Health is being rented

The modern medical system is over-focused on symptom management and too often does not address underlying dysfunction. Over time symptom management can lead to the underlying dysfunction causing chronic degenerative damage. That prescription pad with the medication renewal every 3-6 months may have seemed helpful at the time, yet it may have been hiding your body’s cries for real help.

Many medications are prescribed instead of restoring good magnesium balance. Magnesium is essential for protecting cells from excess calcium, which can over-activate cells to the point of cell death. Our bodies can do a lot – when well nourished. Our own immune system can remove virus and other pathogens if we have enough magnesium and other nutrients. Medications might assist the body – but the body probably still needs to be able to function in order to benefit from the medication.

Magnesium and many other essential nutrients have been dismissed or even suppressed for use as a treatment for Covid19.

Vitamin D deficiency has been proven to be a very significant risk factor for who is more likely to get severely ill or die from a SARS-CoV-2 infection. People with levels of 25-D below ~ 33 were most likely to be severely ill and below ~ 20 were more likely to die. This seems to me to be valuable information to share with the public. Full spectrum sunlight or grow lamp for about a half hour per day may help the body even more than a vitamin D supplement, however supplements can help too. A moderate dose taken in advance of an infection, regularly, was found most effective for preventing respiratory infections, compared to a megadose taken after an infection was already present.

High dose vitamin C given intravenously or by liposomal vitamin C supplements can help reduce and repair damaging chemicals produced in an overactive immune response – a cytokine storm. The FDA stopped use of Intravenous Vit. C early in the Covid19 outbreak. Why? It has had a lot of study for cytokine storm/sepsis and has had little risks, is very available and inexpensive. About 15% of the population genetically are at greater risk for having a cytokine storm excessive response to any severe infection or vaccination challenge to the immune system. A sensible health care system would screen out those people and not challenge their immune system with ‘preventive’ injections of antigens and adjuvents – and/or would be ready to quickly provide the intravenous vitamin C treatment and stop the cytokine storm from causing organ damage or death.

Sensible does not seem to exist in the modern medical system. Patient self advocacy may now be critically, life saving-ly, important to individuals.

Dr. Peter Fleming has provided a thorough analysis of the COVID19 pandemic response and the fraudulent numbers that people are being given as “informed consent” information.

  • Dr. Peter Fleming, Live from Event 2021 in Dallas, Texas, (thehighwire.com)

Just because nutrients and foods are inexpensive, readily available, and effective – doesn’t mean they are bad for you, only bad for a profit margin or a goal of ill health — or death.

Seriously, a half million people are dead in the US and 80% of them were vitamin D deficient – why aren’t we being told to take vitamin D supplements or get adequate sunshine – if health is truly the goal?

Be an owner of your own health.

Lucky, lucky, Dominican Republic – why are their deaths so much lower? They used Ivermectin for early treatment for SARS-CoV2.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individualized health care guidance. Please see an individual health care provider for individual health care services.

Health is a commodity – oh, wait, Illness is – no, Public attention is a commodity.

In a neoliberal society health, illness, and public attention are all commodities – items for businesses to make a profit from. Neoliberal is a fancy word that sounds progressive but it was marketing, image oriented and misleading on purpose. It refers to in reality policies and regulations that help assure that consumers will only be able to buy from certain approved companies, whether private or publicly owned. Public attention may be the most valuable because with it, products or messaging can be promoted and repeated as often as needed to encourage the majority to buy into the trend.

Media manipulation and control is important to totalitarian takeover because the nation’s people do outnumber the dictator and staff/military/etc., however they may not outnumber the dictator’s ability to imprison or kill. The larger number of people might get upset though at obvious unfairness by police and military or dictators, so a subtle takeover that seems to be for their welfare – much easier, smooth sailing even when the press is already in your pocket.

