Technologies of manipulative influence on mass consciousness

[Brother]

Annotation​

The scientific article examines the technologies of manipulative influence both on the individual and on society as a whole, as well as their application in political processes, such as an election campaign. The main features, methodological principles and directions of manipulation are revealed. The technological concept of changing the mass consciousness, which is called the "Overton Window", is considered, its main levers of pressure are determined, as well as the mechanisms of opposition to it and the consequences of its application.

Key words: manipulation of consciousness, Overton's Window, political influence, consciousness, suggestion, subconscious level.

We witness manipulation every day. Media channels, mass media, Internet communications are the tools that are most often used by the subjects of manipulation, and ordinary citizens often do not even suspect that they are manipulating, that instead of their own, they put other people's interests first. This explains the relevance of this issue, because it is of fundamental importance for modern society.

It should be noted that in the history of Russia and earlier there were examples of manipulation of the mass consciousness. For example, the Catholic Church skillfully influenced the minds of people critically exposed to religious dogmas, while it skillfully manipulated both ordinary people and representatives of the upper strata of society in order to achieve their specific goals and establish their own influence.

At the present stage, civil servants, the political elite and the ruling stratum also need to understand and be able to apply manipulation techniques, since they allow them to more effectively implement public policy, lobby their own interests, increase their authority among citizens, expand the range of influence, etc.

Also, ordinary citizens need to understand the basics of manipulation, because with their help people can learn to distinguish propaganda among the daily flow of information, “read between the lines” excerpts from the media and statements of political and public figures, and will be able to analyze information for reliability.

Manipulation is defined in the Big Oxford Dictionary as "devious and insidious influence on people in order to achieve personal gain by unseemly means."

That is, under the manipulative influence on a person it is necessary to understand a mental influence, carried out secretly, and, in most cases, certain harmful to those at whom it is directed.

To learn to distinguish manipulation among the flow of information, it is necessary to identify a number of its characteristic features. These include [2]:

1. Manipulative influence is directed to the subconscious sphere, and not to consciousness;
2. The main method of influence is not a belief based on a rational basis, but the "implementation" of a reaction to any event or object;
3. The influencing factor is not the information itself, but the nature of its presentation;
4. Manipulation occurs imperceptibly to those at whom it is directed.

Separating these criteria from the flow of analyzed information helps us to notice manipulation from all the surrounding information noise and, therefore, not to succumb to it.

At the moment, there are 2 areas of study and assessment of manipulation technologies:

1. An apologetic trend, whose representatives define manipulation as a necessary and inevitable way of influencing mass behavior and consciousness in the conditions of modern reality.
2. A socially critical trend, the supporters of which believe that manipulation is similar to invisible violence carried out on a person.

The main channel of manipulation, the main factor influencing the population is the media and the mass media, which represent the "fourth estate" - not elected by anyone, not controlled by society and not accountable for the results of its activities.

It should be noted that the ultimate goal of manipulation is to create a conformist, layman and mass consumer. For a clear understanding of the essence and qualities of such an individual, it is necessary to define a number of his functions [1]:

1. unconditional submission to power;
2. implementation of actions required by the authorities and approved by them;
3. illusory compensation for really unmet needs for political participation, etc.

It should be noted that the goal and the ultimate goal of political manipulation are closely interrelated. The main task of political manipulation is to create political stereotypes and images. Consequently, the steps towards achieving the ultimate goal of manipulation will be the implementation of specific tasks.

A stereotype is a schematized and simplified image of social objects or events that are stable. In a broader sense, a stereotype is a habitual, traditional way of thinking, acting, and perceiving.

Thus, political stereotypes, specially created by the media, become a guideline for various social actors in the field of politics.

A political image can be defined as an image of a political subject or political event, which is artificially created in order to achieve the behavioral reaction necessary for the manipulator.

It should be noted that political manipulation, at the moment, is already a separate subdivision of political science, because it is a fundamentally important political and social factor in the current reality. Consequently, he has specific methodological directions and rationales. Let's dwell on some of them [2]:

1. Irrational direction, which is based on the priority of sensory perception over rational. So, society often suppresses the personality, but young people are still characterized by maximalism, harsh assessments, heightened perception of injustice, excitability and increased self-esteem. For example, this approach played a fundamental role in the coup d'etat in Ukraine, where the majority of the protesters were young people under the age of 25, after all, the instillation of the need for radical change was carried out by demonizing the current, legitimate government.
2. A stereotyped direction based on a stable and extremely simplified view of the world around us. Young people are often prone to "black and white" thinking, and the guiding principle for them is the choice of "either - or".
3. Accelerative direction based on the need for intensive information related to the acceleration of development. An intense and varied flow of information is created, which is very difficult to master intellectually, pseudo-awareness develops.

