public accepts this, because the premise has been
firmly established in their minds that "rights" are granted by
governments.
The founders of this country explicitly
stated that rights are inherent in all humans. They fought against
the idea that rights are mere "privileges" bestowed by governments.
However, this second idea has become the basis for all argument
now, and so even the opposition is unable to make logical arguments
against these current violations of human rights. Implicit premises
are a powerful method of control. We should get in the habit of
recognizing the premises hidden in political debate.
Rule Their Language - Rule Their
Thoughts
Another way to politically manipulate is
to carefully choose the labels or words used. For example, social
security is referred to as a "fund" or even a "retirement fund." Of
course, not a penny was ever actually invested in any "fund." The
payments are taken from current tax revenues, so it is a welfare
program, to be more precise.
Welfare, of course, is less acceptable to
the public, so the truth of this pyramid scheme (a much more
accurate label) is hidden behind better labels. You can see how the
words used control the debate. If you are for this kind of "welfare
program," you get get more mileage out of "social security
retirement fund."
Words matter greatly. It might be
politically difficult to get millions of dollars to spend on bombs
designed to cut people to pieces, right? Perhaps that's why they
are called "daisy cutters." Start paying attention, and you'll see
how words are being used to influence and politically influence
you.
About the Author
Copyright Steve Gillman. More about
political manipulation is revealed in Chapter 6 of You Aren't
Supposed To Know - A Book Of Secrets. For information, and a free
"secrets" course, visit:
http://www.TheSecretInformationSite.com
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