  • LearnfromEurope.org is a website created during the 2016 election as a warning or guidance from those who lived through a transition to totalitarianism. (learnfromeurope.org)
  • #3: Through convoluted laws and threats they will try to control mainstream media and limit press freedom. They will ban critical press from their briefings, calling them “liars”, “fake news”. They will brand those media as “unpatriotic”, acting against the People (see point 2). Fight for every media outlet, every journalist that is being banned, censored, sacked or labelled an “enemy of the state” – there’s no hope for freedom where there is no free press. (learnfromeurope.org)

Today provided an unfortunate example of manipulative media and manipulative gotcha traps used for political or agenda controlling purposes: Author Naomi Wolf gets duped into Tweeting out fake anti-vaxxer quote from porn star. (1) Someone sent a faked quote to a journalist who has been speaking out about the real science regarding COVID19 as an aerosolized virus, and the unknown risks of the experimental gene treatments. The quote itself is merely a question that is not untrue. The attribution is false claiming to be a doctor pictured in the image. The person in the image is an adult industry movie star, aka a porn star. (1)

Today the journalist’s social media account was suspended and the article was shared as a possible reason, for maybe violating the site’s stringent vaccine information policy, however the article predates today’s suspension. The article did work as clickbait – clickable titles to get more viewers of advertisements on a website, to read more about the sensationalized headline.

The title alone is manipulative in the use of ‘anti-vaxxer’ – a term used to discredit anyone interested in more investigation into the safety of vaccines and the schedule of numerous shots for young children.

The title is also potentially adding more untrue assumptions about what happened in implying that the faked quote image was truly sent by the person in the photo that was used for the quote meme. Anyone can set up a fake name account and send images that are publicly available or which might have been a screenshot from a publicly available video.

Anything ‘porn’ might be used in an attempt to smear someone, link them to something viewed negatively. That negative image is built up and added to daily by the manipulative media. Sex sells, so it is a commodity, not something natural and healthy, something to incite fear about because fear also sells, so sexy fear -> double the sales maybe! Advertisers sell with fear – fit in with the crowd, don’t have offensive body odor, throw out last year’s fashion or people will think you look old-fashioned. Control of a commodity, limiting the availability of something drives up the price and profit potential.

Statement from the journalist who was suspended from a social media platform:

STATEMENT FROM NAOMI WOLF RE ACCOUNT SUSPENSION:

“Hi friends and colleagues, I was suspended on Twitter for trying to post a two minute video in which I read verbatim a press release from State Sen Kim Thatcher’s (R-OR) office about SB 872, her bill to ban vaccine passports and mask mandates in Oregon. While news of my suspension is trending on Twitter, news outlets are generally omitting the reason. Can you please post a statement about this, in support of freedom of speech and civic transparency?

This is the text I read that got me banned from Twitter. Please include it. It’s un-American, generally illiberal, and a very dangerous precedent, to censor civic engagement. Thank you, friends and colleagues. Yours, Naomi”

(oregonlegislature.gov)/ via (@BrianOSheaSPI)

Rentier Economy & the commodification of sexuality.

Breaking up traditional family structures, disempowering women, and increasing any kind of divisions between people are all tactics in authoritarian takeover of a once free society.

By making something saleable and controlling who can sell it, you are also controlling who can get rich. Turns out prostitution isn’t really that legal in Nevada, more so, brothel ownership was legalized, while workers have limited freedom in some ways and are being used to make the brothel owner rich.

The U.S., per economist, Michael Hudson, has become a rentier economy instead of a productive one, (previous post), and that trend extends to much of the modern global marketplace. Another macroeconomist, Michel Chossudovsky, is also concerned that the COVID19 illness has been dramatized and used to shift even more of the economy away from small businesses, making it illegal for them to be open, and towards the big conglomerates. (2, 3) Catherine Austin Fitts shared that concern as well – and added that the riots after George Floyd’s public murder by policeman seemed to be located (allowed) in areas involved in the financial sector and that it seemed like a purposeful move to devalue real estate for later purchase en masse at bankruptcy type prices. (another post)

In a rentier society, the majority of business profit is being made from renting a product or service/labor of another person or business, instead of producing a product or directly providing the service.

China and Vietnam won’t ever drop their industrial economy because it is antithetical to Marxism. And many capitalist economists and Hillary Clinton recently admitted that Marx was right on the part where a realistic economy (manufacturing real physical goods!) is more crucial than a rentier financial economy.” – Olala(金龙)  @olalakl1·Jun 1

Producing a good or service leaves a product with value, collateral in a banking sense, while renting something leaves the renter with no property after the end of the leased time.

