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Introduction to the topic

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find one’s way through the jungle of lies and half-truths. More and more contemporaries therefore do not want to hear anything more from politicians. Personally, the alternative media keep me “afloat” because they still “pay tribute to the truth” due to their independence from government.

But since we cannot assume that “free spirits” will teach us each what is truth and what is a lie, we should be able to distinguish between them ourselves. We must learn to think for ourselves (Kant). Hence the attempt at a psychological approach to the subject. Also worth mentioning is Dr Garcia’s article “Lies, damned lies and elephants” (1).

The 20th anniversary of the start of the war of aggression against Iraq by the USA, Great Britain and a “coalition of the willing” in violation of international law is certainly an appropriate occasion to raise awareness about the destructive effects of political lies and manipulation.

However, the following will not only deal with violence as the ultima ratio of politics, but more generally with the destructive effects of lies and manipulation on the human soul and human relationships, and with truth as an “antidote”.

The information and cultural values that parents and educators pass on to the child on a daily basis are of great importance for building trust in fellow human beings.

The image of man of the Christian occidental culture says that man – even the small child – carries bad qualities within himself. The educators approach the child with this information – whether consciously or unconsciously. They always suspect ill will in the child and are therefore often insincere, strict and violent. This makes the child afraid of the other person.

When the child learns to be afraid, this permeates all his actions, how he moves and gives himself in the community. The emotional reaction of fear then becomes a component of his character, which he carries into adulthood more or less consciously into every interpersonal relationship.

Trust in fellow human beings – the foundation of a personality – also develops in the relationship with the persons of childhood. Since the human being is the product of the experiences and impressions that parents, teachers and educators impart to him or her from earliest childhood, what kind of information and what culturally prevailing values they pass on to the child are decisive.

If the child is unsettled and deceived by untruthful information and/or confusing lies, it will distance itself from fellow human beings. Trust in the other person can only develop if he or she can rely on his or her honesty.

Dear readers, allow me to draw your attention in this context to the unfavourable effects of religious education on the child’s soul: it is about non-existent spirits, devils and angels.

No sooner does the child show its first spiritual impulses and learn to speak than it is “taken into care” by the parents and the church. A few years later, when the consciousness of the “I” is formed, the god and devil of the respective religion already intervene. The child’s belief in demons is crystallised in the ideas of the devil and hell. According to psychiatrists, anxiety neuroses and severe mental disorders are sometimes the result.

“Psychological operations” in the overall social space

A lie is a statement that the liar knows or suspects to be untrue. He utters it with the intention that the receiver will believe it. Manipulating another person is also a deception. It is used to gain an advantage and means the deliberate and covert influence or control of the experience and behaviour of individuals or groups, which is intended to remain hidden from them.

As early as 500 years ago, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote “Il Principe”, one of the first works of modern political philosophy. On this, the Swiss psychologist Dr Barben writes:

“For Machiavelli, power and fame meant everything, goodness and humanity meant nothing. He praised as powerful and successful those despots ‘who were not scrupulous about loyalty and knew how to ensnare people by cunning’. A ruler, he wrote, must ‘display mildness, loyalty, humanity, honesty and piety’, but if necessary brutally ‘turn these qualities into their opposite’. Nor should he ‘shrink from evil’ and must be able to ‘twist and turn according to the wind'” (2).

But these ancient and crude methods of the political manipulator Machiavelli were to disappear with time. That is why American “spin-doctors” used soft power after the fall of the Berlin Wall. A “spin doctor” is a communications expert who works to ensure that, for example, the public understands a statement or decision in a way that is advantageous to the client or politician (3).

This form of propaganda was more discreet, subtle and “pleasing” compared to the communist methods. Joseph S. Ney, US government advisor and Harvard professor described it as “an excellent tool for getting the world to ‘voluntarily’ do what America wanted” (4). With soft power, it was possible to shape public opinion in a way that mere propaganda never could. But that was not enough!

In order to improve “communication”, that is, to “optimise” the opinion of world public opinion especially in times of war, the “Psy-Op” group of the US Army was strengthened by tens of thousands of personnel and cooperation with Hollywood studios was intensified. “Psy-Op” is to be called “psychological operation” instead of the formerly ugly term “psychological warfare”. However, Larry Dietz, a senior US military officer specialising in psychological warfare, defined “PsyOp” thus:

“Psychological operations are an additional weapon system to accomplish a mission ordered by a military commander. (…). The aim of PsyOp is to influence the behaviour (of targets) in the sense of the military command.” (5) See also the article by Alan Lash: “Psyops are not new, just more dangerous” (6).

