The Beginner's Guide to Breaking Free Thought

There are some things that transcend profession. A classic example is the manipulation of free thinkers into sheeple by politicians, clergy, and others who need mass support in a short period of time. So I post this guide for future despots, and for people who wish to free themselves of them.

1. Create a mob - this can be a concert, protest, convention, or any other function that organizes people into a mass.
2. Plant those who believe in your ideology throughout the mob - see item 5.
3. Disorient and create confusion via loud noise and/or optical pollution - this combined with the crowd prevents escape and makes your target audience far more susceptible to your will.
4. Use a measured pentameter when speaking all the while varying your volume, but keeping your frequency range stable.
5. At certain critical points, allow your plants to create an uproar, thereby inducing more confusion and ensuring that most members of the crowd feel like they are surrounded by your supporters. This will help to create and environment where certain verbal prompts will automatically be positively responded to by the mob.
6. Convince them that you have walked in their shoes through simple, believable, stories. No need for complexity when trying to appeal to a mob. Complex lies require memory, simple lies require little explanation, and can easily be justified later with cover stories that make mountains out of insignificant grains of sand.
7. Convince them that your leadership ability is based on the fact that you have risen above, and that by listening to you, they will support a person who will take them with you.
8. Never forget to emphasize to them that you act on their behalf, "for the greater good", and to emphasize that point repeatedly without sounding monotonous.
9. It helps to ask rhetorical questions, but is not necessary. The rhetorical question gives the mob a sense of participation, without giving them a voice.
10. Never forget that a lie told often enough to enough people becomes their truth.
11. End your message in a fashion that polarizes your crowd. "We will go forth and do X because Y will lead to your downfall..." etc, or "We must stop Z". Hate is easier to control than love. Remember that it is easier to make your mob hate your opposition than it is to make them love you.

If you need references, look at the speeches and rallies of every major leader for the past century. Listen to the sermons at your churches and other places of worship, cross reference every State of the Union address, listen to the speeches of the most loved and most reviled men in history in their own language, listen to your current favourite candidate of choice. And when you do this, you will discover that whether or not you understand their language, you will find yourself cheering with their crowds. No matter how despicable the message, you will find your own will bending. This is the sad truth. And knowing this truth will either allow you to create your own mob, or break free of the mob mentality. Knowing this truth can and will set you free. After all, if you know what to look for, you will be far more aware and far more capable of dealing with these influences.

But what do I know? I am just an observer.