Women’s work as the main caregivers of children, disabled and elderly people, is often unpaid and not counted in the economic value of a nation. Gross Domestic Product, GDP, is used to compare the economies of different nations, yet it only counts taxable profit on whatever the nation produces. Care of children in a daycare center adds to that national GDP number, while unpaid care within family homes does not count, though it is reducing the monetary earning capacity of the household. (book summary post)

Females historically have had to fight for the right to own property rather than be considered the property of a man. In modern times in most places women have more rights now but the invisible nature of caregiving and female sexuality still exists, yet may still be used to make profit for someone else – rented sexuality. Humans benefit and need touch and affection. It increases beneficial mood chemicals and pain killing endorphins in addition to increasing immune function. Some people enjoy it too.

Human trafficking awareness tends to focus on people or children trafficked for sex, however many dangerous jobs may use trafficked laborers. Human Trafficking – a worker’s rights problem – (post with hotline numbers).

Brothel owners are renters, while the sex worker is the producer of sexual health services. The brothel owner is renting space, if the worker is being trafficked without freedom, rights, or their own earnings, the brothel owner is also renting the work of a slave laborer. Rentier economy example: Nevada legalized brothel ownership, while independent sex work by an individual is still illegal. (4) Sexual health is an important part of health, and is a need. And males may need sexual release in a way that females may not, however that doesn’t mean there is a right to force that need on someone else.

Decriminalization of some sort led to a significant drop in complaint calls to the police about people on the sidewalks. If something isn’t called illegal-bad, then maybe it isn’t bad? Some people may get a thrill or feel good about reporting people for breaking rules – so the rules need to be well designed.

Devaluing the actual physical act of sexuality seems to be part of the capitalization of sexuality, along with over-emphasizing the dream relationship of high school sweethearts happily married and now great grandparents. The dream relationship narrative adds an element of unattainability to sexuality, which always increases the price of something. Now everyone wants that dream – that they know they probably won’t get -, but they will wait for it, instead of enjoying the here and now with someone who seemed friendly and nice but not quite that elusive struck by lightening perfect person that the media myths told me that I would recognize instantly.

It probably doesn’t work that way. More likely, friendly and nice may grow into love, given more time to get to know someone well, and now I can’t stop thinking about them and I get a silly smile whenever that happens too. OH, was that the lightening bolt?

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare

Globalization seems like a good thing, more work for poor nations? But what if it is at the expense of the environment and small businesses? What if it keeps wages lower across regions, or the world?

We all need a lightening bolt to wake up and recognize that being productive ourselves is better than renting an economy from someone else – someone who may be living in a foreign nation in miserable conditions making tennis shoes for a sport they will never play, or picking cocoa beans for a candy they will never taste.

Years ago when there was a devastating factory accident at a garment making business I wrote a series about the event and the globalization of the garment industry. My grandmother was a seamstress in the garment industry – in the U.S. around the time of the flappers of the Roaring Twenties – before the economic crash.

An excerpt:

My grandma had a lot more patience than me. She earned seven dollars per week for a few years working Monday through Friday plus a half day on Saturdays sometime around 1925. And in 1985 I earned the U.S. minimum wage of ~ $3.75 an hour / $150 per week sewing futon covers. In 2013 garment workers in Bangladesh are being paid only a little more money (~$38 per month) than my grandma earned in 1925 ($28 per four weeks) and importers can purchase a t-shirt for as little as $1.68 each. That doesn’t seem right to me.” (Series of posts, 2013)

It is not right that it would cost me more to buy just a spool of thread for a sewing project, then it is to buy a T-shirt that someone else took the time to make. It is not right that globalization means that clothing is still being made for less than a dollar an hour wages. The U.S. call for an increase in minimum wage is valid, however, we need an increase in the global minimum wage also.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Reference List

