A liar "Is a person who doesn't speak the truth." Mythology is "the study of ancient stories or popular beliefs are not necessarily true... Most people don't consider mythology to be entirely true. The myth has its authority not by proving itself, but by presenting itself.... It's the study, interpretation of sacred tales or fables of a culture that explain natural phenomena, human origins and the meaning of life and death." Fiction is "literature in the form of a process that describes imaginary events and people." Synonyms include fabrication invention, fibs and lies. Conditioning is "the process of training or acc costuming a person or animal to behave in a certain way to accept certain circumstances . This essay has to do with the distortion of reality, truth and conditioning .
Aldous Huxley's brilliant Brave New World published in 1932 describes conditioning. Conditioning occurs and is a repetitive process with the same message, information or propaganda daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and so forth. Conditioning fills the mind with lies , mythology, and fiction.. Joseph Goebbels , in charge of Nazi propaganda stated "A lie told once remains a lie, but as told a thousand times becomes the truth." In Hitler’s Mein Kampf "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly- It must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over."
It was reported that Trump had a copy of Mein Kampf on top of his nightstand. And “learned” from his role model . In any event, Trump has been effective with the conditioning of lies, mythology and fiction pertaining to his elections. ,covid -19, immigrants, making America great , rule of law etc. Beginning in 2016, he began criticizing the election as being unfair and rigged because he knew that he would not win the popular vote. Again in 2020, he criticized the election prior and continued to repeat the unfair election and claimed it was rigged . Elections in the South were rigged under Jim Crow laws.. How many times has the stolen election propaganda been repeated on TV , rallies , social media and by his faithful politicians ? At his most recent debate, he stated and predicted that the 2024 election would not be fair. People buy into fiction, lies, mythology, propaganda, regardless of the fact that it is biased, misleading and pertains to a particular political point of view. Are some people intellectually limited about the credibility of the election process ? Are some people suffering from a cognitive and memory impairment, thus distorting reality? Are some people ,with cognitive dissonance, so gullible they believe in what the pathological liar says? The identification ,hero worship is alive for many of these “adolescent” minded folks.
Fiction is ancient and familiar . For example, the concept of God in the old and New Testament , Adam and Eve, mythology around Cain and Abel, Noah, Jonah, David and Goliath are riveting and demonstrate a monotheistic belief in "God" as the creator, ruler, and frame it’s being as the one and only moral authority. When young and impressionable. I loved the Samson and Delilah movie with Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, and George Saunders. I identified with Samson and certainly would've been seduced by the shiksa Delilah too. The triumph over evil ,being seduced and committing suicide for ones belief was powerful. Hollywood did a masterful job. I was a young kid and my mind was filled with terrific fiction.
In other Hollywood movies, I was programmed about good and bad guys. The good guys were always white skinned like John Wayne. He had no difficulty killing the brown skinned savages armed with bows, arrows and face paint. Irrespective of the fact that their land was taken, they were killed and placed in reservation arrangements with treaty's or formal agreements that were frequently broken by the good guys that did not register nor seem to matter . World War II movies were also effective with their propaganda messages and cruel treatment. Killing was the norm. Nowadays, we get a different message regarding Indians and bad guys as in Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves"; Marlon Brando's "Apocalypse Now" and "Platoon" with Tom Barringer, William Dafoe and Charlie Sheen.
As a youngster, I must say that the Disney movies and cartoons also filled my head with fiction. Snow White , the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi.,Bugs Bunny etc. Later , Treasure Island ,Alice in Wonderland, The Story of Robin Hood, Peter Pan, were great make believe. movies. Concurrently, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp and Avatar are just a few other examples of filling the mind with fiction.
