Cultural folklore stories are the basis of the identity of a society. This narrative is often a distorted picture of what happened. The cultural impact of historical revisionism on society is staggering. Learn how to see through this strategy and see the truth.
Everyone thinks they are too smart to fall prey to a con artist. This is primarily the reason con artists are effective. Everyone has encountered programming that presents a false narrative. Some people are just more susceptible to believing these distortions.
This programming of our culture starts early in life. It is prevalent in many school systems, especially those with religious affiliations. The textbooks in our schools give a skewed version of history. People use cultural folklore stories as if they are factual representations of events. Most of the time, they are incorrect to some degree. Sometimes they are completely false.
Lessons About Your National Folklore
We see the creation of these distortions taking place much more rapidly. In the past, it would take months or years for a false narrative to solidify and for the culture to teach it as fact. But today, we see it happening almost daily. Now, events are being reframed immediately by political figures and news media. They use a common formula: deny, reframe, and rewrite.
Revisionism is a deliberate distortion of facts. It’s a tactic to color how events occur. Learning to spot it is crucial to accurate decision-making. It is a building block for nationalism and patriotism. When they can’t change the narrative of crimes, they tell us to forget it and move on. They want to change history by forgetting it for now. Later, they can reframe things to support their biased agendas.
We assume it must be the truth if we hear something several times. Or, if a trusted authority figure tells us something, it must be true. Some believe this is the case with most of what we think is history. The distortion becomes the accepted truth. We must recognize it and not be fooled by misleading data. Today, “bots” from fake accounts pump false information into social media, which exploits the herd mentality.
Those who dominate the cultural narrative always write history. It could be the government or religion, or both working together. So, what we think are historical facts is not an accurate representation of events. The message from popular culture is one version of events with an intentional bias that omits or distorts the facts.
Some subcultures exist based solely on unverifiable conspiracies. Here, people fabricate or distort events that appeal to the macabre (Qanon, Oath Keepers). Some people believe the Earth is flat and that the holocaust of World War II didn’t occur. Some groups deny the genocide of Indians in North America. There’s a niche to fit any conspiracy theory. How do people get enticed by these views?
Cultural Folklore Stories
Let’s dive right into the subject. There are three essential elements in folklore. These elements weave their way through the national folklore. The first you notice is their association will have a high emotional impact. The second is the time since the event occurred. The third is how the event is portrayed, either positively or negatively. These three impact your thinking, values, and mental health.
Our memory can also contribute to the distortion of the past. Our memory changes over time, and this makes things even more complicated. A memory can begin as a positive one but become a negative one. Then, the change from positive to negative happens when one or more of the above elements is modified.
Indoctrination is one way a culture controls these elements. It frames and reframes the cultural folklore stories to elicit a specific response. The response is used to motivate actions.
Our history books are cultural programming tools. They are cultural folklore stories that make up national folklore. These fictions are used to create a narrative full of distortions.
Social and peer pressure can also affect memory. So, the more social forces and time involved, the more they can distort past events. The distortion of memory is a well-established fact concerning the reliability of witnesses. Eyewitnesses are often traumatized, which makes their recollection of events unreliable. But we ignore these problems. Eyewitness testimony still carries considerable weight even though we know it is inaccurate.
We live in a culture that bombards us with emotional and sensational information. It’s important to remember that we are all susceptible to the distortion of historical events and memory. You can’t escape it, but you can learn to be aware of it and reduce its impact. Learning to question the cultural narrative is the key. Don’t accept what could be a distorted story presented as an actual event. Releasing this burden will free your mind.
Understanding how this works is essential to everyone. It’s imperative to anyone engaging in inner work or spiritual exploration. This programming can cause distortions in our ability to perceive reality. These distortions result in biased and inaccurate judgments and prejudices. These roadblocks are formidable obstacles to overcome if you cannot identify and deal with them. They remain hidden within our dreams and memories unless we take action to understand and reshape them.
The Myths About Your National Folklore
If you unite people under the guise of fear, you can manipulate them much more quickly. When they use fear or anger, this triggers their fight, flight or freeze instinct. If you can do this, you overcome their ability to use reason and common sense. It creates what sociologists call a “mob mentality.” You follow along with the mob’s actions, even if it violates your moral compass.
Nationalism, Fascism, and Patriotism
Nationalism is identification with a national identity. Nationalism is based on cultural folklore stories. This becomes a cloak for fascism. Fascism is a form of government that gives dictatorial power to one person or group.