  1. Ken Meyer, Author Naomi Wolf Gets Duped Into Tweeting Out Fake Anti-Vaxxer Quote From Porn Star. March 21, 2021, mediaite.com, https://www.mediaite.com/online/author-naomi-wolf-gets-duped-into-tweeting-out-fake-anti-vaxxer-quote-from-porn-star/
  2. Taylor Hudak, Michel Chossudovsky Interview – Engineered Destabilization Of The Global Economy & The “Reimagining”. May 16, 2021, https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/michel-chossudovsky-interview-engineered-destabilization-global-economy-reimagining/
  3. Michel Chossudovsky, The Globalization of Poverty and the New World Order. 2nd Ed. https://fdocuments.in/document/michel-chossudovsky-the-globalization-of-poverty-andnew-world-order.html http://www.gbv.de/dms/zbw/48905756X.pdf *insecure
  4. Las Vegas Nevada Prostitution & Solicitation Laws, shouselaw.com, https://www.shouselaw.com/nv/defense/laws/solicitation-of-prostitution/

Garment Workers, Bangladesh

Title: In Memory (May 10, 2013)
Bad news and sad news can make it hard to find words. Being rendered speechless seemed like just a cliche term until recently. I turned to trees and symbols of freedom for comfort when words hurt too much to say. Emotions can be overwhelming.I am glad that the Tsarnaev brothers were caught in Boston before they could destroy more lives and property. I’m glad that our traditions and spirit weren’t destroyed. Marathoners have stamina.
I am glad that so many people were rescued alive from the factory that collapsed in Bangladesh on April 24th. One survivor was found after seventeen days, dehydrated but unhurt. She was able to move around but was trapped in a section of the second floor that hadn’t completely collapsed. Some dry snack food and bottled water in the area helped her survive that long. She banged on the wall whenever she could hear rescue workers nearby and eventually was heard and rescued, a miracle for the sad workers and crowd of family and friends.
. . . So garment workers and people from Boston are tough.

Title:  Garment workers in Bangladesh now have the right to form unions (May 14, 2013)
/Update/ The woman who was found after seventeen days trapped in the collapsed garment factory is doing well in a hospital. A video with a statement from her can be viewed on the Guardian website. She mentions that she had two bottles of water but no food. The worker who heard the banging noise also speaks later in the video.

Protests have been held in Bangladesh about working conditions since the factory collapse on April 24th. Workers will have something to cheer about. The government of Bangladesh passed legislation Monday, May 12, that will allow garment workers to form unions without requiring the permission of the business owners. Other industries in Bangladesh have unions but the garment industry has resisted the change.
On Sunday, May 11th, a minimum wage board was established by the Bangladesh government

Don’t need a union? Ask the girls in Bangladesh!
(12/11/12)

with plans to publish recommendations about pay raises in three months. Four million garment workers could benefit from a pay raise. Currently workers earn about 3000 takas per month (25 pounds / 38 dollars) which includes an 80% increase that was made after worker protests in 2010. [Guardian.co.uk]

Enforcing safe building regulations is also important. Since 2005 there have been at least 1800 worker deaths from fires or building collapse in the Bangladesh garment industry according to research by the International Labor Relations Forum. A factory fire in November 2012 caused the death of 112 people. A protest sign seen at a worker’s rights rally in the U.S. had photos of that tragedy and a statement reminding us that unions have helped make workplaces safer.
Good air filtration would be important to help reduce risk of fire. Fabric is flammable and so is dust in the air created when cutting fabric or thread. Fabric dust may have dyes and formaldehyde that can make workers sick. A 2006 guide from hesperian.org called “Work Dangers, Ventilation for fresh, clean air,” describes how workers in Mexico organized and got ventilation (p 99) and needle guards (p 121) for their sewing machines. The draft Hesperian Health Guide also discusses overcrowding and evacuation concerns. Locked doors increased casualties in the November 2012 fire.
The combined vibrations of industrial machines can cause the building floors to vibrate and risk collapse. Shock absorbing devices under the equipment might help reduce vibrations from being amplified throughout the floor. Lack of load bearing supports and overly heavy equipment would add to the risk of collapse. Generators that were too heavy for the building may have triggered the factory collapse on April 24th. Over 2500 people were saved, though many with severe injuries, and 1127 people died in the tragedy.

Title: Disclosure: My grandma was a garment worker (May 17, 2013)
The garment factory where my grandmother worked when she was young produced pants in the 1920’s. It later converted to producing dresses and closed a few decades ago. We visited the outlet shop of the dress factory occasionally when I was young. It was fun to sort through the assortment of fabric remnants and leftover lace trim and ribbons.