Technologies and methods of manipulation are built according to specific schemes and principles. This means that it is necessary to note the main methodological principles on which the manipulative influence is based, these include [2]:

1. "60 to 40". For the formation of the necessary subconscious reaction in the recipient of information, 60% of the information must openly “work” for the required final result, and 40% “testify against” the required conclusion. This is how the effect of the apparent objectivity of information is achieved, and therefore the independence of conclusions.
2. Amusement. The information should attract attention, but not stimulate serious thoughts.
3. Reliance on the "addictive effect". Habitual events move from the realm of consciousness to the subconscious realm and, therefore, are not controlled by the mind.
4. Reliance on the "blank board" effect. Psychologists have repeatedly experimentally established that information that is obtained for the first time is extremely easy to accept and remains in memory for a long time.
5. Whipping up a climate of fear and uncertainty. In a state of fear, a person needs help, so it is easier for him to accept “authoritative opinions”.

Manipulation technologies are most prominently used in election campaigns. The media, candidates and parties influence the consciousness and choice of the voter through the purposeful formation of the candidate's political image, bright election campaigns, speeches in the media, etc.

However, electoral technologies are not limited to manipulation, they also have specific organizational features.

Of course, a candidate on his own will not be able to effectively conduct his own election campaign, even with the necessary skills, intelligence and knowledge, so he creates a team, which includes [1]:

• proxies, in order to carry out the task of expanding the possibilities of the candidate in communicating with voters, while they perform representative functions, meeting with voters on his behalf;
• a candidate support group, whose task is to develop a strategy and tactics for the election campaign;
• agitators whose purpose is to convey to voters the electoral program of a candidate and to recreate his positive image;
• media relations specialists, whose task is to ensure access to the media, as well as to improve the efficiency of their use;
• sponsors who finance the election campaign.

During the election campaign, specialists from the support group collect and process information about the social composition of voters, their preferences and moods. Based on the analysis of the data obtained, the specialists build the line of the candidate's political behavior, and the constant monitoring of the dynamics of the voters' mood helps to correct his actions during the pre-election campaign.

These actions help to solve various tasks, which have the ultimate goal of winning the elections and winning a large number of votes. However, the proof of the advantages of the candidate's program and the promotion of his personal qualities, which plays a special role in Russia, where people vote not for the program, but for the person, are not always the main content of the pre- election campaign.

A separate point is a variety of "dirty" electoral technologies, the use of which is very difficult to prove legally. When using them, a candidate can mobilize passive voters to participate in elections if the mood of politically active voters does not play in his favor. Or, on the contrary, a candidate may provoke the groups of voters who support him not to participate in the elections, increasing pessimistic sentiments in this environment. He can discredit political opponents in the eyes of voters, make unrealistic promises, etc. Also, a candidate and his team can put voters in front of a false choice, using not the programmatic attitudes of the candidates, but the prevailing "political myths" or using the feelings of voters about "political labels" [2].

Speaking of manipulation, one cannot but mention the most dangerous at the moment technological concept of changing mass consciousness, which is called the "Overton Window". In skillful hands, it becomes a dangerous weapon, as it can have both positive and destructive effects on society. Therefore, with the help of this concept, it is possible to make acceptable in society those phenomena or things that until recently were considered unnatural and immoral.

According to the Overton Window, there is a so-called “window of opportunity” for every idea or problem in society. Within this window, an idea can be widely discussed, promoted, and enshrined in legislation. The window is moved, changing the fan of possibilities, from the “unthinkable” stage, that is, completely alien to public morality, to the “current politics” stage, that is, subject to broad discussion, accepted by the mass consciousness and enshrined in laws [4].

It is important to note that these are much more subtle technologies than brainwashing. They become effective due to the systematic, consistent application and imperceptibility to society of the very fact of the impact.

The Overton Window technology is based on the weaknesses inherent in almost any personality. The greatest danger of this technology is that it functions even when it is perceived as a “victim”. Usually, manipulation stops working after its true meaning is revealed. In this case, the impact on the subconscious occurs through the basic needs of a person.