Fascism promotes censorship, suppresses opposition, and imposes laws that undermine human rights. They impose restrictions on those with other values. They make it illegal to oppose their dictatorship. Fascism likes nationalism because it can marginalize any group. Thus, it creates scapegoats for society’s ills. All it needs is a problem as a catalyst. So, it often creates problems even if there aren’t any.
They can create problems if there aren’t any. The greater the number of issues, the better. The more scapegoats, the better. And the more groups you can blame for the problems you’ve created, the better. The more divided the population, the easier it becomes to control each group. It doesn’t matter if the scapegoats have a connection to the issues. Revising or distorting history gives substance to the anger directed at scapegoats. National folklore uses historical revisionism to craft its message of hate.
The writers of cultural folklore stores claim to have the answers to solve the problems, blaming the scapegoats for all the issues. The narrative they create often includes only one distorted perspective of the story. If you tell lies long enough and touch the emotional buttons, you have the tension to divide and control.
National pride is the enemy of the people. Pride in national identity is like insurance against anarchy. It is the way national folklore is protected. It is best to wrap the heroes and the villains in a religious motif. Then, you can spur people into action by triggering their zealous need to serve God and the country.
Nationalism and patriotism are cloaks used to hide real motives. A patriot is someone who devotes themselves to the cause of nationalism. So, here is your core of followers. They are religiously motivated nationalists and dictators who use their power to gain or hold power. The cultural impact of historical revisionism on society through patriotism is like a cancer. It creates division and builds walls of hate.
Nationalism and patriotism need problems and adversaries to polarize people and create tension. The things nationalism fears are harmony and peace. Because the more significant the unity between different groups, the more united a population becomes.
The more united a population becomes, the more socially minded and just it becomes. And, the more just and united the population, the less the government can control it. It is less likely that they will use this tactic. So, the culture will become less tolerant of injustice and discrimination. The population can then demand equity. Equity is the enemy of the greedy. How does all of this affect you now?
A government does not declare it is fascist. Nor does it say it is a police state. But there are signs it has become both. When it declares war against anti-fascism, it signals that it has become a fascist regime.
— What are the signs of a police state? If a society has more prison beds than hospital beds this is sign. If it has and more riot police gear than personal protective equipment, this is a sign. When a culture protects the police over the rights of its citizens these too is a sign. These are signs of police state.
— When a culture protects racist symbolism by claiming it is honoring its historical roots, this is a sign of fascism. It is preferential treatment based on race and ethnicity.
All the above symptoms are part of the national folklore of patriotism and nationalism.
The Cultural Impact of Historical Revisionism on Society
Modern societies use the bate and switch tactic, so people fail to recognize or question the accuracy of the propaganda. Open any textbook on history. It paints the events to drive the message they desire, regardless of whether it is factual. It is rare to find a textbook that provides multiple points of view. They consistently paint the picture of us versus them.
We encourage you to do your research. The problem today is that things are happening quickly. Instead of waiting to distort history through textbooks, it happens through social media. Some new broadcasts are propaganda disguised as news, thanks to a landmark case, Citizens United vs. FCC (1). Under this ruling, news broadcasts did not have to use facts. They could spin any opinion under the guise of news. Outrageous and sensational views boost ratings and profit.
When a story becomes viral, it increases its believability. It doesn’t matter if the story is true. Cambridge Analytica (2) was a political consulting firm. It was employed to create propaganda that would sway elections. It did so in several countries, including the US Presidential election in 2016. The facts are often distorted or fabricated. They use the same tactics, but since most people only want to hear what they want to hear, it doesn’t matter.
Determine the credibility of the source. People make mistakes. However, if they do, do they apologize and correct the error, or do they keep on telling lies? If a source is not credible, don’t listen to or accept their lies.
Here are two examples that show the effectiveness of this tactic. One is from reasonably recent history, and the other is from ancient history.
North American Folklore and Indian Genocide
Another example is how North America portrays the colonization of the continent. Political leaders represent the continent as an uninhabited landscape. However, this was not the case. The indigenous cultures were living prosperous lives in harmony with the environment.
So, indigenous peoples were roadblocks to their ability to colonize. Demonizing people enables you to see them and treat them as less than human. In this way, you can persecute people without guilt. Then, rewrite the social narrative. The whitewashing of genocide shows the cultural impact of historical revisionism on society.