Needlework was a skill I learned but wasn’t that good at. My grandma made stuffed animals and quilts and had more custom outfits than fit in her closet. She enjoyed sewing in a way that I couldn’t quite. Guiding the fabric through the machine without puckers takes dexterity and patience. Pillowcases and rectangular things are easier than collars and fitted garments.

Futon maker was one of my jobs during college. Futon mattresses are rectangular so I did okay. The cotton batting smelled wonderful but the air in the warehouse did seem a little thick with the fragrance. The skills I learned also earned a discount bed because I was allowed to buy the materials at cost. Assembling the layers at home was not as easy as my coworkers had made it look though. I just sewed the fabric covers – for hours – I found a new job fairly soon that didn’t involve bending over a sewing machine.
My grandma had a lot more patience than me. She earned seven dollars per week for a few years working Monday through Friday plus a half day on Saturdays sometime around 1925. And in 1985 I earned the U.S. minimum wage of ~ $3.75 an hour / $150 per week sewing futon covers. In 2013 garment workers in Bangladesh are being paid only a little more money (~$38 per month) than my grandma earned in 1925 ($28 per four weeks) and importers can purchase a t-shirt for as little as $1.68 each. That doesn’t seem right to me.
The fabric and thread for a shirt would cost more than $1.68 at a fabric store whether you sewed the shirt yourself or hired someone. Costs are saved on large scale production by buying in bulk and using assembly line techniques. No one individual makes one whole shirt but the team makes many shirts more rapidly. Each worker can focus on repeating one step of the task very quickly. Workers might just sew sleeves or necklines with pieces that had been assembled and cut by others saving time on transitions between tools and work areas. But all workers deserve reasonable pay and safe working conditions whether sewing sleeves, pants, or futon covers.
  • In Bangladesh, Good and Bad Conditions: Davidson, “…$1.68″~ 3:50sec: Video – Bloomberg.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Mass psychosis & totalitarian takeover.

Totalitarian or dictator takeover of societies has occurred in many places and repetitive re-‘education’ of the public usually is part of the process. By causing extreme fear, and then some calm, and then more extreme fear, some more calm, etcetera, the public is lulled into believing that there is extreme danger and only the totalitarian brain washer is in a position to be able to ‘protect’ the public – create a villain or danger, so the savior can heroically step in and save the day. Note – the danger was created by the “savior” – so is the savior really heroic? or a manipulative abuser?

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders…tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
— Hermann Goring, (a Nazi) (ref)

Sections:

  • Parallel societies or isolated individuals can help guide others out of the mass psychosis – group think.
  • Isolation & Repetition – tactics for promoting a behavior change – in mind control, or animal training.
  • Question our messaging: Sitting is bad for our backs – we should squat more, continuing the natural position from our early childhood into a more flexible and physically fit adulthood.
  • Nations can also be isolated – trade & peace are partners that war disrupts.
  • Group-think – an instinctual desire to fit in with everyone else – is also a tool of totalitarian takeover – shift the public to be accepting of the ‘savior’ – who may be an authoritarian leader trying to become the next dictator.
  • Excerpts from the letter written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to personal friends during the rise of Hitler in Germany.
  • Tolerance that demands specific types of behavior – is no longer tolerant.
  • Instincts and pheromones can affect our behavior in ways our rational mind might try to rationalize – but it is wordless subconscious behavior patterns – not rational – reactions to the environment or internal chemistry.
  • Learned helplessness – the way out is hope that there is a different way.

Parallel societies or isolated individuals can help guide others out of the mass psychosis – group think.

Parallel societies – individuals or groups that have not given in to the repetitive brain washing – can help lead the way out for others, who did get caught up in the fear inducing messages and the idea that the false ‘savior’ really was going to save the day – but it never seems to get much better.