Halloween with its goblins, skeletons and ghosts; Santa Claus Rudolph, elves and reindeer's; Easter Bunny; tooth fairy; and Valentines Day which originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine are capitalistic delights y. What about saints , angels , heaven or hell ? Capitalistic advertising takes advantage of lies and false claims ." I remember "Drive the USA in your Chevrolet;" "Lucky Strike Is a fine tobacco;" "If you want my advice sir, use de icer;" "More bounce to the ounce;" An ice cold Pepsi, it's better than sex;" "Coca-Cola makes good things taste better;" Things go better with Coke;" and "You can't beat the real thing." American advertising is surpassed by no one. It lies, distorts, deceives, creates emotionally based desires and wants with attractive smiling faces. Have you ever been around a group when everyone smiled while drinking a Coke?
Fiction, mythology and lies have been effective forever. Is there only one true God, and is your God the best? The priest Martin Luther created havoc in breaking with Catholicism . That was followed by a 20 year war. They were fighting about what ? And the many crusades accomplished ? Another tragic and terrible lie occurred on"August 29 1255. “ The body of a nine-year-old English boy called Hugh was found in a well in the town of Lincoln... The story spread that Hugh had been ritually murdered by the local Jews.... More details followed with glory description of how prominent Jews from throughout England gathered in Lincoln to fatten up, torture and finally crucify the abducted child. 19. Jews were tried and executed for the alleged murder. “Similar blood libels became popular in other English towns, leading to a series of pogroms in which whole Jewish communities were massacred. Eventually, in 1290 the entire Jewish population of England was expelled."
There are many intrapsychic reasons for lying.,for distorting reality , Anna Freud’s "The Ego And The Mechanisms Of Defense" provides detailed analysis of the egos many defensive operations which include : The ego’s defensive operations, considered as an object of analysis; the mechanisms of defense; orientation of the process of defense according to the source of anxiety and danger; identification with the aggressor ; denial ,and fantasy . These unconscious intrapsychic processes serve to provide relief from emotional conflict and anxiety by making it “safe” to distort reality . The mechanisms of defense include compensation conversion, denial, displacement, disassociation, idealization, identification , introjection, projection, rationalization, reaction formation, regression, sublimation substitution symbolizing and undoing. In other words, the human mind is proficient in distorting and justifying one's reality..
Trump's conditioning motivation for lying has been simplified as him wanting to remain in office, with his number of amoral and criminal actions. His repeated lies have been successful in that many believe and follow his fiction especially from his and other sources. When Trump lies, is he merely stretching the truth; is it because of a severe disturbance in conscience development; ; does he have a limiting capacity and mental sickness for distinguishing reality from fantasy or combination in his quest for power ? And , will all the organized greed defeat the disorganized democratic majority ? We will see . .
The process of lying ,conditioning seems to be the norm , especially for politicians,and It’s difficult to determine fact from fantasy and fiction . it's so pronounced and has become an integral part of American mythology. The West was the American frontier and symbolized American individualism despite the reality of its savagery ,disrespect for the law, and especially the treatment towards Native Americans. Currently, pay attention and determine the amount of conditioning with lies, mythology, and fiction that surrounds our daily life. Look at a dollar bill and see a picture of a dead white man on that piece of paper; repeat the Pledge of Allegiance and ask yourself are we one nation under God ,undivided with liberty and justice for all; the patriotic song America the Beautiful with "God shed his grace on thee... from sea to shining sea;" the testimonial commercials; the politicians; the news; TV, movies; and the novels . Further , talk with people and soon discover the paucity of superficiality ,small talk and incorrectness transmitted. And, don't forget to get the truth and their predictions from the "experts" on TV ,within 30 seconds. Compare them to Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent . In man's configuration, and in varying degrees, he twists and distorts reality for survival. The ego has many means to shield and protect against threats .Depending upon the character structure and if neurotic ,like Trump, who exhibits behavioral tendencies associated with the pursuit of power possession , status and abasement .. His actions are directed against self and others in sadomasochistic ,prejudicial and exploitative ways. .
PS
Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs Lyrics." You think that most people would've had enough of silly love songs . I look around me and see it isn't so . Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs…….
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