Well, gosh, this is kind of embarrassing. For approximately the last two and a half years, I have been documenting, analyzing, and occasionally satirizing the so-called “New Normal,” i.e., the new, pathologized, official ideology that has been rolled out all across the planet by the global-capitalist ruling classes under the pretext of combating an apocalyptic pandemic … or at least that’s what I thought was going on.
I've added an addendum to this essay (see above) as it appears Professor Desmet has been telling the “doctors performing open-heart surgery on hypnotized patients with no anesthetic” lie for some time, or at least trying to. I'm sorry, it is clear from the comments that many of my readers are devoted fans of Professor Desmet, but when a person lies like this, gets caught lying, weasels out of it, then tells the same lie two years later on the Alex Jones Show (and who knows where else), gets caught lying again, confesses, tries to weasel out of it again, and posts a bunch of misleading links in a desperate attempt to convince people he wasn't lying in the first place (whenever that was, exactly) ... well, I think there is probably a professional-psychology-type term for such a person.
I realize and appreciate that many people are avid fans of Prof. Desmet and have become adherents of "Mass Formation" theory. But try to exert a little intellectual discipline. When Desmet and Malone talk about the masses being hypnotized (which Desmet does repeatedly), they mean what they say. The most common definition of hypnosis is "a mental state like sleep, in which a person's thoughts can be easily influenced by someone else." (Look the word up. It means what it means.) Of course mass hysteria, mob behavior, and other such phenomenon are real. But that is not hypnosis. I will provide one more example of what is not hypnosis. Here in Berlin, hardly anyone is wearing masks currently. In the Autumn, when the new "restrictions" go into effect, the majority of people will put their masks back on and resume harassing people not wearing masks ... not because they will have been re-hypnotized, but rather, because they will be following orders. They will conform to official "reality" again, despite that fact that they just spent the Summer living in a different, contradictory "reality." They will repeat the official propaganda that "makes sense" of why they have to wear the masks again. They will do this in order to not be punished, fired from the jobs, ostracized by their friends, and called horrible names by the government and the media. This is not the behavior of hypnotized people. It is, however, the behavior of people in cults and totalitarian societies. Their behavior is motivated by fear, and they are absolutely right to be afraid. If they disobey, they'll be punished, and they know it. They are not in a trance or a sleep-like state. They are perceiving the dynamics of their society accurately. They will conform to the changing, contradictory "realities" because they understand the penalties for refusing to do so. There is nothing wrong with these people's minds. At the moment, they are not wearing their masks because they have not been ordered to wear their masks. When they are ordered to wear their masks again, they will do so, because they have been ordered to do so. Just like we let ourselves and our families be x-rayed, fondled, and humiliated by the "security personnel" at the airport, not because we have all been hypnotized into believing that these procedures keep us safe, but because we want to get on the fucking plane.
May I ask a favor? If you're contemplating sending me an email expressing your extreme displeasure with my latest essay, or explaining what I do not understand about Professor Desmet's theories to me at considerable length, could you please post your thoughts here in the comments instead of sending me that email? I'm getting swamped with emails and will be unable to even skim most of them.
I must say, I'm puzzled by your take. Desmet's mass formation thesis is rooted in Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism and work by many on crowd psychology and behaviour that goes back to the nineteenth century. It's not really a new thesis or a controversial one; he's just given it a new name. It's not devoid of the political at all; it just seeks to illuminate the social conditions that allow power to get the kind of grip we see in totalitarian societies. I'm familiar with both this body of work and real-world authoritarianism - including what we've been experiencing the past couple of years - and what he describes is consistent with what I observe.
You probably don't realize it, but a lot of your work overlaps with his. It is clear that you don't understand the nuances of mass formation. I recommend his interviews with James Corbett and Bret Weinstein for a better understanding.
there are personality types that just dont go with the flow, dont conform and dont give a fuck what others think and there are not enough of us because we got wiped out before.
this time it wont be us that gets it because we didnt get the poison
As someone who witnessed and also chronicled how things played out in NY since 2020, I can say with certainty there was an effort to hypnotize the masses via MSM , local politics government etc. On the other hand, I do not think perpetrators have a right to claim victimhood for any of it.
I see only a nuance of a difference between CJ’s and MD’s perspective on globocops. CJ puts the globocops in the driver’s seat, and MD says that whoever is driving really just needs to switch on the autopilot after the conditions for mass formation are set. Presto! The masses become their own globocops. I think both are happening at the same time, both are right. Alas. Mega soup.
Please ~ if not for the sake of remaining in the truth, then for the sake of your own reputation ~ do not publish another word about M. Desmet before listening attentively to the entirety of this recent interview: https://thehighwire.com/videos/inside-the-mind-of-the-masses/
Do we not have *enough* misrepresentation to contend with, without adding to it ourselves?
