The Truth?

How do you determine what you believe and will act upon and what you don't believe? I ask this question in order for you to understand propaganda. You cannot understand one without understanding yourself.

I will let you think on that while I explain what propaganda is. Propaganda can be true or false, not all propaganda is lies. Propaganda is a technique of getting people to believe something. It is getting the masses to believe the same thing, not everyone, the masses.

Let me give an example. Fluoride. I don't know if you believe fluoride in the water is a conspiracy or not. I don't have an opinion myself. It doesn't matter for this example. Do you believe fluoride in the water is safe and protects your teeth. That is what we have been told. Why do you believe it is safe, if you believe such a thing?

The vast majority of Americans believe fluoride is safe and good for our teeth. How did we come to believe this? I know why I believed it, the government spent millions on commercials and reports and news articles. I watched them growing up as they began fluoridation of the water systems. My government told me they had checked it out and that it was safe and good for me. Because of this I didn't drink bottled water, I wanted the fluoride.

I was a kid. I don't trust what anyone tells me anymore unless I have investigated it. That started pretty young because I discovered the teachers didn't know things I knew. Most kids are trusting of what they are told, they don't care if it is the truth, they just want to fit in. That is why repetition is the primary process of propaganda. We want to swim with the crowd.

The crowd is not what you think, it is the crowd you choose to be with. The next thing that causes people to believe garbage is that it is in agreement with what they do. We like to be told that what we are doing is good and right even when it is not.

You cannot cheat an honest man. If you are honest with yourself then you will know when you hear propaganda. You will know it is false because the truth is inside you. You know when you are doing things for the wrong reasons, you can hide from it, justify it and even tell yourself how decent in doing so. Somewhere deep down inside you, you will know you are lying to yourself.

While I was writing this a young man was asking me questions about business and I somewhat lost my train of thought. I apologize. Have a great day, the rains have begun in earnest here.

It Is Raining In Los Angeles

I live in the desert, the Northeast part of Los Angeles County. It is freezing and it is raining. It has rained very hard and people have been evacuated from some of the mountain areas. There is a lot of rain and even more coming.

If you are homeless, Los Angeles isn't a bad place to be as it goes. I lived in Boston and that is bad place to be homeless. I used to watch the homeless put cardboard boxes above the vents for the subway. That is how they stayed warm. Or at least as warm as they stayed. I got frostbite in Massachusetts. I didn't much care for it.

I like the heat. I don't mind it over a 100 although I find anything over 115 to be too hot. I hate the cold and I hate being cold. I would really hate being homeless in Boston. I don't like the snow either.

I spent about a week on the streets a long time ago. I was not alone; but, we had no place to stay. It sucked. It is hard to understand what it means to not have a place to stay if you never been there. It can lead to anxiety and desperation. Worse than that is that after awhile people just accept that they are going to be homeless and they stop trying and focus on surviving.

I work downtown and am not infrequently asked for money. Sometimes I give it. I have had people tell me that the person getting the money will only use it for alcohol or drugs. I neither know nor care how they use it. Homeless people frequently ask me for a cigarette, I often give them two.

There are times when I will not give anything. I will not give to people begging by the freeway entrance as it endangers people. I will not give to anyone who stops me while I am in my car unless it is parked. I will not give to anyone who interrupts me while I am speaking to someone else.

I think at this time of year (and I don't mean Christmas), the winter, it is good time to give a buck or two. It is cold out there and wet. If the money is used to buy some alcohol, at least they will feel the cold a little less.