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Ok... so I'm a Star Trek nerd... and this reminds me a particular episode.

Picard (Patrick Stewart) is taken as a hostage of the Cardasians. He is held against his will, and subjected to a variety of non-lethal 'coercion' methods.

At the end his is given a choice.

He is told to look at 5 spotlights shining on him. His interrogator asks him "how many lights do you see?"

Picard responds "I see five lights"

His captor shocks him with an electrical charge, and says "there are four lights"

His captor takes a breath and once again asks "How many lights do you see?"

Picard, at first looks a bit puzzled, and then resolutely says "There are five lights"

Once again he is shocked this time with five times the voltage and nearly passes out.

His captor then informs him, that he is willing to let him go... if only he tells him that he sees four lights.

Once again the captor asks Picard "How many lights do you see?"

I won't spoil the ending, but regardless, its all a power play. A way to have your opponent tacitly submit and willingly distrust yourself and your own facts, and bow to their 'superiority'.

It must not be allowed to work.