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And he was applauded for it all. The biggest applause that I saw was when he mentioned retribution.

I actually think this is gold for their movement. There's no telling how many fence-sitters will now become Christian or right-wing. This is a culture war and the right is getting unprecedented exposure where the they're being painted as good and the opposition evil. No matter what happens to TPUSA, this feels like a huge win for the right in terms of bringing more people over to their side.

Yes. I live amongst them. Ironically, for me, Christian funerals are like spiritual warfare to attend because not only am I dealing with grief from loss, but I have to watch them administer their poison and pretend like nothing is happening. IME, these types of events give you firsthand experience of a very toxic phenomenon.

This shit is repulsive. Imagine being in that arena. lol. Traumatized by cringe.

I hope he starts talking about his new ballroom. lol.

It would be funny if Trump turns it into a political rally where his ego takes center stage.

Haha, bro, you're demonstrating the model's point about conflict avoidance. You're resisting taking a stance against authoritarianism. Think about that. You think you're arriving at your both-sides, no-stance position via good reason and wisdom, but you're not. You're arriving at your position, not from reason, but from unconscious psychological forces. If you could be truthful with yourself about this, you'd see the absurdity in the idea of seeing the merits of authoritarianism. A true tier-2 thinker could analyze the merits of authoritarianism, but they would be conscious enough to take a strong stance against it.

@DocWatts I think a better name for "Peripheral Supporters" is "System Supports". Here's an updated graphic.

That'd be awesome - no attribution needed. I'm just glad if it helps others make sense of things. Thank you!

There is some overlap but religion formed over centuries, whereas post-truth forms in real time. Maybe religion was the post-truth of its time. I'm attempting to map out how the mass delusions of our time form and spread. Simply calling it "delusion" doesn't explain anything. You can say "it's just lack of consciousness", but what use is that? I think you should take a closer look at the model - specifically, the conflict-avoidant moderate part. 😝

Yeah, solving the disconnection problem makes a lot of sense. @DocWatts Thanks for sharing. I'd be interested in reading your book when it's finished. Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I thought about turning it into an interactive web page that goes deep into it - maybe even provide real-world examples in the form of a walk-thru to build the case. I think that could be useful. Feel free to take any or all aspects of it and modify it in any way you'd like, if you'd like to share it on your own Substack.

Thanks! 100%. I wish more people would start acknowledging these things rather than just dropping their jaw and resorting to condemnation or refutation of surface-level points every time they're confronted with it. I need to do more to integrate this knowledge myself. I get the sense that even those with the clarity to see the pattern might want to avoid this topic because they might intuit "I do this too, just with different content.". But even if this were to become widely discussed, it would be like understanding drug addiction in a society flooded with dealers. Understanding would mitigate the issue somewhat, but as long as dealers are dealing, the problem isn't gonna go away. These shame-avoidant technologies like Tucker Carlson are on the rise. lol

lol, could be. If so, this is not good, as the right wing talking point that the killer was radicalized by the woke mind virus will be seen as correct and their divisive rhetoric will be seen as justified truth-telling.

Maybe. America is all I really know. I could still see it applying to any other country, given the right circumstances.

Each core pillar is huge, but I think shame-avoidance might be the biggest. Just to demonstrate how shame-avoidance works, using conspiracy theories as an example: "The Shame-to-Conspiracy Pipeline Conspiracy theories medicate shame through several mechanisms: 1. Transformation into special knowledge - The shame of being "ignorant," "left behind," or "unsuccessful" transforms into being one of the few who "sees the truth." You're not a failure; you're awakened. The shame of exclusion becomes the pride of insight. 2. Externalizing the cause - If you lost your job, your status, your sense of cultural relevance - that's shameful. But if a cabal of elites deliberately destroyed your industry to control you? Now you're a victim of evil forces, not a personal failure. The shame dissolves into righteous anger. 3. Retroactive meaning-making - Past humiliations and failures get recontextualized. That bankruptcy wasn't poor decisions; it was "them" keeping you down. That divorce wasn't personal inadequacy; it was "their" attack on traditional values. Shame transforms into evidence of persecution. 4. Community of the knowing - Shame isolates, but conspiracy theories create instant belonging with fellow "truth-seekers." You go from shamefully alone to proudly connected. Example: Someone whose small business failed during economic changes could face crushing shame - "I'm a failure, I couldn't adapt, I'm worthless." But if they believe globalist elites deliberately destroyed small businesses? The shame evaporates. They're not a failed businessperson; they're a warrior against the New World Order. Admitting error would re-activate shame, which is why counter-evidence is blocked. The conspiracy theory doesn't just distract from shame - it performs psychological alchemy, converting shame's poison into the medicine of purpose, belonging, and specialness." You can almost view conspiratorial thinking, Tucker Carlson, and many other right-wing figureheads as "shame-regulation technology".

