Hypnosis and Politics in the 2008 Presidential Race
Part Two of Five
Attention Control
In the Oscar winning film, Fog of War, former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara provides a peek into the mind control many politicians practice. When McNamara is asked, "How did you handle questions from the press that you did not want to answer?" McNamara candid response was, "When you are asked a question that you don't want to answer, answer the question you wanted to be asked." In other words when faced with a difficult question, change the subject.
To hypnotize you I need to "control" your attention. I need to capture your attention, focus it on what is most important and keep you involved. So do presidential candidates who want your vote.
Watch the Presidential debates and you will see this attention redirecting technique in action. When one of the candidate's is asked a question they don't want to answer, they usually will begin their response with a "truism" such as, "Well that is a very good question" or "That is a question on the minds of all American's today." The statement is true and we nod in agreement (more on why this is important in my next blog).
Right after we buy into the truism the politician will pull the direction change by saying something such as, "but more importantly..." or "but first let me respond to what my opponent just said..." Notice the word "but?" It is a cancelling conjunction. That means that "But" cancels out everything that came before it, which is why you get exasperated when someone says to you, "that is a good idea BUT I think..."
But allows you to cancel out the last thought, highjack the conversation and control the other person's attention. Using truisms and buts, the political then guides your attention back to the subject they want to you focus on and allows them to answer the question they wanted to be asked.
Controlling your attention is the device of magicians, card sharks, politicians and, yes, hypnotists. The difference is that where the hypnotist is trying to help you grow and change, the politician just wants your vote. Watch for the truism-but-attention redirection game in the next Presidential debate or press briefing. It won't be hard to spot if you control your attention and not get caught up in the Fog of Politics.
Attention Control
In the Oscar winning film, Fog of War, former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara provides a peek into the mind control many politicians practice. When McNamara is asked, "How did you handle questions from the press that you did not want to answer?" McNamara candid response was, "When you are asked a question that you don't want to answer, answer the question you wanted to be asked." In other words when faced with a difficult question, change the subject.
To hypnotize you I need to "control" your attention. I need to capture your attention, focus it on what is most important and keep you involved. So do presidential candidates who want your vote.
Watch the Presidential debates and you will see this attention redirecting technique in action. When one of the candidate's is asked a question they don't want to answer, they usually will begin their response with a "truism" such as, "Well that is a very good question" or "That is a question on the minds of all American's today." The statement is true and we nod in agreement (more on why this is important in my next blog).
Right after we buy into the truism the politician will pull the direction change by saying something such as, "but more importantly..." or "but first let me respond to what my opponent just said..." Notice the word "but?" It is a cancelling conjunction. That means that "But" cancels out everything that came before it, which is why you get exasperated when someone says to you, "that is a good idea BUT I think..."
But allows you to cancel out the last thought, highjack the conversation and control the other person's attention. Using truisms and buts, the political then guides your attention back to the subject they want to you focus on and allows them to answer the question they wanted to be asked.
Controlling your attention is the device of magicians, card sharks, politicians and, yes, hypnotists. The difference is that where the hypnotist is trying to help you grow and change, the politician just wants your vote. Watch for the truism-but-attention redirection game in the next Presidential debate or press briefing. It won't be hard to spot if you control your attention and not get caught up in the Fog of Politics.
posted by John Zulli at
12:39 PM
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