Drawing again on Leo Tolstoy’s (1828-1910) famous quote about the character of rulers, and learning that politicians are “the most mendacious of men”, one wonders why we citizens hand over power to them so lightly:

“One could still justify the subordination of an entire people to a few people if those in power were the best people; but that is not the case, has never been the case and can never be the case. The worst, most insignificant, most cruel, most immoral and especially the most mendacious people often rule. And that this is so is no accident.” (7)

The question of war is also a general cultural question, which reminds us that our entire culture is permeated by the principle of violence and therefore also falls again and again into the error of being able to solve national problems by the method of violence, that is, war. Everywhere, power is placed above human solidarity and a sense of community.

Psychological Operation ‘Killer Games’: harmless ‘entertainment violence’?

Another target group of ‘PsyOp’ are children and adolescents – a particularly sinister chapter. On this, Dr Barben writes:

“To increase kill rates in military operations, the Pentagon uses simulators on which routine killing is practised. These are used to train soldiers to overcome their natural inhibition to kill. They practise killing as many people as possible quickly and automatically. A few years ago, the Pentagon signed contracts with Hollywood. The film and entertainment industry gave the military killing simulators an ‘attractive’ design and marketed them as ‘children’s games’ “. (8)

In reality, these ‘games’ have exactly the same effect on children and young people as they do on soldiers. According to the US military psychologist Dave Grossman, they get people used to killing and brutalise their feelings (9).

On the subject of “killer games”, the author, together with recognised university professors, military scientists, youth psychiatrists, home directors and affected high school students, wrote two handouts for parents and teachers: “Da spiel ich nicht mit!” (I’m not playing!) (10) and “Game OVER!” (11). Both deal with the effects of this so-called “entertainment violence” in television, video and computer games – and what can be done about it.

When will the human conscience finally make itself heard?

The most effective antidote to lies and manipulation is the truth respectively its dissemination. But we cannot yet say when the human conscience, whose warning cry has rung through the centuries, will finally make itself heard in order to expose the terrible error of imperiousness.

Nor do we know when the conscience of humanity will proclaim the so-called “absolute truth” that human beings belong together and are under the law to work together and join hands. There is no doubt, however, that the existence of the human race will depend on people professing all-human solidarity to a far greater extent than they have done so far.

To this day, discord is sown among those who would depend on uniting against the forces of nature and ensuring a tolerable existence for all people on this earth, and they are also lied to “through their teeth”.

Thus, the prerogative of the rulers and the delusion of the ruled make possible time and again relapses into the warlike mentality that causes unspeakable suffering in the lives of individuals and peoples alike. At the same time, there is shameless talk of the “ethos of war”, in which the noblest virtues of man such as courage and renunciation, loyalty to duty and willingness to make sacrifices would unfold.

Enlightenment and education as the most important measures against lies, manipulation and war.

History is a work of man. If you want to change this world, you have to change man. Accordingly, enlightenment and education are the most promising measures that can be taken against war, manipulation and lies.

Of course, parents and educators should urge children to always stick to the truth. And if one does not yet know it, one should invite the other to explore it together. It is also essential that adults always set an example of honesty and truthfulness to the children.

Lies and manipulation respect neither the dignity nor the equality of human beings. They violate conscience and the commandment of brotherhood. By degrading fellow human beings to objects of manipulation, they do not respect them as equal partners.

Those who have the honest intention to inform may be mistaken, but they feel committed to the truth. He wants to communicate something true to the other person. In doing so, he does not pursue a secret purpose which he hides from the other.

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Dr. Rudolf Lothar Hänsel is a school rector, educational scientist and graduate psychologist. After his university studies, he became an academic teacher in adult education. As a retiree he worked as a psychotherapist in his own practice. In his books and professional articles, he calls for a conscious ethical-moral education in values as well as an education for public spirit and peace. In 2021, he was awarded the Republic Prize “Captain Misa Anastasijevic” by the Universities of Belgrade and Novi Sad for services to Serbia.

He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Notes

(1) https://www.globalresearch.ca/lies-damned-lies-elephants/5811493

(2) Barben, Judith (2009). Spin doctors in the Federal Parliament. CH-5401 Baden

(3) https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/lexika/politiklexikon/296497/spin-doctor/

(4) Barben, Judith (2009). Spin doctors in the Federal Parliament. CH-5401 Baden, p. 37

(5) op. cit., p. 40

(6) https://www.globalresearch.ca/psyops-not-new-just-more-dangerous/5812602

(7) Tolstoy, Leo N. (1968). Speech against war. Frankfurt a. M., p. 74

(8) Barben, Judith (2009). Spin doctors in the Federal Parliament. CH-5401 Baden, p. 41f.

(9) op. cit., p. 42

(10) Hänsel, Rudolf and Renate (eds.) (2005). I won’t play along! Effects of “entertainment violence” in television, video and computer games – and what to do about it. Donauwörth

(11) Hänsel, Rudolf (2011). GAME OVER! How killer games manipulate our youth. Berlin