The Public Does Not Exist

Do Not Be Fooled by Shadows

I discussed previously about polling failures and why polling tends to go wrong so often. Underlying that entire piece was an assumption:

That pollsters are attempting to access “the truth”. That they are doing their best to take an accurate snapshot of people’s opinions at a moment of time.

If you’re chuckling, good. It’s a pretty amusing idea. In fact, once you start discussing “states of opinions at a point in time”, the results begin to enter unfalsifiable territory. Understand something:

Polling is done just as much to shape “the public”, as it is done to measure it.

Bernays, Freud’s nephew, is not as well known as his uncle but arguably more important than him in our day to day lives. (Source: Wordpress)

I mentioned in my previous post about honesty in polling responses and how social desirability bias can skew responses, as people lie to pollsters to avoid giving an individual with your name and address information that might cause them to retaliate against you. And yes, retaliation happens all the time from the (un)witting shock troopers of Rainbow Neoliberalism.

There is a phenomenon in political science (I know it’s a meme field, just go with it) called the spiral of silence theorem. It is, in effect, a society-wide analogue to social desirability bias. It assumes people have a fear of isolation and therefore they will express views they perceive as dominant or rising in influence, while not expressing views they perceive as being minority viewpoints or declining in influence.

The issue, of course, is how the Media shapes our perceptions. Research adds evidence that the media is a critical player, and I have discussed the impacts of mediation on our perception of the world before. Effectively, what this means is that the Media will attempt to shape your perception of the world to get you to agree with the interests and views of the Media Elites.

De Tocqueville discussed this in Democracy in America in Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 7, “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects”. He noted that a lack of historical institutions with alternative viewpoints had left the country to be guided by only one major factor beyond the self: the opinions of others. He feared that the majority could terrorize unpopular minorities.

Today, Blue Empire (especially its Big Tech and MSM wings) use their algorithms and gatekeepers to shape our understanding of the world. They dictate what we see, what we hear, who we meet, and what we are even allowed to say. The “public” becomes an entirely constructed shadow they can modify to manipulate individuals as they see fit.

Source: The Conversation

Ultimtely, there is no “public”. No “average”. The “public” is a phantasm, constructed out of shadows, which exists to manipulate individuals, not measure a societal opinion.

The “public” is a legitimization scheme for the interests of media elites, just as “democracy” has been.

So Why am I Writing This?

I am writing this because you must understand that demoralization and slander campaigns will be more and more commonplace as you challenge Blue Empire. They will lie about you, make up stuff and frame you, and try to destroy your social capital. You must not allow this to demoralize you. You cannot stop it from happening, but you absolutely can stop it from being a significant obstacle to your alternative institutions, if you build them correctly.

The monthly tracking polls on different issues are frequently just as flawed as the election polls are. Do not believe them. There is no room for blackpills. A small group can make a major change. It is time to organize and work effectively. When we build alternative institutions, we must undermine trust sufficiently in current institutions that we can get people to switch to the alternatives (and the alternatives must be there for them to switch to).

Bear in mind, there is a difference between not trusting “television media” and not trusting “my television media” (same kind of difference between approval ratings of congress vs approval ratings of my congressman). It might not be seen in polls, but revealed preferences make it clear most people trust their own news source. The bubble must be popped.

Of course, this becomes far more successful when used in a kind of “pincer” strategy, where individuals and small networks organize and begin building institutions while politicians and some elites provide patronage and support. But I am getting off track and this post is long enough. I return to my key point:

Do not allow the slander and demoralization campaigns of Blue Empire to dissuade you from doing the work. It can be done. It must be done.