Information leads to freedom

Friday, December 31, 2010
John Stroup
The Gisborner Herald (New Zealand)

WHAT is social engineering? Why is it important to know about it? Is it good, or is it bad?

Let’s start with a definition: (Sociology) the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society.

Another context is computer security, usually involving trickery or deception in order to gain access or information. Although this context is not significant to the point being made, please note deception is the tool being used.

Social engineering is all about change. It is a way to change people’s world view, attitudes, behaviour, opinions, actions and beliefs. A social conditioning or behaviour modification would be good synonyms.

How is this done? The most brutal methods have been employed by authoritative regimes such as the former Soviet Union. There were re-education programmes, dislocation of populations, imprisonment and execution of dissidents. Pol Pot in Cambodia relocated and executed millions of people to achieve his political objectives.

Granted, these are extreme examples. One noteworthy similarity is that these were both collectivist governmental systems. Most of the highly repressive regimes around the world today are collectivist governmental systems. So the natural conclusion would be that a collectivist governmental system is not one that you would want to be under.

Barring marching dissidents off to prison camps, how could a softer, friendlier and voluntary change be effected? The media is used to getting people to do things, just look at advertising. Telecom’s ad to try and remedy their reputation after XT’s dismal performance is a good example. These were clever and amusing, hoping to get you to forget failures in service.

Education is another means to change perceptions in a society. Notice that most repressive regimes use a re-education programme. All you have to do is teach the reality that you want to be believed, and raise a whole generation that knows only what they’ve been told.

Truth is the casualty, but objectives are achieved.

You may have noticed an example of this in some recently published sycophantic extolment of collectivism and excoriation of free market capitalism.

If people only know what they are told, the engineered change will occur. Again, objectivity is unilateral damage; subjectivity is the norm if only one side is taught.

Probably the most pervasive social engineering seen now is the proliferation of Unesco’s involvement in education worldwide. Unesco essentially writes the material that is distributed in schools, conditioning the next generation to accept collectivist governmental systems. The education arm of the UN has a vested interest in perpetuating the UN’s agenda, and can no longer be accepted as an objective source of information.

What if you don’t want to be socially engineered. How can you defend yourself?

Information is the best antidote. Despite what has been said, there are immutable truths. Seek out truth, and it becomes easier to see through to the motives of who is trying to alter your perception of reality. Be wary of your sources, seek out credible information. Know what you believe and why.

It’s not nice to think about how and who wants to manipulate public opinion to further a specific agenda. This is one of those immutable truths; there is an enemy seeking to ensnare you. Information leads to truth and truth leads to freedom.