Hopefully you get the point though. I think this model explains a lot and I haven't found anything better that explains the fucked up reality we find ourselves in. None of the ideas are new, it's just that these ideas are often talked about in isolation, which makes it hard to see how everything is connected.

True, but I feel we need more granularity.

The real question is, why are so many people resisting that which is simply true with all their might? @Leo Gura I know you've done videos on self-deception and all that, and those videos are great, but I think this "political post-truth" phenomenon is such an interesting, deep, and important topic that we'd all benefit from understanding it on a much deeper level. I think I already accurately intuit and understand most of what's going on, but would love to see a much more thorough and deeper mind flesh it out. Your "Self-Bias" video (which is my fav) explains the "what", but I'd like to see modern-day intentions, tactics, and mechanisms fleshed out. More of the "why" and "how" of the most common archetypes that consistently reject that which is true, if that makes sense. I've attempted to work on something similar in my spare time:

Here’s a concise but comprehensive bullet list of the key characteristics most commonly associated with fascism: Ultranationalism – glorification of the nation or race above all, often coupled with xenophobia. Authoritarianism – rejection of democracy and liberal freedoms; demand for unquestioning obedience to a strong leader. Cult of Leadership – veneration of a single charismatic leader portrayed as the embodiment of the nation. Militarism – glorification of military strength, violence, and expansion; preference for war over diplomacy. Mass Mobilization – use of rallies, symbols, propaganda, and youth movements to unify society behind the ideology. Mythic Past & Destiny – emphasis on a golden age to be restored and a vision of national rebirth. Suppression of Dissent – censorship, intimidation, imprisonment, or elimination of political opponents, unions, and critics. Anti-Communism & Anti-Liberalism – hostility toward socialism, Marxism, and liberal democracy. Corporatism – state control or coordination of the economy through alliances with business elites; rejection of free-market pluralism. Collective Over Individual – subordination of individual rights and freedoms to the needs of the nation or state. Scapegoating – targeting minorities, immigrants, or other groups as threats to national purity or strength. Mass Media Control – use of propaganda, strict control of press, and manipulation of information. Masculinist & Hierarchical Values – emphasis on traditional gender roles, discipline, order, and hierarchy. Political Violence – normalization of street violence, paramilitary groups, or intimidation as tools of politics. Totalitarian Ambition – aspiration to control all aspects of public and private life, including culture, education, and morality. When someone calls someone a fascist, what they mean is, the person supports most of the above, usually unconsciously, without serious examination. When someone calls someone a Nazi, what they mean is, the person not only supports most of these list items, but they do so very seriously, consciously, and with pride. A Nazi is a matured, shameless, principled fascist, who can usually argue or espouse ideology/theory/philosophy. The Nazi label is fitting for Fuentes, and the fascist label is fitting for Kirk. It doesn’t actually literally mean you’re a German Nazi, lol. It’s just much more efficient to use the word “fascist” than to lay out this huge list and say “he’s this list”.

Yeah, it seems like this caused the Overton window to shift like a mother fucker. They've successfully smeared leftists out to be heartless and idiotic assholes. And now with the regime garnering support for the targeting of broadcast stations, and with the National Guard going into Chicago looming, I think we're in for one hell of a ride. I see Chicago going very badly.

Good thing there isn't anyone to really follow. They'll need to find someone younger and better than Shapiro. Thing is though, it takes time to build a reputation. You can't really just drop in a replacement on a dime and expect everyone to be into it. It seems like a big challenge to keep TPUSA from collapsing.

Yeah, that's a fucking bummer. For long posts, I got in the habit of highlighting and copying my post to the clipboard before I hit send.

True, I noticed that as well. It helps to have no other option. When I was trying to break into freelancing web dev stuff, I'd put in 12-16 hours a day, because I had to. I wasn't going back to being controlled by a boss. For me, it was either make it work or become a failure, homeless, or sponge off my parents, and my ego wouldn't allow that. There was no other option but to work all day. There was a neurotic element to it tbh. When failure isn’t an option, the brain stops wasting energy on alternatives. All your choices get collapsed into "do the work". This brings a clarity that removes friction, which can make 14-hour days feel relatively effortless. Certain configurations of mind have certain energetic impacts than can make working 14 hours a day feel like nothing or feel like a living hell.

Sound familiar? He basically said the same thing in our 2024 election. Anyone have any good insight as to what in the actual fuck is going on with this guy?