Immersive Isolation

Isolation should not be thought of as only physical.  Indeed, the most ardent of followers to a cause are empowered by Immersive Isolation, which could also be called mental isolation but differs because the individual is not forbidden to go out into society and may even be encouraged.  The difference though-where the isolation comes in-is that the individual is indoctrinated into a mindset that convinces them that the world is a vile, sinful place.  This creates in them a type of arrogance and self-certainty, as well as a proclivity to believe the doctrine, that convinces them that they are set apart in some way.

Clothing as well can influence this isolation, as they are visibly set apart, and the group gets the reputation of being a little "off" of the norm.  Be it bizarre clothing or merely something mild, the idea is that something visible is worn to distinguish at a glance that the individual is a follower of the group.  Of course, when it comes to religion, there is always a god-willed reason for this, but the actual purpose is wholly of this world.  Nevertheless, the cause-even if you believe it divine-has the affect of distinguishing them from society and therefore can act as much as a unifying agent as a means to isolate the follower from the non-follower.

The same is true of aggressive proselytizing and invoking scorn among non believers (see my earlier posts on the subjects).  It serves to isolate them from the rest of society, even as they work with and along side us, there is always a type of barrier between two worlds that is put up. 

Physical isolation is difficult, and when we often see cults using such methods it is often the matter that the followers choose to isolate themselves.  Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, better known as "Osho" told his followers they could leave at any time-and they did.  But he knew he didn't have to force them to stay, because they almost always came back.

So often, we allow the extremes to dictate our views on a subject, and this is also true of success and failure of cults as well.  But so often, we read about Jonestown or the Branch Dividians and we let this mold our image of what a Cult should look like.  But both of these cults, and many others like them that end in tragedy-are failures.  We picture a cult as having several strong men with guns intimidating members to prevent them from staying, but the truth is that a cult leader who knows what he or she is doing relies more on the dependency of the followers to keep them in the cult.
 

And what do they see?  They go out into the world and see that it is indeed vile and wicked, that the prophet/s was/were right.  They find that in the cult they had acceptance, love and security.  This Immersive Isolation is the main reason why they return to the cult they left-often as stronger believers than before they left.

Part I of the 36 Strategems of Ancient China

Part I of the 36 Strategems of Ancient China

(Adapted for Contemporary Readers)

By: Travis Anderson

1.Crossing the sea under camouflage
It goes without saying that camouflage is of utmost importance in any covert movement of forces.

2.Relieve the State of Zhao by besieging the state of Wei
To attack, he must leave his lair.  Instead of defending a minor area (which you may lose anyway) attack his base of operations.  He will be weakened and he may lose both his capital and the city he was attacking if he tries to turn back around to defend his base of operations.  If he stays on the attack, the loss of his base should be made very public, so that it demoralizes his attacking forces.  This is how you can turn a loss into two victories.

3.Kill somebody by using another person's knife
Never pass up the opportunity to destroy your enemy using methods and means that are not yours.  It matters not how he is defeated, so long as he is defeated.  Why expend your forces when you can have your allies do it for you?  Even better, have a future rival do it for you, so that he is weakened as well.

4.Wait at one's ease for the fatigued enemy
To be on the defense is not always a bad thing when you instigate the attack.  Let him come to you, keep your moral high, and fight his tired force with your ready one.  In the sense of martial arts, I would often let my more energetic opponents hop all over the place trying to intimidate me.  In a long match, the victory almost always went to me because my energy was conserved while theirs was expended in their futile attempts.  It is also a method to use whereby the path to get to you is long and difficult-be sure to position yourself in such a way that it makes it hard to reach you without losses and with little energy.  Make him climb uphill to get to you.

5.Plunder a house when it is on fire (profit from another's misfortune)
When the enemy’s state is ready to collapse, march in and take what you want.  Don’t feel bad for this-he’s sure to have others doing the same.  All is fair in love and war.

6.Make faint to the east but attack in the west
A classic of strategy.  The enemy cannot defend where he is not.  Adolph Hitler was fooled into thinking that the D-Day Invasion would take place at Pas de Calais.  Even though he suspected that Normandy was the possible location, this strategy prevented him from acting quickly enough to defend.

7.Produce something out of nothing
Again, Normandy is a great example.  Patton's inflatable army kept the illusion that the Allies would strike Pas de Calais.  This is closely connected to strategy 6.