The existing pressure levers used by the Overton Window technology include [3]:

1. tolerance;
2. euphemism;
3. belonging to society (“herd feeling”);
4. the illusion of authority;
5. legal = correct.

"Overton Windows" is based on basic human needs, occupying steps 2-4 in Maslow's pyramid. Let's list all the steps of Maslow's pyramid [1]:

1. physiological needs;
2. the need for security;
3. the need for belonging and love;
4. the need for respect;
5. cognitive needs;
6. aesthetic needs;
7. the need for self-actualization.

Needs 2, 3 and 4 are almost never fully satisfied, so they become the object of manipulation.

Tolerance is used as an opportunity to introduce any, even the most immoral, opinions into everyday life. Interestingly, tolerance is described not only as tolerance, but also as voluntarily enduring suffering. It is this definition that suits people who are ready to put up with opposing views, namely, the imposition of these views on them as their own. And the need for belonging and love makes us abandon our views, fearing to cause aggression and discontent in the opponent [3].

Euphemism is an indispensable component for overcoming internal resistance, which helps to establish an internal balance between your own and completely opposite values [3].

Social belonging (“herd feeling”) combines the needs for security, for belonging to society and for respect. Every person speaking to the audience understands how difficult it is to endure these few minutes when all eyes are on you. And if you also have to express your disagreement with all these people, and without using euphemisms? It is rare to find people capable of this [3].

The illusion of authority is an opportunity to try on one's own views, already partly imposed from the outside [3].

Legality is the supremacy of accepting alien norms. The famous psychiatrist KG Jung believed that fanaticism was a sign of suppressed doubt. The person is really convinced of his righteousness, absolutely calm and can discuss the opposite point of view without a shadow of indignation. In the case of the imposition of other people's values, complete conviction does not occur, the doubt has to be suppressed due to the conviction of others. Legality gives every right to do so.

Let us turn to the consequences of using the Overton Window technology.

Perhaps the most terrible consequence of using this technology is that a person loses harmony, and in its place receives endless internal disputes and torments. After all, applying this technology, no one thinks about how to make a person happy. The goal of technology is to get a new vector of development.

After achieving the result, a lot of people are forced to maintain the illusion of accepting other people's values. People are less and less human, losing touch with their roots and culture.

However, this technology can be resisted. First of all, confrontation may consist in refusing to try to be "normal" always and everywhere. The moment “individual” is replaced by “normal” we automatically transfer our own control into the wrong hands. At best, we strive to be comfortable for others, and at worst, we fall under targeted manipulation. It is the culture, morals, customs and foundations of ancestors that help to find their individuality. Integration of this into modern life helps not to break away from their own heritage [4].

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Kozyrev GI Fundamentals of sociology and political science: textbook. M.: ID "FORUM": INFRA-M, 2014;
2. Political science: Giraud T. Electronic resource: http://all-politologija.ru/knigi/politologiya-zhiro;
3. “Destruction technology. Overton window. "Nikolay Starikov. Electronic resource: nstarikov.ru;
4. "The Overton Window is a technology for dehumanizing people." Evgeny Khavrenko. Electronic resource: bourabai.ru.

 

[Jollier]

Specificity of manipulating public consciousness​

The phenomenon of manipulation is studied in those sciences that focus on the problems of relationships between people in society: philosophy, sociology, communication science, political psychology. All research carried out in the framework of these sciences can be divided into two groups depending on the situation of manipulation.
1. Situations where a person is subject to the influence of collective actors (public, political, religious organizations, financial, economic and commercial structures, government bodies), which use complex technologies of latent psychological coercion, mainly related to the use of the media ... In this case, we are talking about the manipulation of public opinion (consciousness). This type of manipulation is studied mainly in the works of philosophers, sociologists and political scientists [1, 2].
2. Situations in which a person becomes an object of influence and the use of methods of latent psychological coercion at the interpersonal level in everyday life, ie we are talking about interpersonal manipulation of individual consciousness. This approach is characteristic of the study of manipulation from the standpoint of psychology. It is hard not to notice that most of the works carried out on this topic by political scientists and sociologists are of a pronounced ideological nature.
Moreover, “... an ideological veto was generally imposed on the study of the processes of personal manipulation in the former Soviet Union, as well as in other countries of the socialist camp” [3]. Therefore, the problem of manipulation was studied on the examples of foreign countries. Since for a long time everything was assessed on the basis of ideological considerations, manipulation was viewed as a negative phenomenon, characteristic only of capitalist countries. Manipulation was defined as the secret, imperceptible control of the behavior of the working people and the spiritual processing of the masses by the exploiting, ruling class, which pursues its own selfish goals. As we can see, the very approach to the analysis of manipulative influence was ideologically biased; it was influenced by the influence of the official Soviet ideology, which permeated all spheres of life. In a totalitarian society, language is always ideologized as well. However, even in modern works one cannot do without ideology, since its purpose is to symbolically arrange reality, specifically polish reality, a kind of interpretation.
It is difficult to disagree that “... the system of methods of manipulative influence, brought to the ideology and technology of interpersonal interaction, manipulation today is one of the most widespread communicative methods of the media.