Assyrian Mythology Becomes Western Theology
To demonize someone or something is a term predating modern history. It shows how a concept can become inserted into a culture’s values. In the Hindu religion, the Devas (the bright lights in the Heavens) were the personifications of the Deity. In Assyrian theology, the Hindu Deity became their enemy’s evil Gods or devils.
The Deity of the Hindu Deva became the Devil of the Assyrians. It enabled the Assyrians to conduct warfare using inhumane methods because the Hindus were not human. The term “demonize” comes from this distortion. So, the Hindu Deity became part of Assyrian/Persian folklore as Devils. This construct of mythology was assimilated into Western theology.
Cultural Folklore Stories Become Accepted History
We see how the two examples above are a means to an end. But why would a culture need to use these tactics? It’s required to hide the true motives of those in control. It is merely the continuation of the strategy of control. Let’s look at what precedes the need for revisionism.
You’d think that a government would want to promote a culture of peace, harmony, and equality. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Social tension enables dictators to use scapegoats to maintain control. The greater the social pressure, the easier it is to manipulate people via techniques like group hypnosis. Divide and control is a proven tactic. To create a “us versus them” mentality, you must set it up correctly. Almost any event or situation can be used to create the social tension required.
There are three things you need to make this tactic work. First, you need a large fan base to use group hypnosis manipulation tactics to program your ideas. Second, you need a problem that you can blame on the scapegoats. Third, you must promote yourself and your group as heroes who can improve life.
You can adjust the social pressure required to keep people’s attention off the real issues. The real goal is increasing cash flow and return on investment for those who are the real “owners.” The real problem is anarchy, which overthrows the government and ruins the cash flow.
Seeing Through North American Folklore
A common warning sign is the general lack of joy in life. If you observe social media and TV news, do you feel you aren’t getting the whole story? Do you feel like there’s something in the way, but you can’t put your finger on it? These are indications you may be affected by the three elements above. These are patterns that let us know something is wrong. Listen to these warning signs.
The first sign is when you have feelings of fear or hate about a memory and don’t know why. When you don’t understand why you hate, it’s a sign you suffer from brainwashing programming. If you make a minority group a scapegoat, it’s a sign of negative social programming. Hate triggers your “fight, flight, or freeze” response. If you fear or hate something, it’s essential to ask yourself why.
The second pattern is when you discover emotions and feelings around a memory have changed. It is a strong indicator, especially if the feelings have gone from positive to negative. You might miss one unless you use a journal or book of shadows. Recording your practice ensures you get an accurate picture. In my experience working with people, this distortion isn’t uncommon.
How it Programs Memories and Emotions
If you think either of these patterns may apply, remember you can overcome the issues. You can reprogram your memories and emotions. I recommend you seek help either from a trusted friend or counselor.
Essentially, what you need to do is backtrack. Please find out how, when, and why your memory or the emotions attached to it changed. It will give you the leverage to “choose” what you want to do with emotional attachment. It is “best practice” to use a spiritual journal to record your practice. Record your feelings about dreams and memories that “pop up.” A dream journal will help you sort things out.
In the long term, you need a strategy that minimizes your exposure to social programming and propaganda. You need something which enables you to “see” when someone is trying to manipulate you. That’s where some essential spiritual technologies can help.
Using Spiritual Technologies to See Through the Veil
The best way to enhance your critical thinking is with Logical Reasoning. Spotting Logical Fallacy and The Truth-Seekers Axioms are two companion toolsets. Regardless of what people want to believe about the past or future, they remain skeptical. A healthy, skeptical mindset has a solid foundation of logic. We also recommend going against the flow, promoting peace and harmony wherever you go.
There are several tools to help us identify and remove the harmful programming. We divide these into the following categories:
- Tools that enhance critical thinking ability
- Methods of meditation, which put us in touch with our true nature
- Techniques that increase our self and social awareness
- Natural methods for healing
Summation
Finally, it’s important to remember that cultural folklore stories are tools to shape culture. The cultural impact of historical revisionism on society can be controlled and even reversed. It takes education and open discussion to correct the narrative of the past. This will lead to the healing of wounds created by nationalism and patriotism. It’s time to address the basis of prejudice in your national folklore.
Remember, part of your awakening is to help others. Share your insights with others. Learn how to determine the facts from the fiction.
References
(1) Citizens United Vs. FCC. Wikipedia
(2) Cambridge Analytica. Wikipedia