Thanks for that. I copied the post into word and saved it as an html file. I have seen some of these, but others are new.
And ~~~bump~~~

Dang, thanks pacelli theres some good advice in there.![]()
Since it was asked in the OP, I've studied psychology through the doctorate level. This subject of changing an individual's fundamental beliefs is extremely complicated. Each person you approach has their own value system which will draw them toward or away from a particular subject. Mental heuristics (i.e. cognitive shortcuts) come into heavy play here.
On a very simple level, a few examples:
1)Someone gives me a 2-hour documentary to watch. I don't feel like sitting through it. I watch the first minute of it and find something more rewarding to do with my time, because I don't like documentaries. The ball game is more rewarding, because I've watched the ball game all of my life.
2) Someone links me to a documentary to watch. The documentary has the word "Fascism" in the title. I immediately conclude that it is a conspiracy-based video and don't bother watching the documentary.
3) Someone gives me a documentary to watch and tells me to "wake up", or they tell me "this is the truth". I feel like they are putting me down, and trying to make me feel like I am stupid and they are smarter than I am. This makes me feel irritated. I immediately decide that anything this person gives me is a reflection of their "one up" approach, thus I will not watch it.
The way to defeat mental heuristics is to apply a highly individualized approach to the individual with whom you are engaged. It helps to do more listening than talking. You will quickly learn the things they value when you hear the vocabulary words they use and the subjects they freely initiate. Hone in on anything that smacks of your value system, reinforce that with nonverbal communication, and verbally redirect the conversation to that particular topic. Jumping around from subject to subject is not advisable. Each person is a long-term campaign, and many of those campaigns may be dead ends. It is sad, but true.
There is also the issue of context. If someone is in the middle of a private activity, and you interrupt that activity, most people will immediately be defensive and suspicious of whatever you tell them.
Finally, examine costs/benefits. There are costs and benefits associated with holding a particular belief system. If the cost of openly evaluating information is the perceived sacrifice of an entrenched belief, it is likely that the person will become defensive and engage in a cognitive heuristic.
Aaron Russo's: America Freedom to Fascism
The Truth & Lies of 9/11
If you read them the titles, that alone would scare them off.
Since it was asked in the OP, I've studied psychology through the doctorate level. This subject of changing an individual's fundamental beliefs is extremely complicated. Each person you approach has their own value system which will draw them toward or away from a particular subject. Mental heuristics (i.e. cognitive shortcuts) come into heavy play here.
On a very simple level, a few examples:
1)Someone gives me a 2-hour documentary to watch. I don't feel like sitting through it. I watch the first minute of it and find something more rewarding to do with my time, because I don't like documentaries. The ball game is more rewarding, because I've watched the ball game all of my life.
2) Someone links me to a documentary to watch. The documentary has the word "Fascism" in the title. I immediately conclude that it is a conspiracy-based video and don't bother watching the documentary.
3) Someone gives me a documentary to watch and tells me to "wake up", or they tell me "this is the truth". I feel like they are putting me down, and trying to make me feel like I am stupid and they are smarter than I am. This makes me feel irritated. I immediately decide that anything this person gives me is a reflection of their "one up" approach, thus I will not watch it.
The way to defeat mental heuristics is to apply a highly individualized approach to the individual with whom you are engaged. It helps to do more listening than talking. You will quickly learn the things they value when you hear the vocabulary words they use and the subjects they freely initiate. Hone in on anything that smacks of your value system, reinforce that with nonverbal communication, and verbally redirect the conversation to that particular topic. Jumping around from subject to subject is not advisable. Each person is a long-term campaign, and many of those campaigns may be dead ends. It is sad, but true.
There is also the issue of context. If someone is in the middle of a private activity, and you interrupt that activity, most people will immediately be defensive and suspicious of whatever you tell them.
Finally, examine costs/benefits. There are costs and benefits associated with holding a particular belief system. If the cost of openly evaluating information is the perceived sacrifice of an entrenched belief, it is likely that the person will become defensive and engage in a cognitive heuristic.
This series may help in some regard.
Liberty Sells Itself [1/3], [2/3], [3/3]
Step 1. Detachment (Time to Open the Mind)
The Matrix: Trilogy
Animal Farm
1984
The End of America - Naomi Wolf
Step 2. You have been lied too.
George Carlin (Who Owns You Americans?)
How to Create an Angry American
Aaron Russo's: America Freedom to Fascism
The Truth & Lies of 9/11
Step 3. The Media is not your information friend.
The Network
Good Night & Good Luck
Media-Opoly
Spin
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War On Journalism
Manufacturing Consent
Step 4. The War on Terror, is not what you think.
Don't be a Sucker
American WARNING
The Power of Nightmares Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Taxi To The Dark Side
The Ground Truth: The Human Cost of War
Step 5. Government is the problem, not the solution.
The Philosophy of Liberty
The Proper Role of Government
The Law by Frederick Basiat
Revolution: a Manifesto by Ron Paul
Road to Serfdom by Hayek
Step 6. The world is run on self-interest
Atlas Shrugged
Step 7. The Money System - what it is & the International Bankers
Money as Debt
Creature From Jekyll Island - A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
The Price of Oil is not rising, the value of the dollar is falling
Step 8. False left, false right - One party system, two faces of evil.
We are the Ones we've been Waiting For
Democrats elected to end the Iraq war
America is not a democracy.
An Idea whose time has come
Step 9. The New World Order
Historic Interview with Aaron Russo
North American Union & VChip Truth
Endgame
Esoteric Agenda
Cognitive Dissonance Articles
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/dissonance.htm
http://www.pabia.org/Archives/Newsletters/Cognitive%20Dissonance/cognitive_dissonance.htm
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/cognitive_dissonance.htm
http://tip.psychology.org/festinge.html
http://www.afirstlook.com/archive/cogdiss.cfm?
http://www.colorado.edu/communication/meta-discourses/Theory/dissonance/
http://wwwthesixthestate.blogspot.com/2008/03/imperialism-boot-camp-and-cognitive.html
http://www.perrspectives.com/articles/art_cogdis02.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_628.shtml
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/resistan.htm
Conza88, I'm loving you're efforts here, including the book list: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=79751
and Liberty list: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=130993
One note though, the 3 "Liberty Sells Itself" youtube links are showing as "Private".


.This may be something you want to add in there somewhere:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...e+energy+non-crisis&ei=Is9sSMmjGKiO4wKWh-SXDw