PLEASE ... we need you too much to be able to afford having you detour into bullshit like this.
When I was 13 years old way back in 1963 a large portion of the American people began believing in the existence of a "magic bullet" - no need for "Mass Formation Hypnosis Disorder" to explain it. They were told "what" to believe and they dutifully "believed it" or at least didn't dare publicly voice their skepticism. Emboldened when faced with the deafening silence of our collective cowardice our fascist deep state took the opportunity to murder Malcolm, Martin and Bobby over the five years following JFK's murder. Fast forward to this exact date 20 years ago and a large portion of the American people began to believe (or claim to believe) (or refuse to question) that steel and concrete buildings can pulverize into dust and molten metal in mid-air. Again, no "Mass Formation Hypnosis Disorder" needed to explain this bizarre phenomenon that defies the laws of physics. Americans were simply told "what to believe" and we courageously put aside all of our curiosity and critical thinking skills and dutifully believed it. IMHO in many ways the "covid operation" is relatively speaking almost small potatoes compared to publicly assassinating a sitting president on TV in front of the eyes of the entire world and using controlled demolition to carry out the world's largest false flag operation to date - well, until the whole "covid thing." Your piece will piss a lot of people off C.J. - but it needed to be said. Covid isn't the first time we've been collectively gaslighted by our fascist global oligarchy and I'm pretty damned sure it won't be the last. Diverting attention away from the perpetrators of this latest "operation" only obscures rather than clarifies what it is that we must collectively face head on if we hope to resist.
I have one more favor to ask ... if you happen to be involved in the flood of phishing-attack emails I'm suddenly getting, could you maybe stop doing that? I'm not going to bite.
Desmet definitely has some clouds hovering over him. I remember reading the part about surgery under hypnosis in his book, and should have investigated it further. And, if it is really true that he did not report a patient whom he knew to be a serial murderer on the basis that he thought he'd cured him, that's simply outrageous and unforgivable. However, I think you are taking some shortcuts here in your own arguments and limiting us to another either / or Hegelian Dialectic trap.
The Mass Formation Psychosis is not new as a known phenomenon. Dr. Desmet expanded on the concept in helpful and timely ways, and particularly as it relates to psychology. However, it has manifested itself many times throughout history, including in our own time before Covid, and has been written about extensively. Consider Dutch tulips in the 16th century or contemporary North Korean society. Although not expressly named as such, Arendt had much to say about this phenomenon. To his credit, Dr. Desmet acknowledged her throughout his book. He also leaned heavily on Joost Merloo (who also influenced Arendt) but did not sufficiently acknowledge this in my view.
Then, there is the matter of what many of us see with our own eyes. Have you not experienced as part of the 'new normal' this bizarre existence where 'everything is fine, life is normal, and we can talk about anything, except reality'? Have you not seen people freeze and zone out right before your eyes when you try to talk about anything that goes against the narratives and then suddenly snap back and change the subject as if you said nothing? When I've encountered this, it has certainly felt like I was witnessing something deeply psychological. Others who have had similar encounters have said the same to me. Of course, this is anecdotal and I'm no psychologist, but unless I'm mistaken, neither of us is. I simply suggest you are being bit overly dismissive of the Mass Formation Psychosis theory because of issues specific to Desmet.
The existence of a MFP and a deliberate agenda on the part of powerful people who knew and know exactly what they are doing are perfectly compatible possibilities in my view. I know when I first read Arendt's 'The Origins of Totalitarianism', I certainly felt I was following in the footsteps of our Covid-era oppressors insomuch as it seemed very clear to me that they too had studied her work a long time ago.
Yes. They are not hypnotised, but they do seem obsessed. Perhaps we are all, at root, motivated by some fear or other. Some of the killer virus and, the more ‘sensible’ ones, of tyranny.
The problem is that most people talking about mass formation haven't heard anything beyond the basic interviews and articles and haven't dug deep into that part of the discussion. Ironically most people I interact with who bring it up simply think mass formation psychosis *is* the process in which the leaders manipulating people into going along with madness.
This is because before now, most people were entirely unfamiliar with how much the state and corporations are actively working to control and manipulate them. So "mass formation" is effectively a convenient shorthand for all kinds of things they could notice but not quite explain.
Unfortunately that means these people end up carrying water for yet another totalitarian concept. I am highly skeptical of any attempts to depict the masses as an irrational out of control mob that simply needs to be brought to heel by rational guidance. This represents to be the root of the desire of the few to rule the many.
If more institutions had more bottom-up structure many grave errors could be avoided.
It seems to me that you are both right. For sure, there was a plan to cause the current insanity - and it succeeded only due to years of preparation, to prime everyone to be most receptive to the fearmongering and hypnosis from the media and government.
