Data point: a friend's stepdad is very sick, was owed VA benefits that he couldn't figure out how to get. My friend engaged the bureaucracy, found everyone very helpful, and secured a much needed $$ benefit.
The stepdad and my friend's mom have been deep down the Fox News rabbit hole for years. It is now crystal clear to them that they got in just under the wire, this never would have happened in the current administration.
These things will have an effect.
Thom Hartmann has an expert on cults on who wrote "The Cult of Trump." Forward by George Conway.
He's a former Moonie.
He's urging people to not argue with Trump cult members. Instead, ask questions so they begin some self-reflection. "They can exit. They have doubts."
"We need to reach out to these folks. Not putting them down. Not calling them names. But reminding them of who they were before; asking questions in a respectful way."
"As i mentioned in the book ... Trump uses hypnotic methodology" "Trump uses this method to elicit emotions and for repeating, over and over again, lies, and the brain starts acting as if it's true, if that's the only source of information people are getting. Trump projects his own bad behavior onto his opponents, so he misdirects peoples' attention."
"Don't attack Trump directly, the doctrine, the policy, directly because that elicits the cult identity defense system. Talk to them about Chinese communist brainwashing techniques, and also about pimps and traffickers, and how they groom, recruit, and indoctrinate people. And then ask people questions.
"Tell me more. Tell me how you make sense of this. Would you ever consider leaving? What criteria would you need?"
They will say no, I would never consider. Then you can ask them hypothetical questions.
"What if you're a religious person, and you pray, and you determine Jesus doesn't want Trump elected. Would you follow what God wants for you, and your conscience, or would you continue to do what everyone in your circle is doing?"
"And the thing is, don't try to persuade them. Ask them questions that make them self-reflect because people will exit themselves, if it's done properly."
Maybe we should all read this book.
Hillary Clinton says Trump supporters may need to be ‘deprogrammed’
Clinton calls for 'formal deprogramming' of MAGA 'cult members'
Not the #Cyberpunk proper, being written back in 1975, but fucking close. And still extremely to the point even some fifty years later. It feels so damn contemporary I couldn't believe it had been written so long ago.
(I only checked the publishing date after I finished the book) 
#ShockwaveRider #JohnBrunner #ComputerWorm #hacking #dystopia #mastobooks #SciFi #net #hackers
#GeneticEngineering #dystopian #government #deprogramming #FutureShock
#Memory Marathon 2012: #AdamCurtis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp2vGAD-BGw
#Brainwashing as a psychological concept is brainwashing itself: it doesn't exist and prevents us from thinking out of the box concepts we accept as "the #norm".
Great 22min #video to watch and learn how brainwashing was used to actually manipulate the perception of the masses. 
Nice! That's some quality experimental work.
I'll put it along with asking people to explain why their bigoted joke is funny as a useful tool.
#conspiracytheory
#deprogramming
#DontSpreadFascistPropaganda
May I curate this with:
#deprogramming #conspiracyTheory #ConspiracyTheoryIdiocy #antiRacism #DontSpreadFascistPropaganda #transphobia #Peaking #DontSpreadHate
Because fascism uses CT to spread so much hate and this is top tier stuff.
If annoying I can delete.
Ya’ll I cannot keep up w/this #disinformation #debugging #deprogramming I’ve to #constantly do on my very good friend who lives in Silicon Valley & #hobnobs with the .01 & .00001%
#WhatIsHappening ?!?!? #poltergeist #CovidBrain #cognitiveDissonance
SHE JUST TOLD ME SHE THINKS #ELMO IS A #GENIUS !!!!
I’m so #enraged yet oddly #dispassionate b/c I’m #whatever #ofcourse my darling sweet friend has gone to dark side
Is he an #engineering genius?
Please I need #facts too tired to #research this
What’s the best way to deprogram 70 million cult members?
Stealing heavily from cult expert Steven Hassan:
- Members think the leader is the only one who has the keys to saving the everything, the only one who has access to the truth.
- Cult leader thinks he’s above the law, which is why he’s allowed to do anything he wants, persecute and harass or harm anyone he wants.
- Members believe that God had chosen the leader or is using the leader.
- Black-and-white, all-or-nothing, good-versus-evil, authoritarian view of reality that is mostly fear-based.
- Irrational fears are drilled into people’s minds so that they can’t even imagine leaving the group or questioning the leader.
- Members believe in the leader and follow him religiously and don't question anything he says even when it’s obvious that he’s lying
- The leader lies and insults and projects weakness onto others
- Members believe a well-defined web of batshit insane conspiracy theories
https://old.reddit.com/r/sociology/comments/jomhyx/whats_the_best_way_to_deprogram_70_million_cult/
single use plastique 
