This may sound silly, but we've tried everything else: how about REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY?

[Tyler Durden]

We've trying speaking truth to power, we've had the Internet Blogosphere in attack mode, we've had preachers marching for women's rights, and we've even very occasionally had the Main Stream Media admit "Yep, there were no WMD's, no Yellowcake, no Al Qaida in Iraq," .....

So let's try Reverse Psychology.

How about this; new promotions and their political signs:

The campaign to "MURDER A MUSLIM FOR CHRIST TODAY! HERETICS AND NON-CHRISTIANS SHOULD ROT IN HELL!"

The committee to "PROMOTE GEORGE W. BUSH AS A LIVING SAINT! DO ANYTHING HE SAYS! HE CAN DO NO WRONG!"

Other suggestions:

"CLEAR CUT THE NATIONAL FORESTS NOW! WE NEED LOGGING INDUSTRY JOBS!"

"NO TAXES FOR RICH PEOPLE! THEY DESERVE EVERY DOLLAR WE GIVE THEM!"

"GLOBAL WARMING: GREAT FOR GETTING OIL FROM THE ARCTIC! ANTI-OIL PROTESTERS ARE TRAITORS!"

"COAL, COAL, COAL MEANS JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! WE NEED PAYCHECKS; CLEAN AIR WILL HAVE TO WAIT!"

"NO HEALTH CARE COVERAGE? IF YOU CAN'T PAY FOR IT, GO DIE; THIS IS AMERICA!"




See where I'm going here? Maybe, just MAYBE, the only way to beat the PIGS at their game is to PLAY their game, COMPLETELY OVER THE TOP, where it still looks like THEIR MESSAGE, but sort of, ewww, you know?

Then when they see the Right Wing's actual messages, an unconscious connection will occur with the "ewww" reaction. If you have kids, you KNOW this works, and you remember when your parents pulled it on you.

Hey, we have tried everything else with the incredibly fucking clueless electorate. Treat them like errant children: ENCOURAGE them to jump off the bridge with their friends. This could really work.

I'm being serious here, by the way.

[billyoc]

1. Sorry, they're all in use already. n/t

[Tyler Durden]

3. I really am being serious here.

Take it totally over the top. Paste this shit on freeway overpasses. Rent billboards. Put up signs by the roads.

If we can convince the electorate that the Right Wing REALLY IS CRAZY by taking their policies to their logical conclusions in the marketplace of opinion, it just might work.

We haven't got much time: they are trying to turn the army into "ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS."

We should stay away from the gun control stuff though. Third rail.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Fuck the troops, cut their pay, take their kids, extend their tours

WOW, THIS COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE SHIT JUST ROLLS OFF THE TONGUE. No wonder limbaugh makes "it" look so easy.

[Tyler Durden]

4. THIS is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about!

Say what they are saying, just go the next 10 miles.

Get that negative gut reaction from the voters so it becomes moot.

[BOSSHOG]

5. My subject line

is exactly what bush and his kind have done (except for the kids part) but that would come next. Why have some little rug rat that daddy has to worry about back home when he's supposed to be killing non white, non christians in Iraq.

And fuck the fairness doctrine too, it would destroy the first amendment (compliments of that brilliant scholar hannity)

And fuck swearing to tell the truth. 9-11 changed everything.

And surely to god you christians have nothing to hide. Surely you didn't use a credit card when purchasing the services of those two male prostitutes did you?

[Tyler Durden]

7. Just make it supportive of Bush, and completely over the top.

There was something like this called the "Kill a Commie for Christ" campaign back during the Vietnam War. Same deal: SOUNDS supportive of the bastards, but makes you flinch when you hear it if you're on the fence.

[Richard Steele]

11. Problem is, his base is incapable of recognizing "over the top". They LACK the necessary wiring.

And after his base, damn few of us are "on the fence" these days.
B*sh is hated, his occupation is hated, and people hate the fact
that everything he's touched has turned to shit.

Not many fence-sitters to be found these days.

[Tyler Durden]

12. This isn't for his base...it's for the "fence sitters"

You couldn't covert his base with anything, including a kick in the nuts, a cold shower and a thorazine cocktail.

By the way, isn't it interesting how Bush relies on his "base," and Al Qaida freely translates as "The Base?"

Think about it.

[Richard Steele]

15. As I said, I don't think there are too many fence-sitters left to convince anymore.

That doesn't make it a bad approach. The "Billionaires For Bush"
folks have done a great job with exactly this sort of idea.

http://billionairesforbush.com/index.php

[Tyler Durden]

17. No. They are the ASSHOLES that sit home on Election Day.

You know them, the "My vote won't make a difference"

I think something similar to this could be used to SCARE these stupid fucks enough to go and VOTE for a change.

[Richard Steele]

20. OIC. Good point. That's gonna take some serious "fine tuning", then....

How do we get JUST the right message to get people
out to vote?

If "Four More Years of Repubs" doesn't scare them enough,
what the hell ever will?

[global1]

6. I Really Like This Idea - K & R............

I always joked that when Dems say Black the Repugs say White. It always looks like they take the exact opposite view just to show a difference. But this idea is ingenious in a subtle sort of way.

[Tyler Durden]

8. The secret is to be as UNSUBTLE as humanly possible....

...but still be just plausible enough to be taken for an actual supporter of Bush.

Sort of like the LANDOVER BAPTIST CHURCH or THE ONION except in everyone's face.

