Protecting Yourself from Emotional Blackmail,
Cognitive Dissonance and Misinformation

Preventing yourself from becoming a victim of emotional blackmail and setting yourself up for cognitive dissonance is simple whether you are dealing with a relationship, government or company.  Once you know what it is and why it is being applied, it loses its power.

To defuse the current political game of emotional blackmail, begin looking at the news critically. Make a game out of truth seeking taking the power out of the practice of emotional blackmail. Though it may take years or a century, truth ultimately wins out, swinging the pendulum to the other side as anger over deception overtakes the arguments. 

Powers or people using emotional blackmail know this.  The closer to the truth, the more shrill the voices of manipulation become. Pressure is applied to the point of agony, all in an effort to hide the truth.

The harder the pressure, the closer you are to toppling the house of cards.  Name-calling, hatred and verbal bulling tactics are all brilliant neon signs you'll see on the news that say, "I'm hiding something", "I don't want you to hear the whole story" or "Dig a little deeper and see what my real agenda is".

1. Know how to recognize the tactics of emotional blackmail

2. Separate yourself from the person or group practicing emotional blackmail if possible. 

Begin sampling other sources of information outside of your country to verify facts with the information reported in your country.  Satellite television and the Internet now make this easy.  You will be amazed (if you are in the US) how much information is withheld from American broadcasts but major news in the rest of the world.

3. When you realize this is what is happening, take no statement or representation at face value. Write it down and research it.  Talking heads and pundits are a good place to start.  Write down their names and affiliations then do a background check.  You'll be amazed at the agendas many of the "opposing" pundits have.

4. Omission of fact (silence) is the greatest weapon of manipulation.  Ask yourself what questions aren't asked and answered.

5. When you hear people referred to as anti-anything, research it.  80-90% of the time you will find these labels unwarranted.

6.Education and correcting these facts when misstated is your most powerful weapon against being manipulated. 

7. When you hear someone use  incorrect information, tactfully correct them by saying, "I'm sorry that information is inaccurate.  Are you aware of ______________" and state your facts and source.

8. Speak with people from outside of the United States every chance you get.  The rest of the world gets one story, the US gets another.

9. Look for the truth, not the agenda.  Sometimes this is hard because decades of thought and conditioning can be unraveled and the truth staring you in the face destroys all your pre-conceived notions.

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