8.Secretly crossing over to Chencang
Understand the area better than your rivals.  Know where to make your move where he cannot fathom you moving.  Put on a garb of convention-lure him into thinking that it’s just another day at work, then hit him from an angle he didn’t know existed, or that he long ago disregarded.

9.Watch the fire from the other side of the river
Related to #5.  Let your rivals tire themselves out, then show up with a prepared force and take what they cannot defend.  When the Crusades were winding down, it left neither the Muslim nor Christian states with the ability to really defend against the Mongol Hordes, who ravaged them at every turn.  only the death of Ogedai Khan stopped what would have almost certainly been the defeat of Western Europe.

10.Conceal a knife in your smile
Your rival cannot defend against what he does not know threatens him.  Approach as a friend and leave victorious over your rival.  This is more commonly known as being “Passive Aggressive”.

11.The plum dies for the apricot (substitute this for that)
One of the more cold-hearted strategies, it is often also a strategy of last resort.  The idea being that you allow a loss of a less important position or even person, in order to avoid the loss of a more important position or person.  This does however, give one a chance to be rid of a poor position or a disloyal subordinate.

12.Make off with a sheep in passing by
All plans need flexibility.  This flexibility will allow for more options, whether they be possible gains not on the main agenda, or possible escape routes.

13.Beat the grass and frighten away the snake
Test your enemy by making moves designed to gauge his reaction.  Watch how he responds to your moves, get an idea of his strengths and weaknesses.  It was also a practice that if a commander thought an ambush might be up ahead in a forest or jungle, he would have that area burned or riddled with arrows.  Hence, "frighting away the snake".

14.Borrow the Corpse, revive it's soul
This is in effect, the strategy of using those in power.  This power can be real or figurative.  The more incompetent the person the better.  The idea is to find a patron-rich, powerful-but incompetent, and be the true power behind him.  Let him have the illusion of power, but take it all for yourself.

15.Lure the tiger out of the mountain
Hello, I am the Prince of Nigeria, and I have a remarkable opportunity for you…it takes one of a few things for someone who is worried to leave the safety of their home, fortifications or position-one of the most alluring is the prospect of an easy gain.  This prospect appears as though it can solve all their problems.  This is a powerful method by which even brilliant men have been lured away to their defeat by seeing what they thought was "opportunity" which in truth you set out there for them.  More simply, bait.

16.Let the enemy leave in order to catch him
Give him a way out-your way out.  In an argument, purposely make a seemingly weak point when his back is against the wall.  In so doing, he will strike at it thinking it’s a way out.  In truth, the argument was quite strong, and you move in for the kill.  If you keep bashing away at him, he won’t budge.  But if you offer him a “way out”, he’ll almost certainly take it, and in so doing-expose himself fully for your counter attack.

17.Throw a brick to lure a gem
This is in a sense a type of unwitting dealing.  You give the enemy a tempting target that doesn't necessarily hurt you by it's loss, and they use their best to take it-thus coming into an ambush.

18.Catch the ringleader first in order to capture all his bandit followers
Some groups depend heavily on their leader.  Before he came along, they were divided, weak and soon to collapse.  When faced with such a group, taking out the leader will make them easy prey.

Part II of the 36 Strategems of Ancient China

Part II of the 36 Strategems of Ancient China

(Adapted for Contemporary Readers)
By: Travis Anderson

19.Take away the firewood under the cauldron (take drastic measures to strike at source of a problem)
What does your rival need to function?  What keeps him coming back to fight you or oppose you?  Just as a cauldron needs firewood to function, you must find what your opponent needs to function and take that from him.

20 Fish in troubled water (try to take advantage of a disturbed situation to take in profits)

Predators look for weakened prey because there is nothing more to gain and everything to lose by going after someone at their best when you have to defeat them.  Sometimes they bring about their own weakness and disturbances…other times you must create these yourself (33).

21.Cast off the molted skin (escape unnoticed)
Robbers who are good at their trade wear reversible jackets.  Others wear highly visible outer clothes that they can discard in favor for more plain clothes underneath.  Do not think that all disguises work by making you blend in, some work by virtue of calling attention to them.  Cast these away and your odds of escape greatly increase.  

