Before you paint, you have to do something to the surface of the canvas. You prime it so the paint that you put on top sticks and holds.
Priming is a powerful thing, especially in the world of cognitive and social psychology. We are being primed in two ways, and I want you to understand it. By understanding it, perhaps you can change some of the things that you do so that the paint doesn’t stick on you.
“Priming” used to be known as propaganda. Some futurists say that by 2030 we will begin the discussion of whether we have any free will any more or if we’ve been primed or influenced by outside forces without even noticing it or knowing about it. I think we already have begun having this discussion. But it will be everywhere.
Priming, in social psychology and cognitive psychology, is the process by which exposure to one stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus, without any conscious guidance or intention. You just do it. This was first harnessed by advertisers. Now it’s the fuel behind social media platforms — and governments. When it’s used by governments or, God forbid, all three together, you’re pretty helpless unless you know about it.
How all of it works
Let me explain. The human brain is constantly bombarded with sensory data, so it uses shortcuts to expedite decision-making. Priming exploits these shortcuts. When an individual is exposed to a specific stimulus, the “prime” activates related notes in your memory. Once a desired concept or idea is activated, that influences your response.
So let’s take advertising as an example. When you see a Coca-Cola commercial, what does it usually show you? It’s always showing scenes with friends or family having a good time, laughter, and romance. They’re priming you. When you look at the product, you think of family, friends, laughter, and good times. When you’re in those situations, you want a Coke. That’s priming, and it influences your decision, whether you know it or not.
Governments can prime you to support certain policies. You wanted to be called a patriot after 9/11, so now we have the Patriot Act.
Social media platforms really use this. The algorithms dictate what you see on your feed. You can say, “I want to see Glenn Beck on Facebook. I signed up for his newsletter. I follow him. I want his posts.” You will miss 95% of my posts now. The algorithm has shut me down — hard. They’ve shut me down so much that only 5% of what I post gets out. So it’s not you. You’re not being influenced by the things you’re asking to be influenced by. They are priming you, showing you other things that they think you need to see.
By controlling the content, the sequence, and the frequency of whatever it is you see, platforms and algorithms can prime users to spend more time online, engage with certain types of content, or even influence political and social attitudes. That’s happening now. Remember the black square that everyone was posting in 2020? Black Lives Matter was not trending when the riots first started. Social media platforms boosted the algorithm and put BLM in the top 10 trending topics. That’s how BLM became what it was. You were primed.
The same thing is true with governments. Governments can prime you to support certain policies. You wanted to be called a patriot after 9/11, so now we have the Patriot Act. They associate things so they can get you to support policies and civil activities and view situations in a particular light. Then they also can shape what the national identity is. This is why the progressives wanted to take over public schools: because they could shape the public and national identity. That way, you would conform. This is manipulation. It is propaganda. That’s what we used to call advertising.
Now, if a government wants to use this to manipulate a country, here are a couple of ways it can do it. A government seeking to consolidate power or justify authoritarian measures might use priming to create a heightened sense of crisis or external threat. “Climate change is worse than nuclear war.” Who believes that? Unfortunately, a lot of people. What is that doing? It is activating a certain group of people and priming them so that they are ready to fight for global warming solutions. This happens all the time.
Governments can also make a population feel fear and insecurity. They can isolate groups. They can make you hate the Jews. They can make you hate the “Teabagger,” as Obama used to say, or the Donald Trump supporter.
The next thing they can do if they want to take control is they shape the national identity and values. This can be done in a good way or a negative way. They can use priming to redefine national identity and values in a way that supports their agenda.
Do you notice what Hitler did? He took symbols from the old Weimar Republic of Germany, like the iron eagle, and cast them in an entirely new light. He washed away the old Germany for the new German reich — the Third Reich — and the rise of a new Germany. That was all priming.
A new America with new values and a new history
So what are we being primed for?
I think we’re being primed for a few things. First of all, we are being primed to accept a new America, to forget the old America. This has been happening by our government institutions, through our teachers. It has been happening on social media. It has been happening through our corporations. So you’re being primed now by the three culprits that know how to use priming. They study this. This is what they do for a living. This is how they sell products and get you hooked online.
We’re being primed to enter a new age, just like the Germans of Weimar. A “greater America.” But it won’t look anything like the old America. Notice that nobody in the government, in the media, in education is talking about what it’s going to be. They just talk about what we need to destroy. Well, we’ve destroyed everything. What are we creating? I think if you read my book, “Dark Future,” you would know what’s being created. I think I know the next thing that we’re being primed for.
I think we’re being primed for violence.
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Opinion, Glenn beck