In essence, this is a form of influence for communication beneficial to the manipulator, which “... continues to actively penetrate the system of information and communication processes, exerting a destructive effect on the psyche of people” [4]. That is why manipulations of various types are now being studied more and more actively. History is especially rich in various kinds of manipulation of public consciousness, which often influenced individual political events and military conflicts, and led to a change in the course of the socio-economic development of individual countries. Even analysts do not always notice the manipulative techniques used in this process. To ensure the sustainable development of society, the state must be able to fulfill the tasks assigned to it to maintain stability.

The state and society have a noticeable impact on each other, primarily in the information sphere. The choice of one way or another is due to many factors of both external and internal origin. The conflict emerging in the spiritual and informational spheres appears in the form of informational and psychological confrontation. In order to ensure stability, resolve the conflict, the state carries out a comprehensive impact on the individual and public consciousness in the interests of changing their values, goals, motives of behavior or protection in the national interests. Earlier, instead of this concept, the concept of information and propaganda, ideological influence was used. The result of such an impact was the formation of the necessary ideas, attitudes and beliefs. It evoked positive or negative emotions in people, feelings and even violent mass reactions. In this sense, the content of the informational impact is not much different from the political struggle. Modern media completely control the dissemination of information that determines our perceptions, attitudes, and ultimately our behavior. Deliberately creating messages that distort reality, they manipulate the mass consciousness with one degree or another. According to the definition of Paulo Freude, the manipulation of the human mind "is a means of his enslavement." This is one of the ways in which an attempt is made to subdue the masses. There are many ways of manipulation, but it is quite obvious that the main thing is control at all levels over the information apparatus and the apparatus for forming ideas. This is guaranteed by a simple rule of the market economy. That is why a " The transmission method itself adds another dimension to the manipulative process. In fact, at the moment we are faced with the fact that the form of communication personifies the control of consciousness. For any kind of manipulation, an important task is to suppress the psychological resistance of a person to suggestion. Therefore, any manipulation must be a combination of entertainment, informational and persuasive components. In this case, it becomes difficult for the recipient to comprehend the information and develop counter-arguments by him - the basis of resistance to suggestion. Research in the 1960s increased the effectiveness of manipulation in the press and on television. Newspapers began to use a "kaleidoscopic" arrangement of material, diluting important messages with gossip, conflicting rumors, sensations, colorful photographs and advertisements. Television began to compose the video sequence in a new way, accurately picking up distracting images. that the form of communication represents mind control. For any kind of manipulation, an important task is to suppress the psychological resistance of a person to suggestion. Therefore, any manipulation must be a combination of entertainment, informational and persuasive components. In this case, it becomes difficult for the recipient to comprehend the information and develop counter-arguments by him - the basis of resistance to suggestion. Research in the 1960s increased the effectiveness of manipulation in the press and on television. Newspapers began to use a "kaleidoscopic" arrangement of material, diluting important messages with gossip, conflicting rumors, sensations, colorful photographs and advertisements. Television began to compose the video sequence in a new way, accurately picking up distracting images. that the form of communication represents mind control. For any kind of manipulation, an important task is to suppress the psychological resistance of a person to suggestion. Therefore, any manipulation must be a combination of entertainment, informational and persuasive components. In this case, it becomes difficult for the recipient to comprehend the information and develop counter-arguments by him - the basis of resistance to suggestion. Research in the 1960s increased the effectiveness of manipulation in the press and on television. Newspapers began to use a "kaleidoscopic" arrangement of material, diluting important messages with gossip, conflicting rumors, sensations, colorful photographs and advertisements. Television began to compose the video sequence in a new way, accurately picking up distracting images. For any kind of manipulation, an important task is to suppress the psychological resistance of a person to suggestion. Therefore, any manipulation must be a combination of entertainment, informational and persuasive components. In this case, it becomes difficult for the recipient to comprehend the information and develop counter-arguments by him - the basis of resistance to suggestion. Research in the 1960s increased the effectiveness of manipulation in the press and on television. Newspapers began to use a "kaleidoscopic" arrangement of material, diluting important messages with gossip, conflicting rumors, sensations, colorful photographs and advertisements.