  • The Manufacturing of a Mass Psychosis – Can Sanity Return to an Insane World?, video by Academy of Ideas. (6)
  • The Mass Psychosis and the Demons of Dostoevsky, video by Academy of Ideas. (7) Dostoevsky uses the word demon to represent any wrong idea that possesses a person whether it is a personal idea, something race or other stereotype based, or the elitism of special treatment for some compared to all, a common step preceding totalitarianism. Those in power deserve it and the common people don’t for some reason. In modern society celebrity status and those approved by media as popular, have been deemed deserving of more money and attention. Reality shows with a Vote-Them-Off element have been teaching society that some deserve more and others deserve none. Sacrifice of people was more common in religions in more unequal societies over the course of history.
  • How the “Greater Good” is Used as a Tool of Social Control, video by Academy of Ideas. (11)
  • None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (11)
  • The common good before the individual good.” – Adolf Hitler. (11)
  • …behind the Iron Curtain the most prominent complaint in the totalitarian system was the feeling of mental isolation. The individual feels alone and continually on the alert. There is only mutual suspicion.” – Joost Meerloo (11)
  • I rebel, therefore we exist.” – Albert Camus (11)

Isolation & Repetition – tactics for promoting a behavior change – in mind control, or animal training.

Isolating people or animals makes the repetitive messaging more likely to lead to behavior change – the messaging becomes a habit type pattern within the brain, whether a habit of belief or action -> stay six feet away from everyone, wash your hands or use skin-damaging hand sanitizer, and wear a face mask against droplets even though it turns out that the risk is an aerosolized particle. Isolating and fear inducing, have been more than proven to be effective for changing public opinion and individual behavior.

Good ventilation or bright sunlight levels of UV light can help reduce risk from an aerosolized pathogen – or a full Hazmat type suit with a filtered/ventilated breathing device. Plexiglass shields and six foot distance guidance is only protective against pathogens that can survive in larger respiratory droplets.

Sitting is bad for our backs – we should squat more, continuing the natural position from our early childhood into a more flexible and physically fit adulthood.

Just because we are told something over and over, possibly from early childhood onward, does not mean it is true – it may just be a common custom of the current society. Sitting is an example. Modern society sits too much and makes children and adults sit still for too many hours of their day. It is bad for our backs. Children are just less likely to have back pain until later in their lives.

  • Why Sitting Down Destroys You [your spine & health], Roger Frampton, TEDxLeamingtonSpa, (8).

Yes, I am now standing, while typing, with my laptop on a counter. Sitting does make my back hurt. / Tangent – a mixture of some sitting desk time and some standing desk time may be better than either one or the other exclusively – variety of movement and counterbalancing use of opposite sets of muscles helps our body stay evenly flexible. Modern life leans our shoulders forward too much and it can help the back to do exercises that strengthen the reverse motion – arching backward, arm circles overhead or out to the side or towards the back.

Benefit of early childhood trauma – I still move like a child, never stopped. My shoulders shake when I laugh which I was told is a symptom of a personality disorder, nonspecific type. Oh. Should I stop laughing? Or laugh a little harder? >B

Nations can also be isolated – trade & peace are partners that war disrupts.

Isolating a nation from trade is also a negative – peace and prosperity for nations often includes a positive trade economy – which in turn helps promote maintaining the peace. Declare war and the peaceful trade ends and the businesses and workers involved suffer. Totalitarian takeover often includes isolating citizens and the nation.

We should beware of the demagogues who are willing to declare a trade war against our friends, weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world, all while cynically waving the American flag.” – Ronald Reagan

Group-think – an instinctual desire to fit in with everyone else – is also a tool of totalitarian takeover – shift the public to be accepting of the ‘savior’ – who may be an authoritarian leader trying to become the next dictator.

I would like to see a world where nobody cared what anybody else was doing – in which … group-think … disappeared.” – Glenn Gould

Keeping up with the Jones” – having the fancy lawn furniture that the neighbors have – to show you are just as good as they are – is not an uncommon tendency. Capitalism and advertising make oodles of money by subtly tapping into that deep down desire to fit in with the neighbors, or coworkers, or school mates. The tendency can lead to people doing things they would not normally do – my peers are doing that, I should probably be brave and try it too.

– Well no, been there, done that, got the harsh lesson. If your common sense is saying, Wait a minute, then pause and listen. Our subconscious mind includes brain cell type sensation in our gut and our heart – so those butterflies in the tummy might be nerves about giving a speech or about a person you just met who seems untrustworthy.