I've added an addendum to this essay (see above) as it appears Professor Desmet has been telling the “doctors performing open-heart surgery on hypnotized patients with no anesthetic” lie for some time, or at least trying to. I'm sorry, it is clear from the comments that many of my readers are devoted fans of Professor Desmet, but when a person lies like this, gets caught lying, weasels out of it, then tells the same lie two years later on the Alex Jones Show (and who knows where else), gets caught lying again, confesses, tries to weasel out of it again, and posts a bunch of misleading links in a desperate attempt to convince people he wasn't lying in the first place (whenever that was, exactly) ... well, I think there is probably a professional-psychology-type term for such a person.
I realize and appreciate that many people are avid fans of Prof. Desmet and have become adherents of "Mass Formation" theory. But try to exert a little intellectual discipline. When Desmet and Malone talk about the masses being hypnotized (which Desmet does repeatedly), they mean what they say. The most common definition of hypnosis is "a mental state like sleep, in which a person's thoughts can be easily influenced by someone else." (Look the word up. It means what it means.) Of course mass hysteria, mob behavior, and other such phenomenon are real. But that is not hypnosis. I will provide one more example of what is not hypnosis. Here in Berlin, hardly anyone is wearing masks currently. In the Autumn, when the new "restrictions" go into effect, the majority of people will put their masks back on and resume harassing people not wearing masks ... not because they will have been re-hypnotized, but rather, because they will be following orders. They will conform to official "reality" again, despite that fact that they just spent the Summer living in a different, contradictory "reality." They will repeat the official propaganda that "makes sense" of why they have to wear the masks again. They will do this in order to not be punished, fired from the jobs, ostracized by their friends, and called horrible names by the government and the media. This is not the behavior of hypnotized people. It is, however, the behavior of people in cults and totalitarian societies. Their behavior is motivated by fear, and they are absolutely right to be afraid. If they disobey, they'll be punished, and they know it. They are not in a trance or a sleep-like state. They are perceiving the dynamics of their society accurately. They will conform to the changing, contradictory "realities" because they understand the penalties for refusing to do so. There is nothing wrong with these people's minds. At the moment, they are not wearing their masks because they have not been ordered to wear their masks. When they are ordered to wear their masks again, they will do so, because they have been ordered to do so. Just like we let ourselves and our families be x-rayed, fondled, and humiliated by the "security personnel" at the airport, not because we have all been hypnotized into believing that these procedures keep us safe, but because we want to get on the fucking plane.
May I ask a favor? If you're contemplating sending me an email expressing your extreme displeasure with my latest essay, or explaining what I do not understand about Professor Desmet's theories to me at considerable length, could you please post your thoughts here in the comments instead of sending me that email? I'm getting swamped with emails and will be unable to even skim most of them.
Why not both? The two theories are not exclusive. On the contrary, they complement each other well.
One describes how/why our 'masters' are doing what they are doing. The other nicely describes why the masses are happily falling for it and obeying.
I must say, I'm puzzled by your take. Desmet's mass formation thesis is rooted in Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism and work by many on crowd psychology and behaviour that goes back to the nineteenth century. It's not really a new thesis or a controversial one; he's just given it a new name. It's not devoid of the political at all; it just seeks to illuminate the social conditions that allow power to get the kind of grip we see in totalitarian societies. I'm familiar with both this body of work and real-world authoritarianism - including what we've been experiencing the past couple of years - and what he describes is consistent with what I observe.
You probably don't realize it, but a lot of your work overlaps with his. It is clear that you don't understand the nuances of mass formation. I recommend his interviews with James Corbett and Bret Weinstein for a better understanding.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/VGgo8biwrSUj/
https://www.bitchute.com/video/PkBQcIDto7s/
Better yet, reach out to Desmet to have an actual conversation.
there are personality types that just dont go with the flow, dont conform and dont give a fuck what others think and there are not enough of us because we got wiped out before.
this time it wont be us that gets it because we didnt get the poison
As someone who witnessed and also chronicled how things played out in NY since 2020, I can say with certainty there was an effort to hypnotize the masses via MSM , local politics government etc. On the other hand, I do not think perpetrators have a right to claim victimhood for any of it.
I see only a nuance of a difference between CJ’s and MD’s perspective on globocops. CJ puts the globocops in the driver’s seat, and MD says that whoever is driving really just needs to switch on the autopilot after the conditions for mass formation are set. Presto! The masses become their own globocops. I think both are happening at the same time, both are right. Alas. Mega soup.
Please ~ if not for the sake of remaining in the truth, then for the sake of your own reputation ~ do not publish another word about M. Desmet before listening attentively to the entirety of this recent interview: https://thehighwire.com/videos/inside-the-mind-of-the-masses/
Do we not have *enough* misrepresentation to contend with, without adding to it ourselves?
