From the July 2006 Idaho Observer:

Closing the Gap

Divide and conquer is a well-known technique of social control, but most Americans are unaware how extensively it is applied at home. We are far more divided than most would care to admit. The resultant "conquering"—usually a condition of mental acceptance—has occurred naturally before most even knew what was happening.

by Hari Heath

Two camps

There is a considerable gap between Americans who have been "mainstreamed" into a collective belief system and those who have discovered an alternate reality. Try as we might, these disparate realities are seemingly irreconcilable because the natural inclinations of those in either camp are contrary to those in the other.

The mainstreamers are quite comfortable in their reality. In many cases they live better than the Kings and Queens of yesteryear. The world as they know it is the best ever in human history. There are some problems from time to time, but these are usually taken care of by those who manage our society. They have no reason to upset the splendor and benevolence that surrounds them. They are naturally not inclined to give any time or attention to those who question the greatness of their world. Those who seek to radically alter or change their world with overt action or facts and information, that debase and threaten their worldview, are viewed with natural enmity.

In the other camp are people who by some manner of learning process or adverse life changing event have come to see an entirely different world than the one the Mainstreamers believe in. The more astute may have simply collected the verifiable facts, pasted them onto the big picture of their mind and discerningly reduced their discoveries to an alternative worldview—a relatively painless approach.

The system itself has forcefully assailed other individuals, shattering their belief system and leaving them to pick up the pieces to reassemble a worldview from the remaining fragments. Such a violative process tends to leave physical, mental and emotional scar tissue and a quest for revenge.

Many have simply stumbled upon something that wasn’t quite right, which led to the discovery of something else not quite right…eventually, by experience and evidence, their world view is no longer mainstream.

Often, those who have developed an alternate worldview—the "AWVers"—also have a passion to express it and engage in activism to change those who haven’t yet been "awakened" to their alternative vision of the world.

And therein lies a substantial gap between those who are quite comfortable with, even empowered by the way things are and those who passionately want to change the way things are.

There are many good reasons to work for change. We are living in a world that is on the brink of political, social, economic and environmental collapse. The AWVers may not all agree on what issues are important, or even what the issues are, but they share a commonality that something isn’t right and something should be done about it. They are passionate about their missions, but often fail to effect their desired change because the divide between the two camps is too great and the methods used to try and cross the gap are often more harmful than useful to the cause.

The Great Divide

The great divide separating the two camps can be so great that one worldview is unrecognizable to the other.

Economic perspectives

Many Mainstreamers view the economy in the ways they are told: We have some challenges ahead, but the dollar is strong and the economy is growing. We are making progress on the debt and our deficit with the world is improving. Thanks to the administration’s policies and good management by the Federal Reserve, we are making progress by raising interests rates to slow inflation. Long-term, dollar-based investments are a good way to secure your financial future into retirement.

AWVers may instead view the economy as a farce and a fraud, perpetrated by a cartel of banksters who engineer inflation as their own hidden private tax. This criminal alliance of money brokers and the politicians they own have sold us all into economic slavery and plunged our world into an unpayable debt. The last thing a sane person would want to do is invest in the dollar.

Political perception

Mainstreamers tend to support either Republicans or Democrats, except for those who view themselves as middle of the road and prefer to vote for the man and not the party. Working within the system by voting for the candidates or becoming one, is the way many Mainstreamers support their interests.

AWVers often perceive the Republicans and Democrats as a single party, which differs for appearances sake only to monopolize power and prevent any real political process. AWVers have made numerous efforts to establish viable "Third" parties. Their generally- accepted view is that the electoral process has been commandeered by conventional and electronically rigged election outcomes, which have completely disenfranchised the people from their government. Often, AWVers have a great disdain for the current political system, which they view as inherently corrupt and deserving of major reform or abolishment—perhaps even by force of arms.

Dual justice

Mainstreamers are often thankful that they have a justice system, which protects them from criminals, yet protects the innocent by giving them a fair trial. Judges and prosecutors and lawyers work hard at protecting the rights of the accused and providing a forum where justice can be served.

Many AWVers see the judicial process as a conspiracy of lawyers and judges who view themselves as elite overlords with the power to overturn any principle of justice or law, seize property and imprison citizens for little or no cause and who routinely do so with absolute immunity from their misconduct.

