The whole Russian operation was based on and verified Americans gullibility and susceptibility to advertising. It's a result of decades of consumerism. We are easily manipulated especially in targeted groups. Trump basically is the Snuggie POTUS - endless (free for him) advertising sells products whether people need them or not.

Cable news can't air reports or discussions about how we are so conditioned and stupid. Their revenue depends on advertising.

We are conditioned with religion, space aliens, big foot documentaries and ghost hunters to believe the unbelievable. We are taught it's ok to have faith in imaginary, fact free dogma as long as it feels good. It's ok if the psychic on tv is fooling the widow because it makes her feel better.

This is conditioning for bigger and better things. It sets up for the con of capitalism. It allows the filthy rich to feed the preconditioned with lies to sell their wares and their ideology. Capitalism is all about the con and advertisement is how they sell it.

The tiny little man Putin used it to f*ck us over. But it was there already being used by the filthy rich mobsters who call themselves capitalists.

The one thing that will inoculate people from this sort of propaganda is to tell them about it, make them aware of the manipulation and educate them. Teach them about facts and logic. It is not an accident that logic is no longer taught in schools.

Is this manipulation the fault of the people it is practised on? Are Russians stupid because that tiny little man Putin takes the wealth of their nation to live in unheard of luxury with all his sex workers and mistresses? Are Russian trolls brain damaged because they work their starving fingers to the bone while Putin hands out their nation's wealth to greedy, lazy Americans?

It's all one big con and I think the minimum wage Russian troll that works endlessly to advance their slave master's agenda are the biggest fools of all.

It's been decades since kids were taught to think for themselves. It was on its way out when I was schooled in the 70s.

Our generation maybe the last one that was taught to use knowledge to understand facts and to think for ourselves. Sadly many of our own generation have lost that ability and prefer to base their thinking on hate and lies instead of facts and compassion.

Oligarchs == Plutocrats == Capitalists == Mobsters

And they all rely on very weak oversight. And paid-for media.

And a lot of this couldn't have happened without the erosion in trust of a lot of our "institutions".

Capitalism and the filthy rich have infected government, media, education, science, medical, etc to the point where they blatantly lie to us all and expect us to fall in line. With the old style of information control, this worked well. But now, there is no "trusted source" anymore (was there really ever?) and we have lost our sense of being in this together.

It's everyone for him/herself - facts don't matter, trust nobody, etc. Perfect environment for the social media etc to become tools for manipulation.

Until we figure out how to work together as a group and not become prey - we will continue to be picked off one by one. We really don't have much time with climate change, etc -

One last think - AI is eventually going to change the game it the ease that we can be manipulated. If we don't' elect someone that can leverage that to work *for* us to combat it, it's going to be *used* on us.

Absolute truth. The media is another "for profit" operation. They are going to do nothing that potentially could harm their bottom line and they sure aren't going to point out how their need for our eyeballs drives their headlines.

M$Greedia has failed to cover this properly

But I am willing to bet that it is devastating for Trump & company.


https://themoscowproject.org/explainers/trumps-russia-cover-up-by-the-numbers-70-contacts-with-russia-linked-operatives/

because, they are doing it again.

Dems must cite this bipartisan report and ask ReTHUGs including MoscowMitch and Lindseyownedby the Con if they are contradicting a report from their own RETHUG led chamber of the legislature. .