PLEASE ... we need you too much to be able to afford having you detour into bullshit like this.
When I was 13 years old way back in 1963 a large portion of the American people began believing in the existence of a "magic bullet" - no need for "Mass Formation Hypnosis Disorder" to explain it. They were told "what" to believe and they dutifully "believed it" or at least didn't dare publicly voice their skepticism. Emboldened when faced with the deafening silence of our collective cowardice our fascist deep state took the opportunity to murder Malcolm, Martin and Bobby over the five years following JFK's murder. Fast forward to this exact date 20 years ago and a large portion of the American people began to believe (or claim to believe) (or refuse to question) that steel and concrete buildings can pulverize into dust and molten metal in mid-air. Again, no "Mass Formation Hypnosis Disorder" needed to explain this bizarre phenomenon that defies the laws of physics. Americans were simply told "what to believe" and we courageously put aside all of our curiosity and critical thinking skills and dutifully believed it. IMHO in many ways the "covid operation" is relatively speaking almost small potatoes compared to publicly assassinating a sitting president on TV in front of the eyes of the entire world and using controlled demolition to carry out the world's largest false flag operation to date - well, until the whole "covid thing." Your piece will piss a lot of people off C.J. - but it needed to be said. Covid isn't the first time we've been collectively gaslighted by our fascist global oligarchy and I'm pretty damned sure it won't be the last. Diverting attention away from the perpetrators of this latest "operation" only obscures rather than clarifies what it is that we must collectively face head on if we hope to resist.
I have one more favor to ask ... if you happen to be involved in the flood of phishing-attack emails I'm suddenly getting, could you maybe stop doing that? I'm not going to bite.
Desmet definitely has some clouds hovering over him. I remember reading the part about surgery under hypnosis in his book, and should have investigated it further. And, if it is really true that he did not report a patient whom he knew to be a serial murderer on the basis that he thought he'd cured him, that's simply outrageous and unforgivable. However, I think you are taking some shortcuts here in your own arguments and limiting us to another either / or Hegelian Dialectic trap.
The Mass Formation Psychosis is not new as a known phenomenon. Dr. Desmet expanded on the concept in helpful and timely ways, and particularly as it relates to psychology. However, it has manifested itself many times throughout history, including in our own time before Covid, and has been written about extensively. Consider Dutch tulips in the 16th century or contemporary North Korean society. Although not expressly named as such, Arendt had much to say about this phenomenon. To his credit, Dr. Desmet acknowledged her throughout his book. He also leaned heavily on Joost Merloo (who also influenced Arendt) but did not sufficiently acknowledge this in my view.
Then, there is the matter of what many of us see with our own eyes. Have you not experienced as part of the 'new normal' this bizarre existence where 'everything is fine, life is normal, and we can talk about anything, except reality'? Have you not seen people freeze and zone out right before your eyes when you try to talk about anything that goes against the narratives and then suddenly snap back and change the subject as if you said nothing? When I've encountered this, it has certainly felt like I was witnessing something deeply psychological. Others who have had similar encounters have said the same to me. Of course, this is anecdotal and I'm no psychologist, but unless I'm mistaken, neither of us is. I simply suggest you are being bit overly dismissive of the Mass Formation Psychosis theory because of issues specific to Desmet.
The existence of a MFP and a deliberate agenda on the part of powerful people who knew and know exactly what they are doing are perfectly compatible possibilities in my view. I know when I first read Arendt's 'The Origins of Totalitarianism', I certainly felt I was following in the footsteps of our Covid-era oppressors insomuch as it seemed very clear to me that they too had studied her work a long time ago.
Yes. They are not hypnotised, but they do seem obsessed. Perhaps we are all, at root, motivated by some fear or other. Some of the killer virus and, the more ‘sensible’ ones, of tyranny.
The problem is that most people talking about mass formation haven't heard anything beyond the basic interviews and articles and haven't dug deep into that part of the discussion. Ironically most people I interact with who bring it up simply think mass formation psychosis *is* the process in which the leaders manipulating people into going along with madness.
This is because before now, most people were entirely unfamiliar with how much the state and corporations are actively working to control and manipulate them. So "mass formation" is effectively a convenient shorthand for all kinds of things they could notice but not quite explain.
Unfortunately that means these people end up carrying water for yet another totalitarian concept. I am highly skeptical of any attempts to depict the masses as an irrational out of control mob that simply needs to be brought to heel by rational guidance. This represents to be the root of the desire of the few to rule the many.
If more institutions had more bottom-up structure many grave errors could be avoided.
It seems to me that you are both right. For sure, there was a plan to cause the current insanity - and it succeeded only due to years of preparation, to prime everyone to be most receptive to the fearmongering and hypnosis from the media and government.