I always tell my students that the single most important skill to acquire in life is the ability to think. If you do not learn how to think properly (with reason, logic, and experience), then someone else will do your "thinking" for you and they will not have your best interests in mind. The easiest way for tyrants to maintain power is to consistently undermine people's ability to think for themselves and the most effective way to do that is to take over the education system. Then, foist on that population: anti-heroes in storytelling; abstract expressionism as high art; subjective math; ever-changing history; and especially ever-changing definitions of words. The track record here is tragically impressive, but as the saying goes: you can't fool all of the people all of the time. At the end of the day, we need reality.
I tell my students that too, but they're mechanics. If they don't think they are out of a job. This preference cascade brough a lot of people to the same place that blue collar people are every day.
Richard Fernandez wrote something about preference falsification a few weeks ago. He pointed out how it can backfire on those in power, by leading them to believe that they have a much larger power base than they actually do. We've seen this in both of the Trump elections, with polls failing to predict the correct outcome because of preference falsification by the Trump supporters who were polled. Some of it is done by people who fear ostracism or persecution if their true opinions become known. But there's reason to think that at least some of them actually used preference falsification as a misdirection, reinforcing the Democrats' already-existing tendency to over-estimate their own strength.
Preference cascades work best when they utilize things that we are encoded to act on. Woke and DEI are not hard wired into humans. The left tried to use everything in their power to create cascades, and it didn't work. When you see men posing as women, you know something stinks.
Nice essay, Professor. The COVID lies and insanity were a timely preamble to PDJT's election victory. Many (most?) people knew, deep inside, the silliness of the directional arrows in the grocery store aisle, or the need to mask up walking through the restaurant, only to remove the mask when seated. Or that the BLM marches "didn't count" when it came to social distancing. But don't dare speak up out of risk of being mau-mau'ed by self-righteous strangers (or Rachel Maddow).
And you're right about Elon's purchase of Twitter and the revealing of the con by Matt Taibbi et al., without which the depth of penetration by government, NGOs, and universities (cf. the Stanford Integrity Project) would have stayed invisible. Not to mention P-nut's demise as some people's last straw.
The speed of the preference cascade shows the depth of our society's readiness for reversal--slowly, then all at once.
I think of how the late great Rush Limbaugh made this possible by performing essentially the same service. Rush's gift to the republic was articulating the views of so many people who had to think they were isolated. Had the phenomenon of talk radio not occurred, I shudder to think how much more successful the left would have been in advancing through the institutions. They might have gained such a stranglehold that a Trump would have been impossible, for it is self evident that the Bush-Romney-Graham wing of the Republican Party would have been content to continue to feed us to the crocodile in the hope and expectation they would be eaten last (thank you Winston for that trope).
Great analysis and very good writing. But unlike the overthrow of a dictatorship via a bloody revolution, we are only in the process of rolling back the Woke virus. The ideas that they espoused are still accepted by too many "good" people. There are too many supporters of Fauci and too many who still support our proxy war against Russia, making it so difficult to support peace. We still have a little over a month before Trump resumes the Presidency. Pray that the Ruling Class does not do anything too violent.
Thanks great piece! I keep thinking there are systems principles here in multiple places. A great feedback-control stems places decision making at the lowest level possible.. an almost flat structure. True in government and business , as the Founders realized. The grifters like hierarchy due to the take they take of the top. If the systems design is not self correcting it will fail. Thankfully the Conditional Convention was a providential event.
Yes, and to emphasize, election integrity is as important as free speech. We still don't really have either in the main. If Trump wasn't so unique (and lucky) and Kamala wasn't so unlikable, the preference cascade would have been aborted.
This is merely the opening skirmish in a long-running once and future war; the "elites" and their deep state allies are in for the long haul, and have many, many assets still in play. Witness the extended "vote counting" strategy in play in California in what was expected to be solid red Congressional districts. Expect additional new tactics and strategies during the mid-term elections in 2026, as trial runs for the 2028 races.
I suspect there might be another factor at play here: The DNC’s coffers are empty, and liberal donors have yanked their purse strings closed. It’s hard to hire agitators when you can’t pay them.
I'm retired now (still pay minimal union dues in hopes of some benefit not yet realized) and I have long witnessed unions' preference falsifications where "people are forced to profess belief in things that they know not to be true." You see it also in NGOs who go along with a political party based on their single interest, unwilling to rock the boat in disagreement on unrelated issues. Also easily recognized in class issues recategorized as racial matters. And I needn't tell you about education in America. Plus anyone (which today is most everyone) who depends to any extent on government dollars will typically kowtow to the general consensus.
I've worked on elections for four decades, and have seen one attitude among voters diverge in two distinct categories. "I've voted, now leave me alone," is common, but on 'the Right' it's viewed as do the essential minimum and do not adversely affect my existence, while on the 'the Left' it seems aligned with, I've done my part, now do whatever you're going to do, I wash my hands of it.
One small vote, like one small voice, seems ineffective in communicating that change is needed, but in a democracy with true free speech and (conceivably) honest press, many votes and voices impart a reevaluation of the unanimity and a redirection of governance's course.
They are two apt phrases for sure. They seem to fall under the umbrella of another phrase, Systematized Error, which I learned years ago studying Scripture. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, with a view to the systematizing of error."
