I posted this in September 2013, but
current events in the United States make me think I should re-post. The people of the United States have a very tough decision to make next Tuesday, and while the world watches, my hope is that people can see through the BS on both sides and sort out what the truth is for them.
When you read,
watch or listen to the election rhetoric, it may help to see how many of these techniques
they use to see how each side suppress the truth.
Note: The first ten rules are generally not directly within the ability
of the traditional disinformation artist to apply. These rules are generally
used more directly by those at the leadership, or the key players.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know, don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing
key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as
being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as
the 'How dare you!' gambit.
3. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps
a variant of the 'play dumb' rule. Regardless of what material may be presented
by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof
that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his
disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld,
such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may
be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as
valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements
made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
4. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts
or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations -- as
useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best
when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot
be easily separated from the fabrications.
5. Manufacture
a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence
existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social
research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually
address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
6. Create bigger distractions. If the above
does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted
media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories
(or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
7. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail,
consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that
the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest
and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of blackmail
information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely
damaging their health.
8. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise
overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues,
vacate the kitchen. .
9. Use a straw
man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make
yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may
safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation,
or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance
and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated
alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
10. Question
motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the
opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing
issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
11. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing
all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations.
Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method
which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public
can learn of the facts are through such 'arguable rumors'. If you can associate
the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a 'wild rumor' from
a 'bunch of kids on the Internet' which can have no basis in fact.
12. Call a Grand
Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the
(process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without
open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret
when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can
insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and
unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the
matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to
find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking
to frame a victim.
13. Sidetrack
opponents with name calling and ridicule. This is also
known as the primary 'attack the messenger’. Associate opponents with unpopular
titles such as 'kooks', 'right-wing', 'liberal', 'left-wing', 'terrorists', 'conspiracy
buffs', 'radicals', 'militia', 'racists', 'religious fanatics', 'sexual deviates',
and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same
label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
14. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief
attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an
answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in
Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities
can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning -- simply make
an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any
subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.
15. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself
or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough 'jargon'
and 'minutia' to illustrate you are 'one who knows', and simply say it isn't so
without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
16. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical
argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility,
make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support
a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
17. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative
of the straw man -- usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone
will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with - a kind
of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where
it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt
with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless
of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original
charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues
-- so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
18. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor
matter or element of the facts, take the 'high road' and 'confess' with candor that
some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made -- but that opponents have seized
on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities
which, 'just isn't so.' Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even
publicly 'call for an end to the nonsense' because you have already 'done the right
thing.' Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for 'coming clean' and
'owning up' to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
19. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon
the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players
and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise
following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address
the actual issues.
20. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion
of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic which forbears
any actual material fact.
21. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the
issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which
works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
22. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires
creative thinking unless the crime was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
23. Vanish evidence and witnesses. If it does
not exist, it is not fact, and you won't have to address the issue.
24. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one
of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive
or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable
topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over
the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more
key issues.
25. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't
do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses
which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render
their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues
in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue,
you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how 'sensitive they are to
criticism.'
Note: There are other ways to attack truth, but these listed are the
most common, and others are likely derivatives of these.
The above was built upon Thirteen Techniques for Truth Suppression by David Martin, and written by H. Michael Sweeney the above may be useful to the initiate in the world of dealing with veiled and half-truth, lies, and suppression of truth in public forums. This, sadly, includes every day news media, one of the worst offenders with respect to being a source of disinformation.
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