Literature​

1. Amirov VM Agitation pre-election supertext: organization of content and implementation strategies: abstract of thesis. dis. ... Cand. philol. sciences. - Yekaterinburg, 2002.
2. Amirov VM Macro-strategies of three election campaigns // Cultural and speech situation in modern Russia: issues of educational technologies: abstracts of reports and messages of the All-Russian scientific and methodological conference (Yekaterinburg, March 19-21, 2000) / ed. IT Boar. - Yekaterinburg: USU, 2000. - S. 4-6.
3. Ermakov Yu.A. Personality manipulation: meaning, techniques, consequences. - Yekaterinburg: Ural Publishing House. University, 1995.
4. Grachev GV Personality and Society: Information and Psychological Security and Psychological Protection. - Ed. 2nd, rev. and add. - Volgograd: Publisher, 2004.

 

[Carding 4 Carders]

How the media manipulates public consciousness​

Good morning everyone, this is Pavluu! Today I would like to continue the topic of manipulating public consciousness. This time we will take a look at some of the media tricks. This article is taken as a basis. But since it is already 12 years old, we decided to add some actual examples to it.

1. An event that does not exist​

The simplest thing to do with an Event is not to mention it at all. You, alas, will not hear on state television about many things that in any country would become a reason for a systematic and daily scandal.
Actual examples: the fire in Kemerovo, the lawlessness of the riot police at rallies, and so on.

2. Look for the other half​

Often we are not informed about the event itself, but about half of it.
Example 1. Gazprom demanded that Shell sell its stake in Sakhalin-2, and when Shell's conditions did not suit Gazprom, Deputy Head of Roskompriroda Oleg Mitvol announced environmental violations in the project.
The media will tell you about the environment, but not about the fact that it began to be violated immediately after unsuccessful negotiations.
Example 2. Senator from Bashkiria Igor Izmestyev had an estate opposite Putin's residence; the president did not like his noisy parties. Izmest'ev was offered to sell the plot. Izmest'ev turned to Raiffeisenbank with a request to evaluate the site, and then Roskompriroda again found that Izmest'ev's house was too close to the water. They will show about the struggle of Roskompriroda against the oligarch, but they will be silent about the neighborhood with the president.
A half event is almost worse than an absent one. Half of the events make up the lion's share of our news, they imitate some kind of legitimacy of life. Unfortunately, there can be only one piece of advice. The investigator, observing the crime, asks, qui prodest - who benefits. Follow the news like a crime. Each time ask: "Who benefits?" ... Half the time you can't go wrong.
Remember, however, that logic cannot replace information. Very often what seems logical is random. Don't forget Sir Yeats, head of the Statistical Society of London. One of the correspondents wrote to him: “All the great kings of the Tudor dynasty named Henry died on Friday. Does it follow from this that Friday is a fateful day for the Henry kings? "The great mathematician replied:" Your hypothesis does not contradict the statistics. I recommend that you continue to observe. "
I understand that the recommendation to treat news as a crime is somewhat extreme, however, alas, it is. The main difference between crime and justice is that justice occurs because ... and crime - in order to. Justice comes from not paying taxes, and crime is to take the company away. Unfortunately, almost all of Russian political life is structured like a crime.

