What Defines Conspiracy? Oh, And Do They Exist?

Conspiracy:  “The activity of secretly planning with other people to do something bad or illegal.”
Cambridge Dictionary

Since the entrance of the internet onto the center stage of human consciousness the term “conspiracy” has mushroomed. What used to be the domain of small groups (left and right wing), and what used to be topics one might find in a newsletter left on a campus table, or leaflet in front of a post office, are now topics that captivate the minds of…well, just about everyone. Just ask a 14 year-old what they think of “the Illuminati.” They will probably at least know about the eye of providence or even something about various fraternal societies.  Many people have views that deviate from the standard 9-11 narrative. And who could forget the “vast right wing conspiracy” term created by Hillary in the 1990s, and now replaced with allegations of sneaky Russians hiding under our beds and downloading pro-Trump memes on our computers when we aren’t looking? So are there conspiracies taking place for real? 

My new book, “Freedom from Conscience – The Price of Power” delves into this. The anti-heroine, a former vigilante serial killer, Melanie Lindberg, is elected to the US congress. Soon after her job begins she gets invited by a powerful business leader to visit his estate. Soon she discovers that she is in the midst of some of the most powerful people in the world, all members of a secret society, with perks of power, sex, freedom from laws normal people must follow and revolving around engineering a new world order.  As long as she is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, she can have it all. More detailed description here:

http://amzn.to/2ijEBAe

So is it reality or fantasy?  Not surprisingly some people have asked if I might be closer to such topics than merely academic.  Then again, if I were, wouldn’t that mean I would want to keep it secret?

Of course, if we define conspiracy within the context of people joining together and promoting an agenda under the radar, without the public knowing or consenting, then this takes place all the time.  Edward Bernays, the father of modern PR and advertising, noted decades ago:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. …In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”

Are you a woman? If so you probably shave your legs, underarms and, well, let’s just concentrate there.  Why do you and the vast majority of western women do this? Would you believe it all started with a magazine back in 1915? A magazine started an effort to promote shaving so as to accommodate new, more revealing, fashions. And who came up with the idea to show off more of the body? Yep, fashion designers. So a combination of designers, media, and later, lingerie and finally porn finished off most body hair on women, as well as many men, in recent years.  

Want more examples? How about what we define as “breakfast foods” or proper table manners? These have their origins, but few people know of them. Even something as personal as reproduction; most western people saw the ideal family as 3 or 4 kids back in the early 1960s. What changed? Well, many will say it was economics but there are far poorer nations with much higher birthrates than we see today in the US and western world in general.  What changed is that those in a position of power, with great influence on media, education, etc. re-educated people as to how they should view the ideal. And now that is so institutionalized that all it needs is reinforcement. These are all examples of Bernays observations of how things really work.

So how do those in a position of influence get us to do what they want us to do? Sure it can involve education, but as psychiatrist and marketer Clotaire Rapaille has noted,“Emotions are the keys to learning, the keys to imprinting. The stronger the emotion, the more clearly the experience is learned.” http://bit.ly/2hr23i3 He has also stated, “I don’t care what you are going to tell me I don’t care. Give me the reptilian. Why? Because the reptilian always wins.” http://to.pbs.org/1xDCDyR  What Rapaille refers to is that humans may say they make decisions based on rational motives and outcomes, a cost-benefit analysis, but in reality they are governed by instinctive drives and emotions. 

So what does that mean? Basically you find what turns on people at an emotional or instinctive level and you can influence them without their even knowing it.

The people that Bernays refers to as the “invisible government” realize this, so when they undertake a program of changing people’s attitudes, and thus, behaviors, they know the way to do this is to use emotional strategies. And what if the changes desired run counter to sub conscious drives, i.e. the desire to reproduce? Then you need to re-define the goals, shape them, and then allow societal pressure, as people adopt the new ideals, to work (people do tend to want to conform as it is psychologically easier than to rebel). So model the behavior on popular TV shows (small families, marriage in the 30s rather than early 20s, people putting career goals first, etc.) and in one generation people will adopt the new norm. And as some societies that initially sought to reduce birthrates have discovered, now that the rates are far lower than they ever expected them to go. Getting people to suddenly want to have more children is going to be a very difficult undertaking as most efforts to increase births appear aimed at convincing people rationally rather than manipulating their emotions and drives; as was done initially by the social engineers who brought down rates in the first place.

You see, once a target behavior is reached, once it is institutionalized, people will force conformity on each other.  If you are a woman just try to stop shaving your legs and underarms, and see what happens. You will probably get people question your intent and motives, especially other women, and you will obviously get stares at the beach. And of course people will seek to categorize you, as in if you are a hippie or vegan or whatever. What if you decide you would like to have a family of four or five children? Again, you will be questioned, your behavior becoming a defining point of how people judge you, and they will seek to categorize you: i.e. you must want lots of kids because you belong to a religion that makes you. Or you can try eating pizza for breakfast.

You see, no matter what, when you break from the norm, people will question you. People feel comfort in conforming and your non-conformity makes them uncomfortable.

So overall, do conspiracies exist? Yes they do. They may or may not take on the sorts that one sees in a movie like “Eyes Wide Shut,” in my book “Freedom from Conscience – The Price of Power” or “The X-Files” but undoubtedly those who have a great deal of access to media and other important avenues of social engineering capabilities are able to change how we view life, view each other, and even what we see as “proper” within our own existence.  Knowing this, and the techniques involved, at least can give one an easier ability to break from conformity within the society, and not feel anxiety and fear when living outside the norms created by those in power. However, as Fredrick Nietzsche warned it is uncomfortable to stand outside the tribe, but being true to your individuality is worth the price.

Like books examining how secret societies may function today? Check out “Freedom from Conscience – The Price of Power” at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Conscience-Price-Power-5/dp/1612967701

Like science fiction that may show the origin of the ancient bloodlines who rule the planet today?  Check out another of my works, “The Destiny of Our Past” at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Our-Past-Michael-Cross-ebook/dp/B01MY4WASN/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511947423&sr=1-2&keywords=the+destiny+of+our+past