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29. Be aware that sociopaths exist. Most of us use language to form connections and figure out what's true; sociopaths don't. They're only ever using it to extract things they want from people. They don't care about truth or connection, they care about using people to get stuff.

30. Understand that propaganda is the single most overlooked and under-discussed aspect of our society. The fact that the ruling class are using domestic psyops to manipulate how the populace thinks, acts and votes should be at the forefront of attention, not some fringe idea.

31. Be suspicious of those who excessively advocate civility, rules and politeness. Manipulators thrive on rules and civility, because they know how to manipulate them. Calls for civility are always anti-populist in nature, designed to keep the many from standing up to the few.

32. See how trust and sympathy are used in manipulation. For someone to believe a narrative, they need to trust its source and have sympathy for its subjects. Once you've spotted a manipulator, kill off all sympathy for them and refuse to be sucked in by their playing victim.

33. Make a practice of asking "Who benefits from this narrative I'm being sold?" and "Who benefits from this belief I have?" Who benefits from your hating China or the Latest Official Bad Guy? Who benefits from the belief that the status quo is acceptable?
caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/07/30/how…

34. Learn the art of perceiving life without the perceptual filter of narrative. Mentally "mute" the narrative soundtrack and watch where all the resources are going, where the weapons are moving to and coming from etc to get a clear picture of the world.
caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/11/08/lif…

35. Whenever the mass media begin declaring that some dastardly deed has been committed which requires immediate military action, your default assumption should be that they're lying, because they've got an extensively documented history of doing so.

36. Dismiss all Latest Official Bad Guy narratives. The only ones who benefit from you hating a foreign government are the powerful people who are targeting that government and seeking to manufacture support for future actions against it. Don't be a pro bono CIA propagandist.

37. Be acutely aware that the only reason the status quo is accepted as "normal", and its defenders regarded as "moderate", is because vast fortunes are poured into making it seem that way. If we could see this world with fresh eyes, we'd scream in horror.
caitlinjohnstone.com/2019/08/15/man…