Activity

Up Front Apologies to anyone offended by previously posted material. I’m reposting this because it appears to be more relevant now than 6 months ago prior to “our most recent unpleasantness”.
As I have had much time on my hands of late to “think” I have been musing on some of the language to which we’ve been subjected. Phrases such as “contactless delivery” and other such Coronaspeak nonsense come to mind. Another that has been bandied about quite a bit, at least in the occupied zone
where I currently reside, is “the new normal”. The repeated hearing of this phrase recalled a review I had read some years ago with the same title. It was a review of the book “And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris” by Alan Riding. I could imagine the French hearing repeatedly from their occupiers “Das ist die neue Normalität” and when discussing their “most recent unpleasantness” amongst themselves that the French must have casually said this to each other. It occurs to me that we are now in fact hearing this phrase as a form of Moderate Nazi, Compassionate NeoCON speak. I believe that argument can be made that to tolerate or allow the use of such language is collaborationist and treasonous and should be resisted. The control of the “normative” or as BlakeC put it so well “normative oversight” is a very, very, powerful tool.
_________________________________________________________________
Previous Post from roughly 6 months ago.

Always good to know what is going on in the world. This appears to indicate that it is understood that the “New Front” is a Semeiotic one. Why is this important? It is important in that the meaning of a sign (e.g. media images [of all kinds pictorial, linguistic]) is manifest in the interpretation that it generates in sign users with the interpretation (understood meaning) becoming the basis for behavior. Control the interpretation, control the behavior.
How can democracies protect themselves? No, no, no … the question is: How can we protect ourselves as individuals from our so-called “democracies”?
If interested the e-book is available gratis from RAND.
I believe Buzz Aldrin’s (alleged) Tweet “We are all in Danger, It is Evil Itself.” is apropos in this case.
RAND
The Emerging Risk of Virtual Societal Warfare
Social Manipulation in a Changing Information Environment
by Michael J. Mazarr, Ryan Michael Bauer, Abigail Casey, Sarah Heintz, Luke J. Matthews
Key Findings
National security will increasingly rely on a resilient information environment and, even more fundamentally, a strong social topography. These elements likely require classic forms of information security as well as strong mediating institutions and a population continuously inoculated against the techniques of social manipulation.
The barrier between public and private endeavors and responsibilities is blurring; national security will rely on the cooperation of private actors as much as public investments. The technologies and techniques of this form of conflict are increasingly available to a wide range of actors. Private power in this realm matches and, in some cases, exceeds public power.
Conflict will increasingly be waged between and among networks. State actors are likely to develop such networks to avoid attribution and strengthen their virtual societal warfare capabilities against retaliation. It will be much more difficult to understand, maintain an accurate portrait of, and hit back against a shadowy global network.
Recommendations
Invest in research and understanding to account for the limits of our awareness of the true character of the evolving information environment and its likely directions, key causal dynamics in that evolution, how populations react to various forms of social manipulation, and what the most effective answers might be.
Begin building forms of inoculation and resilience against the worst forms of information-based social manipulation.
Take seriously the leading role played by social media today and the precedent-setting character of many of the information control debates playing out in that realm.
Make investments designed to erect new, broadly trusted informational mediating institutions that can help Americans make sense of events.
Begin working toward international norms constraining the use of virtual societal warfare.
Better understand the workings and vulnerabilities of emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence–driven information channels, virtual and augmented reality, and algorithmic decisionmaking.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2714.html

The Emerging Risk of Virtual Societal Warfare
Living in an information society opens unprecedented opportunities for hostile rivals to cause disruption, delay, inefficiency, and active harm. Social manipulation techniques are evolving beyond disinformation and cyberattacks on infrastructure sites. How can democracies protect themselves?

blakecosmos replied 6 months ago
This reads as an escalation of “Normative Oversight” by the current power structure – a willingness to silence anyone or anything in the name of “Protecting” us against “Virtual Societal Warfare” . I can only end with the following: “Behold Your Masters”!!!

Scarmoge replied 6 months ago
… or possibly “Behold Your God”