Groupthink: “Risk-taking is common, and the lack of creativity and independent thinking have negative personal and political implications for both group members and outsiders. Groupthink decisions rarely have successful outcomes.” (5)

The emotions of a group can also build up and intensify for each other so the whole crowd becomes more excited, or enraged, or sexually stimulated. Some ancient taboos may be to prevent the potential dangers of an overstimulated crowd. Children are also instinctually protected from sexual material which also has basis in physiology. Early exposure to sexual material or activity can modify a child’s development and may lead to earlier development and a greater interest in sexuality and/or unusual quirks, or may lead to inhibition and a reduced interest in sexuality or fear of it. Pheromones are involved and they can affect our gene expression – which genes are active – which will be discussed in another post.

Parallel societies or individuals – those who stay separate from the emotions and messaging of the group think/mass psychosis, can help guide others to see the truth again. An individual observed this happening around him, during the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party in Germany, and he wrote a letter to a couple personal friends about his concerns – thanks to Dietrich Bonhoeffer for sharing his wisdom then and now.

Excerpts from the letter written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to personal friends during the rise of Hitler in Germany.

[…] “We note further that people who have isolated themselves from others or who lives in solitude manifest this defect less frequently than individuals or groups of people inclined or condemned to sociability. And so it would seem that stupidity is perhaps less a psychological than a sociological problem. It is a particular form of the impact of historical circumstances on human beings, a psychological concomitant of certain external conditions. Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or of a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. It would even seem that this is virtually a sociological-psychological law. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.” […]

The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with a person, but with slogans, catchwords and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings.

Yet at this very point it becomes quite clear that only an act of liberation, not instruction, can overcome stupidity. Here we must come to terms with the fact that in must cases a genuine internal liberation becomes possible only when external liberation has preceded it. Until then we must abandon all attempts to convince the stupid person. This state of affairs explains why in such circumstances our attempts to know what ‘the people’ really think are in vain and why, under these circumstances, this question is so irrelevant for the person who is thinking and acting responsibly. “[…] – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer turned out to be correct – the people of Germany did have to be liberated – by the Allied forces at the end of World War II.

Tolerance that demands specific types of behavior – is no longer tolerant.

Being more tolerant of others is a noble idea, yet forcing tolerance of one standard instead of accepting differences is also an intolerant attitude.

Having a group identity based on having the latest acquisitions is intolerant of different values. It is also exclusionary of those with less money and ability to afford the visible signs of group identity (the latest fashion or insider group look, or brand of electronic gear, fancy watch or car). It is instinctual to want to try to fit in with the crowd, not stand out to a predator maybe, or not stand out to the crowd in case they get upset with you and become dangerous.

We are more similar than different, in ways beyond the red color of our blood.

Instincts and pheromones can affect our behavior in ways our rational mind might try to rationalize – but it is wordless subconscious behavior patterns – not rational – reactions to the environment or internal chemistry.

Humans have instincts that date back to our cellular life forms – we like warmth and sunlight and our skin sense it. Behavior patterns based on instincts and that can be initiated by odors can get a lot more complex than enjoying sunbathing. (2, 3, 4) More about instincts we have in common with other species and humans around the world: 7.7 Our instincts may be based in actions learned by more distant relatives. (12)

Responses are automatic (e.g. ‘innate’) because food odors and pheromones are the most relevant of all sensory signals to survival.” (2)

Love struck” – “crazy in love” – “spring fever” – “love sick” – that love at first sight feeling may also involve odor – our pheromones – our natural scent if we don’t use perfumed body products. Infants will recognize their mother’s odor over another woman’s scent (and suckle faster at a bottle).

