if you fail to get in the line your tv told you too, the compliant sheep will swarm you and chant about you being a bad human, in case you didn't know;

On a major highway here in western Montana, there’s a blinking sign like those generally used in construction zones. Usually these signs tell you to slow down or move over for a closed lane. For the last several months, however, it’s had a different message.

“Wear masks,” it blinks. “Be kind.”

The message is clear. If you do not wear a mask, you’re not being kind. And unkind people are bad people. This is part of a disturbing, dangerous trend in the US: dehumanization of the non-compliant.

Laying the Groundwork for Dehumanization

Way back at the beginning of the year, in what now seems like another life and another country, we were asked to wear masks and cut down on “non-essential” travel. Maybe watch a movie at home this weekend instead of going out to the theater. Maybe do take-out instead of dining out. It’s just for a few weeks. We just need to flatten the curve a bit. It’s just to help out.

Except weeks turned into months. Businesses closed forever. Employees didn’t get paid. People feared how they’d support their family but they feared getting the virus more, and so they bought into it all…and bought everything they could get their hands on. It wasn’t just toilet paper that disappeared; any paper products, soaps, hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, and canned food flew off the shelves. Milk and meat were in short supply too.

As the year has wore on, the concept of “lockdown” started as a necessary evil. Putting massive numbers of people on what effectively amounts to house arrest was seen as The Right Thing To Do. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Historically whenever a tyrannical government wants to control its people or use them for its own ends, they package their control efforts as “for your safety” or “for your own good and that of others.” The reason for this is because people are easily manipulated by social influences. Robert Cialdini wrote in 1984 about the social influences that weigh on humans. They’re fairly universal, and we see them in play everywhere right now.

The Dehumanizing Influence Factors in Play

Cialdini talked about the concept of social proof, or the idea that people generally look to others who are similar to themselves when making decisions, especially when the matters are important, vague, or ambiguous. In other words, when the average person is unsure about something, they’ll often do what others like them are doing. It’s the monkey see, monkey do mentality........read and watch more......