22.Close the gate to catch the thieves
The Great Wall of China, contrary to popular belief, was not designed to keep people out, but rather, to trap bandits and barbarians inside.  They could not carry their loot back over the walls, and any attempt to breach the walls would alert the government.  Rather than always hoping that you can keep them out, at times it’s best to let them in and trap them.

23.Befriend distant countries while attacking those nearby
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” is the key here.  By having your enemy in between you and your allies, you prevent him from marching against you from fear of attack by your allies, and from attacking your allies from fear of attack by you.

24.Conquer Hao after obtaining permittance to cross another country (forge neutral alliances)
Do not burn your bridges in personal relationships.  You never know who’s help you’ll need later on, and if you alienate many as a habit, you’ll find yourself alone and without allies when you need them.

25.Steal the beams and pillars and replace them with rotten timbers
The greatest practices and policies do not arise out of nothingness.  They arise from the mind.  Find those minds within your rivals forces and entice them away or destroy them.  Then send in agents of your own to replace those minds they no longer have to confuse and weaken your rivals. (18, 33)

26.Revile the locust tree while pointing at the mulberry (scold one person through another)
When a minor rule has been broken, it is best not to admonish the individual directly.  In management, it is often better to call a meeting where many are present, including the guilty party and talk about what the person did as though the meeting was not directly about them.  “It has come to our attention that we’re running out of pens.  Everyone needs to be sure that they are returning them at the end of their shifts.“ They will get the message.

27.Pretend madness without loosing the balance
Never appear too smart-always appear a little foolish, a little dull.  In so doing, no one considers you a threat and you are free to plot your own methods.  The enemy should not know either your true intentions or your capabilities.

28.Take away the ladder when the enemy is in the second floor
This is also called “Death Ground”, where there is no way to go but forward.  Sometimes, you have to remove the ladder so that someone has no choice but to push harder than they normally would have-the only other option is to get fired/killed.  Do not make this a common strategy, as they’ll soon realize what you’re up to and that you aren’t sincere in your urging them forward.

29.False flowers on a tree (use decoys)
If you have little in the way of power, make it appear otherwise.  The reverse is also true-if you have much power, make it appear otherwise.  Control your enemy's vision of you, and you control much more.  He must think you strong when you are weak, and weak when you are strong.

30.Make the guest to the host ("cuckoo's egg strategy")
The true power rests behind the throne, speaking into the Kings ear.  You achieve this by being faithful to the powers that be, doing their bidding until you rise to the level of chief adviser, vice president, ect.  When the time comes, usurp power.

31.The stratagem of a beautiful woman.
The essence here is to use a decoy.  While the title itself refers to "woman" it can refer to anything he finds pleasing in order to distract his attention.

32. The stratagem of (open gates and) an emptied city (with soldiers waiting in ambush)
The Art of the Ambush is a refined one.  The Ambush brings out our worst and most primal fears-the sudden fear for one's life where one thought safety was assured.  In this case, the idea is to draw him in with the prospects of an easy victory or path, then turn his complacency into terror.

33. The stratagem of sowing the seeds of discord (among the enemies)
Sun Tzu advised, "When the enemy is united, divide him."  This strategy rests on your ability to find out who is part of your enemy forces either out of fear or  opportunism or if he has a grudge against others in the group.  If he is with them out of fear, show him how weak and helpless you are and he will leave the coalition.  If he is with them out of opportunism, offer him the world if he opposes them.  If he has a personal rivalry or grudge against others on his side, show him false evidence of betrayal by those he hates.

34. The stratagem of self-mutilation (in order to lure out the enemy)
Gangs have initiations for a reason.  By going through a hard or illegal act, you show that you are willing to cause harm on yourself.  This seals their trust for you, and traps you.  However, know that this can also be a way to gain the trust of others you wish to defeat.

35. The stratagem of combining rings (of various stratagems)
This isn't necessarily a strategy so much as it is a recommendation to combine-when possible-various strategies for maximum effect.  Because in truth, while battles may be one by a single strategy, it is often a combined group of strategies that win the war.  For example-

33, 9 and 5:
Cause discord (33), Watch and wait while they tear each other apart (9), move in and take advantage (5)

36. Sometimes the best stratagem is to run away
Perhaps they will write stories about your heroic last stand against impossible odds.  But you'll never get to read them.  Never fight on the terms of the enemy, and if you find yourself forced into doing so, withdraw.  This is why you must leave your plans flexible: you should put twice the planning into leaving as you do entering.  Nothing you can will matter if you are destroyed in the process.  The rare exception to this is Death Ground (28), where running becomes impossible.  Remember, martyrs inspire, but they don't win wars.