Maybe to a less crazy extent, spring fever might lead to picking strawberries for so long that you don’t notice you also got a bad sunburn. Odor memories are possible – I see an image of lilacs and will also get a hint of the fragrance in my mind. The scent of violets and other flowers includes an odor chemical that can signal our skin’s melanin cells to make more melanin – and protect us from that sunburn. Take home to the garden note – plant flowers in your sun bathing area. (Podcast episode: Forgiveness – the scent of violets)

During societal times of stress, whether a natural disaster or economic or political issue, people as individuals may be more likely to snap – ‘run amok’. Originally running amok was a medical diagnosis for someone who suddenly seemed to go mad and start harming people or things. (13) Today we have mass shooters – and a lot of violent media that portrays some positively and some negatively. When individuals or groups are marginalized others observing become hopeless and may be more likely to act out in some way. (14)

Learned helplessness – the way out is hope that there is a different way.

Learned helplessness is a goal of authoritarian control – a victim that is so fearful and obedient that they wouldn’t attempt to escape if given the chance.

How do we snap out of the stress and fear and seeming manipulative media? One person at a time – me or you – starting to pay more attention and to start talking about other things. We need more standouts and to build a parallel society to welcome a diverse group of others – not one political party or another – anyone who is aware that our freedom seems to be for sale now.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Bonus example world: News from Nowhere, 1984, by B. F. Skinner. Spoiler – George Orwell faked his own death and has some stories to share with us – a good person to listen to. (9)

Double bonus, building your own inner world guidance: Carl Jung’s Method of Self-Development – The Path of Individuation, (10) Recognizing our own flaws and strengths is an important step on the path of individuation – becoming fully ourselves. Suffering may still exist, but with a sense of personal enjoyment in life and our goals, we can put up with stressors as more of a challenge rather than an overwhelming burden. Life is unfair, step up anyway.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Reference List

  1. Bonhoeffer on stupidity – entire quote, religiousgrounds.wordpress.com, https://religiousgrounds.wordpress.com/2016/05/11/bonhoeffer-on-stupidity-entire-quote/
  2. Kohl JV. Nutrient-dependent/pheromone-controlled adaptive evolution: a model. Socioaffect Neurosci Psychol. 2013;3:20553. Published 2013 Jun 14. doi:10.3402/snp.v3i0.20553 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3960065/
  3. Kohl JV. Nutrient-dependent Pheromone-Controlled Ecological Adaptations: From Angstroms to Ecosystems. J Genetics & DNA Research https://www.hilarispublisher.com/abstract/nutrientdependent-pheromonecontrolled-ecological-adaptations-from-angstroms-to-ecosystems-24761.html
  4. Subbaraman, N. Past 5,000 years prolific for changes to human genome. Nature (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2012.11912 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2012.11912
  5. Group-think, psychologytoday.com, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/groupthink
  6. Academy of Ideas, The Manufacturing of a Mass Psychosis – Can Sanity Return to an Insane World?, April 24, 2021, youtube.com, https://youtu.be/fdzW-S8Mwbl
  7. Academy of Ideas, The Mass Psychosis and the Demons of Dostoevsky, March 31, 2021, youtube.com, https://youtu.be/QFie-UCFV_s
  8. Roger Frampton, Why Sitting Down Destroys You [your spine & health], TEDxLeamingtonSpa https://youtu.be/jOJLx4Du3vU
  9. B.F. Skinner, News from Nowhere, 1984, Harvard U. the Behavior Analyst, No. 1, (Spring) 1985, 8, 5-14, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2741768/pdf/behavan00064-0007.pdf
  10. Academy of Ideas, Carl Jung’s Method of Self-Development – The Path of Individuation. May 19, 2021, youtube.com, https://youtu.be/Vx_60kIXLIU
  11. Academy of Ideas, How the “Greater Good” is Used as a Tool of Social Control. Sept 22, 2020, youtube.com, https://youtu.be/gvPKTVK10JE
  12. Depew J, 7.7 Our instincts may be based in actions learned by more distant relatives. Instinct & Policy: Effective Care & Best Practices for Promoting Health and Preventing Harassment & Discrimination. effectivecare.info, (12)
  13. Depew J. 9.4: “Running amok,” “going postal,” or “a red stapler” moment. Instinct & Policy: Effective Care & Best Practices for Promoting Health and Preventing Harassment & Discrimination. effectivecare.info, https://effectivecare.info/9-friendliness-helps-1
  14. Depew J, Marginalization and Violence, Aug 15, 2017, transcendingsquare.com, https://transcendingsquare.com/2017/08/15/marginalization-and-violence/