I always tell my students that the single most important skill to acquire in life is the ability to think. If you do not learn how to think properly (with reason, logic, and experience), then someone else will do your "thinking" for you and they will not have your best interests in mind. The easiest way for tyrants to maintain power is to consistently undermine people's ability to think for themselves and the most effective way to do that is to take over the education system. Then, foist on that population: anti-heroes in storytelling; abstract expressionism as high art; subjective math; ever-changing history; and especially ever-changing definitions of words. The track record here is tragically impressive, but as the saying goes: you can't fool all of the people all of the time. At the end of the day, we need reality.
I tell my students that too, but they're mechanics. If they don't think they are out of a job. This preference cascade brough a lot of people to the same place that blue collar people are every day.
It's almost like AN ARMY OF DAVIDS!
Very nice Glenn. One of your best!
I want to believe we’ve turned the corner. It’s vital we keep the pressure up and don’t get complacent. Push back firmly at every opportunity.
Richard Fernandez wrote something about preference falsification a few weeks ago. He pointed out how it can backfire on those in power, by leading them to believe that they have a much larger power base than they actually do. We've seen this in both of the Trump elections, with polls failing to predict the correct outcome because of preference falsification by the Trump supporters who were polled. Some of it is done by people who fear ostracism or persecution if their true opinions become known. But there's reason to think that at least some of them actually used preference falsification as a misdirection, reinforcing the Democrats' already-existing tendency to over-estimate their own strength.
Preference cascades work best when they utilize things that we are encoded to act on. Woke and DEI are not hard wired into humans. The left tried to use everything in their power to create cascades, and it didn't work. When you see men posing as women, you know something stinks.
Nice essay, Professor. The COVID lies and insanity were a timely preamble to PDJT's election victory. Many (most?) people knew, deep inside, the silliness of the directional arrows in the grocery store aisle, or the need to mask up walking through the restaurant, only to remove the mask when seated. Or that the BLM marches "didn't count" when it came to social distancing. But don't dare speak up out of risk of being mau-mau'ed by self-righteous strangers (or Rachel Maddow).
And you're right about Elon's purchase of Twitter and the revealing of the con by Matt Taibbi et al., without which the depth of penetration by government, NGOs, and universities (cf. the Stanford Integrity Project) would have stayed invisible. Not to mention P-nut's demise as some people's last straw.
The speed of the preference cascade shows the depth of our society's readiness for reversal--slowly, then all at once.
I think of how the late great Rush Limbaugh made this possible by performing essentially the same service. Rush's gift to the republic was articulating the views of so many people who had to think they were isolated. Had the phenomenon of talk radio not occurred, I shudder to think how much more successful the left would have been in advancing through the institutions. They might have gained such a stranglehold that a Trump would have been impossible, for it is self evident that the Bush-Romney-Graham wing of the Republican Party would have been content to continue to feed us to the crocodile in the hope and expectation they would be eaten last (thank you Winston for that trope).
And in turn, Rush was able to do that because Reagan got rid of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine".
Great analysis and very good writing. But unlike the overthrow of a dictatorship via a bloody revolution, we are only in the process of rolling back the Woke virus. The ideas that they espoused are still accepted by too many "good" people. There are too many supporters of Fauci and too many who still support our proxy war against Russia, making it so difficult to support peace. We still have a little over a month before Trump resumes the Presidency. Pray that the Ruling Class does not do anything too violent.
A great essay, very enlightening. (See, again, the old Soviet Union.) All that's missing here is 'See also the 'climate emergency'!
Thanks great piece! I keep thinking there are systems principles here in multiple places. A great feedback-control stems places decision making at the lowest level possible.. an almost flat structure. True in government and business , as the Founders realized. The grifters like hierarchy due to the take they take of the top. If the systems design is not self correcting it will fail. Thankfully the Conditional Convention was a providential event.
Yes, and to emphasize, election integrity is as important as free speech. We still don't really have either in the main. If Trump wasn't so unique (and lucky) and Kamala wasn't so unlikable, the preference cascade would have been aborted.
This is merely the opening skirmish in a long-running once and future war; the "elites" and their deep state allies are in for the long haul, and have many, many assets still in play. Witness the extended "vote counting" strategy in play in California in what was expected to be solid red Congressional districts. Expect additional new tactics and strategies during the mid-term elections in 2026, as trial runs for the 2028 races.
I suspect there might be another factor at play here: The DNC’s coffers are empty, and liberal donors have yanked their purse strings closed. It’s hard to hire agitators when you can’t pay them.
I'm retired now (still pay minimal union dues in hopes of some benefit not yet realized) and I have long witnessed unions' preference falsifications where "people are forced to profess belief in things that they know not to be true." You see it also in NGOs who go along with a political party based on their single interest, unwilling to rock the boat in disagreement on unrelated issues. Also easily recognized in class issues recategorized as racial matters. And I needn't tell you about education in America. Plus anyone (which today is most everyone) who depends to any extent on government dollars will typically kowtow to the general consensus.
I've worked on elections for four decades, and have seen one attitude among voters diverge in two distinct categories. "I've voted, now leave me alone," is common, but on 'the Right' it's viewed as do the essential minimum and do not adversely affect my existence, while on the 'the Left' it seems aligned with, I've done my part, now do whatever you're going to do, I wash my hands of it.
One small vote, like one small voice, seems ineffective in communicating that change is needed, but in a democracy with true free speech and (conceivably) honest press, many votes and voices impart a reevaluation of the unanimity and a redirection of governance's course.
"That which isn't good for the hive, isn't good for the bee." — Marcus Aurelius
You got that right.
They are two apt phrases for sure. They seem to fall under the umbrella of another phrase, Systematized Error, which I learned years ago studying Scripture. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, with a view to the systematizing of error."