Why the Fanatic Actually Wants to be Hated

This is closely linked to my post "Aggressive Proselytizing", but it will go into more depth about the mindset that seeks hatred.  To the Fanatic, being hated gives him energy.  In truth, success for his cause seems to be more damaging to him than failure.  This seems a type of paradox, until we understand that a Fanatic wants to fight.  If victory was really achieved, he would have to either become a fanatic to a new cause, or become a rebel to the very cause he put into place.  It is not a historical rarity that former Fanatics are among the first to swing from the gallows mere days after the success of their cause.
 

The Fanatic would rather be rejected by those outside his group than accepted.  He is not a stickler to principle, yet it is for this "principle" that he fights so hard, at least-that's what he wants to believe.  His actions are more to convince himself than anyone else, for he is not really a genuine believer.  It is then, primarily his own pride that is the source of his boundless arrogance and viciousness.
 

Unless he throws himself into some great fight in which he loses himself to the moment, he can't help but feel useless.  It is the fight that gives his life meaning, and he cannot perhaps help but feel disdain for the actual believers who are content to live life according to their principles-the very ones that the Fanatic fights so hard to uphold in his own mind.  To him, the content and happy believer is not pulling his weight and should step aside for those who do.  The irony of course is that it is the Fanatic who undermines the very principles he claims to uphold.  It was Fanatics, not genuine believers that launched the Inquisition which causes so much misery and pain.  Likewise, it was Fanatics who yelled, "Deus Vult" when they slaughtered countless Jews and Muslims when Jerusalem fell to their forces. 
 

But this is not unique to any religion, as terrorism in our day and age is the work of Fanatics, which is widely known.  By now, word of Osama Bin Laden's massive pornography stash (forbidden in Islam) has spread far and wide, and even the 9/11 hijackers themselves visited strip clubs (again, also forbidden in Islam).  In reality the Fanatic does not really believe what he spews-and it is to convince himself, not you or I-that is at the heart of his hateful rhetoric.  I will cover this aspect of the Fanatic at a later time, but suffice to say, this hypocritical element to the Fanatic is a key part of their mentality.

The fact that you will oppose what he says only re-affirms in his mind that he's right.  After all, he would be told that you would hate him, fear him and oppose him every step of the way.  So he seeks your hatred, for it is the only thing that can keep him feeling validated in this-the struggle which gives meaning to his life, for outside of the cause, all is "vile, wicked and worthy of destruction".  Certainly by being attacked, one has only reaffirmed to the Fanatic that those outside his cause are "vile, wicked and worthy of destruction."

Finnaly, I will leave off with a quote by Eric Hoffer-

"We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves."

Strategic Principle I "Flexibility"

*Strategic Principles are those principles that underlay nearly all strategy, no matter what that strategy pertains to.  By understanding these principles, one has a skeleton key to the art of Strategy, and whatever field it is applied to is irrelevant-all fields become manifestations of the same base.
 
It is not what we cannot do, but what we will not do that is the source of our weakness.  Flexibility, then-is the first Strategic Principle.  Even a small and weak group can overcome by being flexible.

"A Tree that is unbending yet powerful is snapped by the wind.  It is the sapling that is weak yet flexible can move to and fro that survives the storm."
-Lao Tzu "The Tao Te Ching"

So how far does this go, and what does it mean?  Buddha was not just speaking of happiness and lowering stress when he spoke of being unattached.  Being unattached-and therefore, flexible-was the key to power over oneself just as much as it is power over an army, nation or life as a whole.

"Leading an army is like leading one person, it is a matter of division."
-Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"

It is more about unwillingness and rigidness then about incompetence or weakness.  Japanese Jujitsu can be performed by people of nearly any strength or size.  Like water-the most adaptable thing on this Earth, Jujitsu teaches to flow with the attack and turn it back on the enemy. 

Queen Elizabeth I knew well of what she was saying when she stated-

"I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married."

