Thread by @elleprovocateur

PR firms prepare 60-80% of global news while 6 media corps control lion's share of global news. [Giants: the Global Power Elite by P Phillips].

Contemplating the sound question "what are they trying to sell me?" is always a legitimate/wise exercise.

If the "ideological protectors of concentrated global capital" wanted you to remain calm - the media, in lockstep, would mirror & amplify this desire. Instead we witness a psychological terror campaign waged against populace - w/ a growing acceptance/demand of fascist measures.

Many of the observations from the 2016 article, "Why We’re Living in the Age of Fear" can be explored in relation to what we bear witness to, at present moment. Our #fear is very easy to #manipulate. "We're #wired to respond to it above everything else"

rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

"The crucial combination of #uncertainty with perception of an escalating #threat has led historically, according to Bader & other researchers, to an increased #desire for #authoritarianism."

"Because when people are unsure – or made to feel unsure – & not in control of the safety of their finances, families, possessions, community or future, their natural inclination is to grasp for #certainty.

This is where a good scapegoat comes in."

#COVID19 as scapegoat.

The resulting "political conservatism, right-wing authoritarianism & conservative shift were generally associated w/ the following: chronically elevated levels of #posttraumatic #stress #disorder & #depression, desire for revenge & #militarism, cynicism & decreased use of humor."

"... through more than 100 studies by researchers all over the world, involving more than 350,000 participants... “People who perceive the world as a more #dangerous place in terms of crime, #disease & #terrorism are more likely to be conservative,"

#EngineeringFascism

"Terror management theory" is "one of the most important ideas in social psychology of the past 3 decades, it is predicated on the notion that as adult human beings, we have a desire to live, yet we know that – at a time and by a cause unknown to us – we are going to die."

To manage this existential anxiety we embrace a cultural worldview. If anything threatens/undermines the protection this worldview provides, according to theory, we will go to great lengths to preserve & defend it.

The Western worldview is founded on white supremacist ideology.

"...other studies have led to a similar & tragic conclusion: After death reminders, people are more antagonistic toward those w/ different beliefs & values... political beliefs shift to support militaristic policies, charismatic nationalists & increased domestic #surveillance."

"... and the message is clear: The biggest thing you have to fear is not a [] shooter or a deadly home invasion.

You are the biggest threat to your own safety."

#BehaviouralScience

"There are countless examples from psychological research of how bad we are at decision-making, responding more to emotional impact than actual facts."

"One of the dangers of probability neglect is that, in the face of a highly visceral event or #fear, Americans are more likely to #accept invasions of #privacy & restrictions of freedom that they otherwise wouldn’t accept, such as the passing of the Patriot Act weeks after 9/11."

"These are the wages of a 24-hour news cycle, regurgitating constant powerful visuals & reminders of our own vulnerability to dangerous forces beyond our control... we have [now] entered an even more extreme cycle of news omnipresence, which values #shareability over #accuracy."

"Instead of having to turn on the TV or radio to see what’s going on, the news comes to us. Between our phones and browsers, most of us are plugged into a #nonstop feed of headlines & opinions that are responsive to our specific interests and #fears."

"... one thing that keeps coming up is the immediacy with which we get the news. This makes it feel more #emotionally charged. We start receiving notifications on our phone as soon as these disasters happen."

"If you look at the cellular level of the prefrontal cortex & [] – the thinking and memory-forming parts of the brain – 'when you're living under constant states of fear & anxiety, you can actually see them shutting down'. They shrink. They wither."

"In the process, attributes such as conscious decision-making, risk-taking, exploratory activity and logical thinking are adversely affected."

#Fear can change our brain circuitry.

Fear affects our behaviour, inclusive of "supporting policies that are against our own interests" & engaging in divisive rhetoric.

"In the wrong hands, this is a playbook that can be used for mass #manipulation and personal power."

2016 closing statement applies today:

"If we are to address the very real & numerous problems facing [] the world today, we must do so without #fear & #anxiety, but with our heads clear & a sense of #compassion for everyone, not just the people who look like or agree with us."