Frank Zappa on the Illusion of Freedom – Revealing the Truth Behind Control

"A public that can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction is left to interpret reality through illusion. Random facts or obscure bits of data and trivia are used either to bolster illusion and give it credibility, or discarded if they interfere with the message. The worse reality becomes—for example, as foreclosures and unemployment skyrocket—the more people seek refuge and comfort in illusions. When opinions cannot be distinguished from facts, when there is no universal standard to determine truth in law, in science, in scholarship, or in reporting the events of the day, when the most valued skill is the ability to entertain, the world becomes a place where lies become true, where people can believe what they want to believe. This is the real danger of pseudo-events and why pseudo-events are far more pernicious than stereotypes. They do not explain reality, as stereotypes attempt to, but replace reality. Pseudo-events redefine reality by the parameters set by their creators. These creators, who make massive profits selling illusions, have a vested interest in maintaining the power structures they control." Chris Hedges

"This is going to be an unpopular truth, especially in the extremely delusional and deceived world we now live in. But the reality is this: none of what is going on outside is getting better. Nothing improves. Everything in our world feels fake. Our food is fake. Our news is fake. Our politicians are fake. Our history is fake. Even our financial system feels fake. And the people on our TV screens, on our phone screens — they’re lying to us, because everything is like a scripted movie. If you want to believe the absolute garbage that is being spoon-fed to us, then that is your prerogative. But I would hope that by now — five years into this very odd new world, this strange reality we’re living in — most of us have started to recognize that something deeper is going on. Something more sinister. Something more… spiritual, even, behind the scenes. I’ve reached a point where I literally don’t believe anything I see anymore. Nothing. Because after the last five years — maybe a bit more — it’s become clear to me that narratives are being pushed. Distractions are being manufactured. And in the end… we are watching a movie." ashleyhays2.0