For a queen, this seems very odd of her to say, but the context of her reign shows her wisdom in this regard.  Queen Elizabeth went down in history as "The Virgin Queen".  She ruled in her own right, and never committed to any bachelor-she never became attached or held down.  The power she gained and the stability she brought to England were legendary.  Others competed for her favor and hand in marriage, but she never relented.  Men all over England and indeed most of Europe saw her as a type of Mecca for marriage.  Who was this Queen who would not marry-who would not settle down and become attached?  The answer?  She was the most powerful Queen and arguably Monarch England would ever have.

Some attachments are a part of life.  Marriage is a type of attachment, and I am not out to give marriage advice.  Children demand a level of attachment as well.  But one should never be more attached then is necessary.  Never become so attached that you squander your ability to live life as you wish, and never become so dependent on a system of way of doing things that you cease to grow.

After all, it is growth that is life, and without flexibility-without room-one cannot grow.

The Roles of Contradictions, Absurdities and Trivial Nonsense in Faith

A question often asked by non-believers is “Why do you believe a book with so many contradictions, absurdities and trivial nonsense?“  However, this question is assuming that one cannot believe such things-when in truth, these things actually foster faith, not diminish it.

I will address each in turn, and what role in particular they partake in fostering faith.

I. Contradictions

Ask any believer and he will say that contradictions are one of the following-

a. non existent
b. taken out of context
c. due to translation errors
d. the result of us “not understanding God’s will/our inability to comprehend a being such as God.”

This particular posts deals with a. and d., the outright denial of contradictions and the belief that the human mind cannot understand a being such as God.

The former (d.) is of course, owing solely to outright denial of obvious facts.  The great holy books are literally peppered with contradictions-from the trivial to the truly earth shattering.  Only the willingly blind could deny they exist, as evident by the fact that non-believers can easily spot them with minimal effort.  In order to deny such a critical issue requires a great deal of faith-using your emotions rather than your logic.  As a result, even the most logical and well developed argument against these contradictions toward even the most intelligent believer will accomplish nothing when he denies their very existence.  Faith is in many ways less about what you can’t see and more about what you won’t see.

The latter is a more powerful and first responder more or less to the issue of dealing with contradictions.  Denial is not even necessary when one refuses to think about it because he believes that God is far wiser than himself and hence, always right.  Denial at least requires some thought, whereas assuming that thought isn’t even possible on this issue nips the problem in the bud.  There is no reason to think or worry about the contradictions-God knows all and he makes them consistent.  There is no way you could ever understand a being like God, so don’t even bother trying-just have faith that he knows all and wants the best for you.

II. Absurdities

This is not a universal attribute to the fostering of faith.  The stories of creation for instance, if taken literally are obviously absurd.  More astute believers see these as analogies.  However, as children and even some adults go, absurdity is a powerful energizer of faith, and it is these two groups who are my focus.  While many analogies are absurdities, not all absurdities are analogies in regards to religion.  It is the latter group of absurdities-those not attached to any analogy-that are my focus, as even a non-believer can draw wisdom and inspiration from some of the analogies and parables contained within a holy book.

Absurdity is loosely connected to the issue raised above (I, d.), wherein the logical mind cannot explain how such a thing is done.  When there is no logical reason why such a thing is a certain way, the mind begins to shut off and stop thinking about it-but rather, simply believe it is the cause of a higher power.  It is assumed that the creator of all laws can break them at a whim but beyond that no thought as to how such a thing can happen occurs or is even possible.  Faith begins to step in where logic is impossible.

III. Trivial Nonsense

I once said that if you want to hide the truth, bury it in triviality and boring rambling.  Sadly, it is still a habit of many intellectuals to hyper-articulate what they write, and spend five paragraphs explaining what a single sentence could have managed easily.  Credulity is based not only on wanting a thing to be so, but also in not wanting to pursue it further.  Trivial nonsense and passages that don’t teach anything but yet persist not only adds to an already long holy book, it also builds onto the image of holiness for the holy book that has all the answers must be long.  It has been my experience that the greatest philosophers-the most brilliant men of any age have been able to express themselves in few words, whereas hiding something in plain sight is easy when it is intermixed with an array of pointless and hyper-articulate passages.

Put another way, Jargon is perhaps a sufficient example of this.  Your doctor explains something to you in such a way that leaves you thoroughly confused and intimidated, so you just nod your head and agree.  In another example, a person with a specialized interest rambles on (I hope I’m not seen as such a person!) and others agree with him without much thought-either because they assume he knows more than they do. 

