Deception & disinformation in political, social universe

The democracy of yore was infused with a commitment to values of truth, human freedom and rights and social welfare. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest liberals and champions of human emancipation, despite all the odds faced during his tumultuous presidency (1861-64), stuck to his conviction of abolition of slavery, as a dehumanising institution, symptomatic of all that is adverse to the glory of man. Like a rock he faced against the forces of divisiveness and decadence at the cost of putting the American federation at separation and splitting apart.

His commitment to truth was unequivocal: "I am a slow walker, but I never walk back. I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true."

It is 160 years since Abe was in office. Over these years much has changed. During a recent Trump- Harris Presidential debate, reviewers noticed that out of the thirty-four or so claims made and mentioned by Trump, nearly twenty-three were abjectly incorrect or false.

The danger to liberal democracy from disingenuous disinformation today has become the most pernicious threat to progressivism which is being used, through media and social media, to subvert democracy with the perfidious aim of introducing authoritarianism and autocracy, suppressing facts, truth and plural dissent.

One of the main methods to achieve this purpose is the use of deception, deceit and disinformation with a view to contort and manipulate the thoughts and attitudes of the common, undiscerning minds.

Who are the manipulative people and how do they operate? They disguise their interests as your interests. These beguile you into believing that their opinions are objective facts. The truth is these people don't want to help you. They want to control you. Once you let manipulative people in your life, they can be extremely hard to get rid of. They'll flip flop on issues, act slippery when you try to hold them accountable.

When dealing with artful persons, the biggest mistake one can make is trying to correct them. By correcting them, you sink deeper into their trap. Crafty people will use frustration and confusion to bait you into conflict. They want to get you emotional so they can see how you tick. Once they know what triggers you, they'll use them to influence your actions. A better strategy is to ignore them completely and find their centre of gravity which maybe a particular skill, charisma or association.

The best course is to trust one's own judgement . Don't depend blindly upon others' judgement but make up your own mind based upon facts and reason.

Manipulators promote and foster consistency and abhor dissent or disagreement or inconsistency or criticism. Deceivers make use of creation of sense of guilt and self-doubt in your self, your worth, your ideas and your character and your conduct. And by creating this self-doubt and guilt they intend molding your self, your concept of your self-worth and your beliefs and conduct in ways which promote their own interests rather than yours.

Chomsky and Marv Waterston in their book, The Consequences of Capitalism (2021), referring to Edwards Barney's theories of engineering of opinions by the father of modern advertisement theory and practice, indicate that the word manipulator pertains to persons who consciously and knowingly, for a specific goal and purpose, indulge in use of speech, media, symbols, propaganda and actions in ways aimed at achievement of machination of thoughts of those who are intended to be swayed. This manipulation is based upon the fundamental premise that the mass of humanity is moved by emotions rather than reason.

The motives of such persons, particularly in the field of politics, are self-centred rather than aimed at promoting the interests of society. Society and people are in fact treated as disposable commodities that can be moved by invoking emotional appeals.

Fabrications, lies and twisting of facts are the most common methods they adopt. A narrative of fear is created. A false impression is nurtured and created that what they profess is the ultimate truth, even if it involves opposition to democratic institutions like police, the courts, etc.

Those who think differently or present alternate versions of social reality are portrayed as enemies of society. They are not people who are acting unconsciously. In fact, they act according to a premeditated design. They prepare their messaging or narrative in a planned fashion often with the help of trained PR professionals.

In the sphere of politics they can pose serious threat to social harmony and stability often leading to violent behaviour by followers. The lay, uninitiated, are most prone to emotional messaging which resonate with personal experiences, dissatisfactions and disenchantments. Religious, xenophobic, misogynist and hyper-nationalist phrases, myths or idioms are most commonly invoked.

Ever since the collapse of the steady and stable social order, post-cold war, and particularly post-1989 financial crises, the rise of pseudo-religious nationalist populism for personal interests like that of Modi, of anti-immigrant, anti-coloured, anti-liberal ideologies in the US, the UK, Hungary, France - the signs of which have conspicuously appeared, in varying ways and degrees, in Pakistan since during 2014 and 2018 - have become the most serious threat to human freedoms and democracy as their real motives are to come into, or return to, power and to suppress all opposition and dissent in order to stay in unquestioned power for as long as possible, in an authoritarian system where no institution dare pose checks and balances to their power. Trump intends to undo the hallowed institution of a neutral bureaucracy which provides a bedrock of trained, non-partisan expertise that politicians cannot substitute in any system.

Such manipulators try to achieve their purposes through pursuit of devious, malicious and unethical means by using the science and technology of psychological contortion of opinion and behaviour which has gained ground exponentially ever since modern psychology of the unconscious or sub-conscious has evolved and advanced from the mid-18th century. Modern advertisement industry uses the same techniques of manipulation through working upon the sub-liminal minds of the recipients or audiences.