3. Event and side dish​

Separate the event from the verbal side dish. For example, if you are told about the terrible tragedy when 155 people were burned in a cable car in the Austrian Alps, you may be told as the first news that Putin expressed condolences to the victims, and as the second - tell about the fire itself. At the same time, a story about condolences can take a minute, and a story about a fire - 40 seconds. It is clear that subconsciously you must remain that Putin is more important than fire (after all, it took him a minute, and the fire took 40 seconds). Separate the event from the side dish and match them yourself in order of importance.
Most often, the side dish principle is used when it comes to international news. If we are told about another squabble in the Middle East, we are usually informed about the initiative that Russia has put forward in this case. Pay close attention to the words: the keyword is not "promoted" or "under discussion", but "has been adopted." Anyone can take the initiative. Discuss too. The question is that the initiative should be adopted, but this somehow does not happen with Russian initiatives.
It is obvious that the country, which every time puts forward an initiative that no one ever takes, is like an elderly owner of two shares, who at a meeting of Gazprom shareholders raises the question of changing the chairman of the board. Of course, he will tell his wife about his initiative at tea in the evening, but, apart from his wife and children, no one knows about his initiatives.

4. Demand continuation!​

Any real event has a continuation. It's not like a PR campaign: it has no continuation. Therefore, when you are announced about some high-profile event, carefully wait for the continuation. Sometimes, by its absence alone, it can be argued that the original event was sheer eyewash.
An actual example. The recent arrest by the FSB of "terrorists in shorts", ordinary Tajiks, who allegedly used telegrams for communication. There is no continuation of this story, an obvious stuffing.

5. Analyze the logic​

Lies are often contradictory. Sometimes it's enough to look closely to ask yourself the right questions.
Example. If you are shown how in the city of Buinaksk at 12 o'clock three militants shoot back from 300 police officers, and then they report that a piece of paper was found with the militants, from which it follows that they were going to seize the school, take a breath and ask yourself: “Why do Muslim extremists need to seize the school? in a Muslim city. Buinaksk is not Moscow or Ossetia. "

6. The principle of heat traps​

If an event has become public and cannot be denied, the state media very often begin to discuss not the event itself, but the heat trap versions fired around.
Example. Take the same situation with the fire in Kemerovo. State media tried to focus on the version of "set on fire", even at first they talked about a terrorist attack. They immediately showed some goldfinch who was in charge of fire safety with a chef diploma. Anything to hide obvious corruption and all these "perfectly passed checks."

7. See what time it is​

The favorite pastime of the media is to report on events that have yet to take place.
Man is not accustomed to being in the future tense in his presence. There is not a single novel in world literature that is written about how one person, for example, will kill another. All novels are written about how it happened. Inattentively, you can miss the future tense and take the assumption for the fact.
Later, when the event does not occur, any mention of him either simply disappears, or the embarrassment is explained briefly: "Enemies." In rare cases, they go on outright lies: for example, they report that the churches have already united, and then the question is overwritten.
Look not only at the screen! Look at the clock!

8. About official events​

A significant portion of the airtime is taken up by stories about official events. Everything that is said at official events, multiply by zero or, if you wish, divide by zero. If Khodorkovsky was imprisoned in the country, Kozlov was killed and Sakhalin-2 was taken away, while in Sochi there is an investment forum - a forum in Bobruisk!
If you are told that the Iranian delegation left Russia after a day of negotiations, and they say that “the negotiations will continue,” do not pay attention to the words, but pay attention to the fact of departure.

9. Quantum political science​

There is an area of political life that determines a lot, but itself remains completely closed. This is all that is connected with the reshuffle in the Kremlin - with the fight of bulldogs under the carpet. A naive TV viewer, having watched Pushkov and Karaulov, and sometimes heard a lot of friends who were “definitely told”, “just got a call from the Kremlin”, may try to draw some conclusions about future decisions and appointments.
Don't do quantum political science. It is just as impossible to determine who will be the prime minister or the prosecutor general in Russia in three minutes, as it is impossible to determine the momentum of an elementary particle, knowing exactly its position in space.
Do not trust information "from the source". The primary source is not a source of reliable information, it is the person concerned. Do not trust the experts in compromising evidence. This is not even the primary source, it is secondary radiation.
Do not believe if they call you from the Kremlin and tell you in secret that twice two is seventeen. Take a calculator. Do not believe if they call you from the Kremlin and tell you in confidence that twice two is four. They have strange ideas about arithmetic in the Kremlin.
Spit on the Kremlin. Consider them there, like quarks in a proton. They are there, but no one has seen them.