People want an answer-they don’t necessarily want to understand it.  I argue a bit deeper however, and say that we can only believe what we do not truly understand, and by making a holy book impossible to truly understand, belief is the only resort.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re probably right.”

When we sufficiently understand something, we often move on to something else.  So long as we do not understand something but are rather rewarded for trusting it anyway, we tend to hold on all the more. 

The role of entertainment in controlling the masses

“Plays, farces, spectacles, gladiators, strange beasts, medals, pictures, and other such opiates, these were for ancient peoples the bait toward slavery, the price of their liberty, the instruments of tyranny. By these practices and enticements the ancient dictators so successfully lulled their subjects under the yoke, that the stupefied peoples, fascinated by the pastimes and vain pleasures flashed before their eyes, learned subservience as naively, but not so creditably, as little children learn to play by looking at bright picture books.” 

-Etienne de la Boetie, The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude

Entertainment has always been an intrinsic part of keeping the masses under control.  Eric Hoffer would, almost exactly 500 years later, in 1951 note in The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements-

"There is perhaps no more reliable indicator of a society’s ripeness for a mass movement than the prevalence of unrelieved boredom.  In almost all the descriptions of the periods preceding the rise of mass movements there is reference to vast ennui; and in their earliest stages mass movements are more likely to find sympathizers and support among the bored than among the exploited and oppressed.  To a deliberate fomenter of mass upheavals, the report that people are bored stiff should at least be as encouraging as that they are suffering form intolerable economic or political abuses."

Boredom it seemed, was such a powerful force in the eyes of those in power that they would often spend lavishly on fairs, circuses and constructing impressive centers of entertainment such as the Colosseum.  

No ruler, benevolent or otherwise-has ever spent so much money on a thing he felt was useless to the perpetuation of his power.  However, in those cases where seemingly all forms of entertainment are banned yet the people do not live at near starvation levels as we see in parts of Africa, such as in pre-occupation Afghanistan, control can only be maintained by fear and constant hustling.  In the bland and flavorless U.S.S.R. under Stalin, or the uniform individuality suppressing China under Mao Tze Tung, control was gained by the constant regimentation of nearly every aspect of life.

Again, Hoffer seemed to have understood this well-

"The poor on the borderline of starvation live purposeful lives.  To be engaged in a desperate struggle for food and shelter is to be wholly free from a sense of futility.  The goals are concrete and immediate.  Every meal is a fulfillment; to go to sleep on a full stomach is a triumph; and every windfall is a miracle.  What need could they have for “an inspiring super-individual goal which could give meaning and dignity to their lives?”  They are immune to the appeal of a mass movement.  Angelica Balabanoff describes the effect of abject poverty on the revolutionary adore of famous radicals who flocked to Moscow in the dearly days of the Bolshevik revolution.  “Here I saw men and women who had lived all their lives for ideas, who had voluntarily renounced material advantages, liberty, happiness and family affection for the realization of their ideals,-completely absorbed by the problem of hunger and cold.
     Where people toil from sunrise to sunset for a bare living, they nurse no grievances and dream no dreams.  One of the reasons for the unrebelliousness of the masses in China* is the inordinate effort required there to scrape together the means of the scantiest subsistence.  The intensified struggle for existence “is a static rather than dynamic influence.”

*(Hoffer wrote this in 1951, where China was not the rising giant she is today.  The policies of Deng Xiao Ping aided greatly in the rise of China to her position today.  Nevertheless, your mother‘s scolding of “Think of the poor starving kids in China!” whenever you poked and prodded your peas with a frown WAS true at one time-so listen to you mother and eat your peas)

Boredom is not an issue of those who struggle for food every day, it is a symptom of those who have met their basic needs and require something else to divert them.  The poorest regions of the world have little to worry about in regards to successful movements against them so long as their people live on the border of starvation.

When considering the ways people are kept under control, it is more prudent to focus on their individual needs rather than outside methods of control.

So it may also be that economic hardship spurns revolt not only by forcing the people to realize what they have lost (or may lose) but also by cutting deeply into their entertainment budget, and eliciting boredom during which they have little choice but to boil in anger about their situation.

Ignorance is bliss, but so too is denial-and entertainment is an excellent way to deny our own miserable affairs-and hence, a way to control the masses.