Vaccine Skeptics are the True Critical Thinkers We Overcame the Most Sophisticated Forms of Manipulation

substack.com ^ | 4/17/2022 | Igor Chudov

[ransomnote]

This post is the first in my future series, on how governments and shady non-governmental players psychologically manipulated us during the Covid-19 crisis. In this series, I will highlight various dirty tricks and explain why most people fell for them, one per post.

First, a little personal anecdote.

Richard Thaler is a brilliant behavioral economist, Nobel Prize winner, and a major contributor to the “Nudge Theory”, that provided impetus for the infamous UK “Nudge Unit”. His work on human decision making and cognitive biases was groundbreaking and, in part, helped governments worldwide to hypnotize most people into taking “Covid Vaccines”.

Richard Thaler, around 1999, also taught my favorite class “Decision Making”. He was my favorite professor at the University of Chicago, where I was an MBA student. He taught us a lot about ways that exist to hijack our decision making and how our adversaries use our subconscious biases to make us make wrong decisions — as well as how we can use these manipulations to our own advantage in business.

What I learned in that class was helpful throughout my entire life, affected many investment and business decisions, helped me convert prospects to paying customers, avoid several stockmarket crashes, and much more. This same decision making class possibly saved my life, because it made me able to recognize and resist Covid vaccine propaganda and manipulation. 

MORE AT LINK: Vaccine Skeptics are the True Critical Thinkers (substack.com)

[Neverlift]

I sum it up like this with three reasons. 1) They might not know what they are doing. 2) They might know exactly what they are doing. 3) At least one of the vax pushers is on record stating we need to reduce the population. Not to mention they lied about the origin, right off the bat.

[El Cid]

Ping

[goodnesswins]

What I have thought is IF they (govt) want EVERYONE vaxxed...something is NOT right...which made me read more and try to understand the background for the Vax. All that made me even more skeptical.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Y’all have critical thinking.

We’ve got gas_dr!

[Republican Wildcat]

Ah, yes, it is so annoying when the good doctor and others show up with facts, truth, and reality to spoil the party, isn't it?

Meanwhile this is an example typical of the kind of "critical thinking" you've brought to us: Study finds 5G technology a ‘significant factor’ in higher COVID case and death rates

[Captain Walker]

From the article: "How can anyone know that “Covid vaccine” is safe and effective, if no time actually passed to ensure that?"

I've seen the same "it's safe and effective" line here on FR.

Anyone who would use this to push the shot is either paid by Big Pharma or someone with no fear of standing before his Creator.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Contrast “study” with just your reactive opinion…

Study is step one.

Science is based on the principle of reproducibility.

I read that medical studies in the area of pharmacology are only ~30% reproducible…

Now, that initial study must be reproduced and the results compared before we can begin to know.

You have a right to any opinion you choose now and after.

But 5G was not extensively tested for cancer or anything else other than data.

I simply don’t know if it has unintended secondary consequences…

But I’d like to know.

[freedomjusticeruleoflaw]

The so-called smart people who believed everything that Anthony Fauci and the pharmaceutical companies and the CDC and the FDA said, all notorious money grifters, are, were and will forever be idiots. Sorry if this offends your sensibilities.

[metmom]

Same here.

[GailA]

btt

[Jan_Sobieski]

Do you hate science? Why would you disparage scientific studies?

[DoodleBob]

It's worth noting, that Prof Thaler wrote a book with Obamaite Cass Sunstein. If you forgot, Sunstein's 2004 book, The Second Bill of Rights: FDR's Unfinished Revolution and Why We Need It More than Ever, advocates the Second Bill of Rights proposed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Among these rights are a right to an education, a right to a home, a right to health care, and a right to protection against monopolies; Sunstein argues that the Second Bill of Rights has had a large international impact and should be revived in the United States. Just sayin'.

Relatedly, when I was in college there was a required book in a persuasive speaking class called Influence by Robert Cialdini. It was an eye-opener - Cialdini basically pulled back the curtain to detail how agents try to change your views/opinions/actions etc via:

Reciprocity: Obligation to repay.
Consistency and Commitment: Need for personal alignment.
Social Proof: The power of what others do.
Liking: The obligations of friendship.
Authority: We obey those in charge.
Scarcity: We want what may not be available.