10. Change of scale​

Once Edgar Alan Poe had a chance to observe a terrible monster. “The mouth of the animal was placed at the end of the trunk sixty or seventy feet long, which was about the same thickness as the body of an elephant. At the base of the trunk a thick mass of bristly shaggy hair blackened ... The body had the shape of a wedge, the top of which was turned towards the ground.
You guessed it - I am quoting the description of the moth moth from the story "Sphinx". The butterfly was crawling along the thread inches from the poet's face, and he thought it was crawling along the side of the hill. If Mr. Po had watched Ren TV, he wouldn't have seen it yet.
Beware if the opinion of the hired marginals is passed off as the opinion of the public; if they stick out the secondary and hide the main. Check if this is the case.

11. Renormalization​

There is such a thing - renormalization. She needs this for what. If you start calculating the mass and charge of an electron in accordance with the equations of quantum electrodynamics, then in the first approximation you will get a real value, and as you add new terms to the equation, nonsense and infinity will come out. Renormalization is cutting off the diverging series. Roughly speaking, a ban on refinements.
Absolutely all Russian semi-official analysts do not follow the renormalization procedures; this is the same change in scale, only in the part of analytics, when the obvious and main causes of the event are ignored, but absolutely correct, but deeply secondary things are emphasized.
For example, they begin to explain to you that NTV was taken away because Gusinsky blackmailed other oligarchs, used TV for political purposes and generally owed Gazprom. This is all perfectly true, but insignificant compared to the Kremlin's unwillingness to see independent television. It is the same as if the robber was asked: "Why did you stab this man and take his wallet away from him?"
Who knows. Maybe he didn't pay.

12. Beware - campaign​

It happens with a scale and exactly the opposite: an event in itself important is only part of a PR campaign. Alexander Koptsev, who slaughtered Jews in a synagogue, is an important event, but he became just part of a PR campaign that nationalism is coming to Russia, from which only Putin will save it. The son of the Minister of Defense, who ran over a woman, is an important event, but damn it would have had such a resonance if all potential successors did not have an opponent named Sechin. The verdict of the Ossetian Kaloev, who killed the Swiss dispatcher, became one of the components of a large-scale campaign called "Ours are being beaten in the West."
The rule here is simple: your attitude towards Ivanov Jr. should be an attitude only towards his actions. You never know who you help those. If you start counting who you are helping, you will drown.
And if you want to understand whether the Event is in front of you or part of the Campaign, pay attention to this. For example, here is the Ossetian Kaloev, who killed the dispatcher. Is there another case when the state media approved a blood feud? In our country, those who run in the Caucasus in the forests are also taking revenge - not on Swiss dispatchers, but on the federals. Are they extolled for it? No.
And who, in fact, are Kaloev's accomplices in terms of the statistical number of "our beats"? And here they are, accomplices: Adamov and Borodin. They are being defended on a statewide scale, and in order to fool the people, they drag Kaloev into this company. To protect not Russian bribe-takers, but simply Russian citizens.
The bad thing about the PR campaign is that one cannot but participate in it. She herself becomes an Event. And the normal media, which would be occupied by other people, are forced, instead of discussing whether Adamov stole money or not, to discuss whether they discriminate against us abroad or not?

13. Against yourself​

Remember, the most compelling testimony is when a person testifies against himself. If a Chechen tells you how during the war he went alone in an APC, do not believe it, maybe he's showing off. But if you read in Troshev's book "My War" a heartbreaking story about how these vile Chechens, with hooks in their hands, threw themselves on a convoy of cars and steamed their gas tanks (that is, imagined a picture: a column armed to the teeth, a Chechen who has nothing, except for a rod, against machine guns and armored personnel carriers ...), and so, if you read this in Troshev's book - believe it unconditionally. Troshev did not understand what he said.

14. News grammar​

Look at the news as an offer. Parse it according to the rules of grammar. See where the subject is, and where the object is, what tense the verb is in, and what are the circumstances of the image and place of action.
The news often tries to swap the subject and object, that is, the object and subject of the action. If you are told: “The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted to the fact that a North Korean missile fell on Russian territory,” it should be translated as follows: the Koreans launched a missile. She fell. And we were flapping our ears. Actually, it is not the Foreign Ministry that should react to the falling missile, but the air defense.
In the news, the circumstances of the image, place and time of the action are often attempted to be more important than the action itself. And the reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Duma, etc.
In a word, remember: a lie that was repeated from the screen does not become true from this. But it becomes the foundations of the state.