Health and safety

Mainstreamers often accept the idea that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures our health and safety by requiring rigorous testing of food products and pharmaceuticals.

Similarly, Mainstreamers view the American Medical Association (AMA) as a necessary protection against quackery and bogus health care providers. AWVers might instead refer to the FDA as the Federal Death Agency and the AMA as the "American Monopoly of Allopaths" whose purpose is to monopolize medicine, prevent affordable cancer therapies, crush alternative treatments and sanction the use of toxic products.

Regulatory freedom

Mainstreamers marvel at the wonders of our developed society and understand the need for regulations to keep its organization and infrastructures operating well. The burden of compliance with government’s administrative mandates are necessary and not-so-evil in comparison to the advanced state of progress our society has been able to achieve and maintain.

The AWVers often want to be left alone and to their own devices, free to progress in an independent direction, without government as a perpetual parent who will never allow them to become grown-ups.

Terror at home

The Mainstreamers have come to believe that 19 box-cutter-wielding Arab terrorists struck at the heart of America on September 11, collapsing the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Brave Americans sacrificed themselves for the greater good by overcoming the terrorists and crashing their airliner into a field in Pennsylvania. These horrific events require that we sacrifice some of our freedoms so that we can work with government to prevent any future terrorist attacks.

Some AWVers go so far as to claim 9/11 was an inside job perpetrated on the American people by officials within the Bush administration, up to and including Vice President Cheney. They claim to have evidence that the towers came down by pre-set charges and steel-cutting thermate; that no airliner hit the Pentagon, which initially had only a 16-foot-diameter hole; the flight which crashed in Pennsylvania left debris fields scattered over 8 miles, evidence it was shot down; and many other details which fill a flurry of books, pamphlets and DVDs.

Wars of necessity

Although fewer Americans adhere to such views today, the Mainstreamers tend to support the current U.S.-led wars as necessary to defend the homeland from those who hate America and what she stands for.

Conversely, the AWVers tend to view our current state of war as a global genocide project by the military/industrial complex that is profiteering handsomely. The ultimate purpose of this war is to finally rid our nation of that G-d damn constitution, support the terrorist state of Israel, create a world full of Arab bogey-men to rally our American allegiance around, maintain a state of terror and, ultimately, national subservience to our protectors, the government.

Into the abyss

In one camp are the adamant "AWVer activists" who are passionate with their knowledge and discoveries, certain that failure to act for positive change will result in cataclysm on a scale never before experienced in human history. Publishing, broadcasting and screaming their message to any and all who will listen, which is mostly themselves, they are frustrated that their fellowman can’t see what is happening—and worse—rejects even the notion of such possibilities.

The Mainstreamers are quite comfortable and don’t wish to be disturbed. Seemingly, they are the majority; life goes on quite well enough for them. To a Mainstreamer, there is no need to pay much attention to conspiratorial nutcases.

But, no matter if you are a Mainstreamer or an AWVer, the sheer "mass" of the masses and their ignore-ance of the vital issues of our times will place us all at the edge of the future’s abyss. Nature will run her course. We will reap what we sow and gravity, once we are over the edge, cannot be ignored.

Failures and success

Even though we activists may want to shake some sense into the Mainstreamers, shaking them doesn’t work. Force-feeding is a failed technique. They can’t hear our shouts. We can’t communicate subjects to them which are beyond their belief spectrum. They can’t see what is outside their visible reality zone.

Their reality zone won’t be expanded by prodding them or beating them over the head, but we can lead them to their own discoveries in a format with which they are familiar and comfortable.

Few modern Americans have the luxury of time for reading in our busy world and even fewer have the inclination. Even so, publications have some utility in reality zone expansion if they are simply focused and draw the readers’ minds to some appropriate questions with well-sourced or obvious answers.

But the most effective tool for closing the gap is the video medium. Mainstreamers became Mainstreamers largely through video programming. The video screen naturally entrances the viewer into a receptive beta state. Whatever is on the tube has been their reality zone for decades. Seeing is believing—their belief spectrum can be expanded—one discovery at a time—as the images loosen the mortar in the walls of their minds.

Fortunately, many activists are fully aware of the effectiveness of the video medium. There is a bumper crop of well-produced videos on a broad spectrum of subjects. Our positive future depends on closing the gap and bringing as many Mainstreamers as possible across the great divide and into the AWVers’ universe.