In the 80s, the tone of Cialdini's book was "know these tactics, so you don't get influenced against your will." It was worth my entire tuition.

Fast-forward...Cialdini is now on the Dark Side, lecturing on how to change people. Indeed, he was advising the CDC on how to change "anti-vaxxers".

Speaking of the pandemic, can the science of persuasion be put to work to change the behavior of people resistant to getting the COVID-19 vaccine?

I’m advising the CDC on this. I have a couple of suggestions. One is a technique inside persuasion science called the “convert communicator,” which is very effective in getting people who are resistant to moving forward — antivaxxers are like that — by giving them access to a communicator [in their demographic group] who used to believe as they do, but then something happened — they received a very powerful piece of information about [the consequences of not moving forward] — that changed their mind.

What’s the other technique?

To disempower one of the reasons people are using to resist. Those who don’t want to get vaccinated say they don’t want to be pushed or pulled in a direction they don’t want to go. There’s a phrase you can use that disarms that resistance. It is: “Of course it’s completely up to you.” In 47 separate experiments, that increased the likelihood that people will go along with a well-meaning request asking them to move in a direction that’s designed to help them. They don’t feel challenged anymore.

[DeplorablePaul]

I was suspicious of the pressure applied to get people vaccinated. When the pressure escalated to labeling the unvaccinated as lepers who should be separated from society, I became convinced that the campaign was a giant experiment in how to get the masses to comply. We owe red state governors gratitude for keeping their states open showing that the draconian lockdowns, vaccine and masking mandates were totally ineffective. I’m glad I live in a red state. I’m glad I didn’t get the jab.

[Flying Circus]

Everything you have said is true but I would add they have also “othered” independent thinkers. As soon as you question the dominant narrative people start lumping you in with the “crazies”; they think you are one of those people who believe in flat earth, faked moon landings, etc. I have run into this with a few people with whom I have tried to layout my carefully thought out concerns with over Covid lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and election fortification.

There is also a psychological trick that has become very evident in the last year or so. They bring out the conspiracy nut version of information (exaggerated and often nonsensical) to be “fact-checked” and debunked so that when the actual facts come out the normies think you are a ill-informed nut for bringing it up. Now we have the meme that last week’s conspiracy theory is this week’s fact.

You would think people would recognize this after the same game played over so many times, but so many remain blind.

[upchuck]

Critical thinking is a way of life. If I was 35 or 40 years old, I’d be very wary of the way our youngsters are being taught today. If we continue down this path, 25 years from now America the Republic we know today won’t exist.

See tag.

President Trump Rally
Sat, Apr 23, 2022
7pm EDT, Delaware, OH
https://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/donald-trump-rally-schedule/

[OHPatriot]

In my earlier post I said my company is offering Critical Thinking training and that initial training is targeted at those 35-40 with additional rounds being proposed especially for anyone younger.

Scared Yet??

[spankalib]

Excellent post!

Reminds me of a vid I saw some time ago, where a young lady is 'socially pressured' to periodically stand at certain intervals - in a waiting room where everybody else is 'in on' the experiment.

She continues doing it even after everyone else has left the waiting room. Remarkable!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I am not sure it is so much critical thinking in my case as a deeply ingrained BS detector.

When pushed I tend to respond with "how interesting. I will consider it." And I do consider it. But skeptically and usually the response is "no thank you, have a nice day now."

The more you claim something will cure all illnesses and leave you with perfect hair the more I know you are trying to push something that is imaginary.

[kosciusko51]

Not to mention they lied about the origin, right off the bat.

I see what you did there. :-)

[upchuck]

My Dad (RIP) worked for AT&T back when they were the “phone company.” They had trouble with some of their younger employees because they lacked basic skills necessary for entry level positions. AT&T instituted a school where they were taught the basic stuff needed to do their job. Critical thinking was high on the list.