[Tyler Durden]

9. I'm going to kick this one time because I think its a helluva good idea.

kicko

[The Traveler]

10. Good grief --- this actually makes sense!

Clearly, rational argument doesn't work very well against the Big Lie right wing propaganda machine ... might as well give this a try.

Not bad, Tyler.

Trav

[Tyler Durden]

13. Needs a TON of support to work...

That's why no one will ever do it. Too busy posting to threads about Paris Hilton: more fun.

[The Traveler]

21. We need .... we need an Underground movement

Oh. Wait. We're supposed to have that here ... it's gotta be around here somewhere ...

Oh, frack it. We need a sub-underground ... an underground beneath the underground.

In other words, DU needs a sub-basement where we can organize our psy-ops against the right wing propaganda appartus. Don't forget to invite Agent Mike!

Trav

[Tyler Durden]

14. See what I mean?

223 posts for the "doctor's office cancellation fee" thread, 14 here, more than half of which are mine.

As Butch Cassidy said, "I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals."

[Katherine Brengle]

19. We do love our flamewars :D. But seriously, this is a great idea.

It's like that video that's floating around where anti-choice activists are asked how much jail time women should do for having abortions - it would force a lot of people to look a little closer at things they haven't really thought deeply about.

That Billionaires for Bush site is fantastic - very much like this.

[Tyler Durden]

25. Just remember how many people thing Landover Baptist and The Onion are REAL.

We make them BELIEVE that the "CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW MIDDLE EAST CHRISTIAN CRUSADE" is REAL, then the "EEEWWWWW" factor kicks in and they are repelled.

[JuniperLea]

27. Many still think Colbert is really a rightie too...

Love your idea. I think it's exactly what we need to do. It will confuse the hell out of many who now seem to be awakening from the Kool-Aid fog.

My dad was a life-long, rabid Republican who voted for Bush TWICE!!! He has seen the light. (Hallelujah! Saints be praised!) If he can overcome the Kool-Aid poisoning, there's hope for millions just like him.

[negativenihil]

16. HAH

this is great - i'm so happy i wasn't the only one to think of this tactic. I've been applying it for a while now, especially with the more "dense" people who try and discuss politics with me.

the general reaction tends to be "wow, that's over the top - you don't REALLY mean it!"

usually they don't understand the sarcasm.

anyway, rock on :D

[Tyler Durden]

18. Yep. we need to make them THINK that SOMEONE really means it.

And by association, the Republican Party thinks the same way.

It's called "PROPAGANDA," and unless we want to head down the tubes of history before our time, we'd best do whatever we have to that will sink the rePUke ship.

[dorkulon]

22. Kinda think that'd backfire horribly.

First they'd cheer, then they'd do all that stuff. These people aren't sophisticated enough to respond to reverse psychology. That'd require the intellect of, say, my cat.

[piedmont]

23. Most Americans have NO sense of irony or sarcasm, and for that reason...

this would totally back-fire.

[Tyler Durden]

24. I don't WANT it to appear ironic or sarcastic....

In order for propaganda to WORK it has to look REAL.

You want people to REALLY THINK there are Bush supporters our there who actively will say the things I mentioned RIGHT OUT LOUD, IN PUBLIC, IN THEIR FACES.

We would want them to think "FUCK! I have to work AGAINST nuts like that."

If you don't really believe in the reverse psyops, it won't work. It has to be PLAUSIBLE while remaining REPUGNANT.

[rucky]

26. You're living up to your screen name.

:yourock:

[helderheid]

28. To the GREATEST

[mikelgb]

29. the yes men?

[Tsiyu]

30. One of my brilliant sons did this in 2004 election season

He was heavy into the Goth thing, in a Heavy Metal band at the time and wore really funky/scary clothes.

He would do an ear-splitting, passionate "Heil Boooooooooshhhh" with the arm raised and go around spouting how great Fascism is and how great it was that Boooooooshhhhh was finslly bringing Hilter's values to America. It was freaking hilarious.

Even Booooooshhhhh supporting bystanders were rendered speechless....

:rofl:

[NashVegas]

31. You Mean Like Billionaires For Bush

[Tyler Durden]

34. Except without the costumes.

Americans as a rule do not grok sarcasm.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

32. That's exactly what Colbert does.....

n/t

[Maven]

33. This is sort of what Billionaires for Bush does already

albeit in a more sarcastic way.

But if you put up banners, you'd have to tie it to Republicans to really spell it out to people--like you could put a stars and stripes covered elephant next to the slogan to get the point across.

[Tyler Durden]

35. EXACTLY.

You wouldn't even have to put an organization on it.

[StopTheMorans]

36. I think you're onto something here, but let me add my two cents.

Have you ever played rock, paper, scissors? Well, you know when you're in a game with someone you've played many times before, and you're trying to guess if they're going to throw scissors because they usually do on the second throw, but you know that they know that you're trying to guess if they're going to throw scissors because they usually throw scissors on the second throw, so you're trying to figure out that, if because they know that you're trying to guess if they know that you know that they usually throw scissors on the second throw, they're going to throw scissors on the 2nd throw, or if they might just put rock out there to completely fuck with you? Well, I think that this may be a similar situation. Rove, though not the puppetmaster he once was, still has a few tricks up those dirty sleeves of his, and I think we might be falling right into a Rovian reverse psychological trap here. I bet that he wants us to utilize reverse psychology, when, in reality, we should be utilizing double or triple, or possibly even quadruple, reverse psychology. Kind of like when he acted like he really wanted Dean as the nominee in 2004, when, in reality, he was terrified of him and did all he could to undermine that through reverse psychology. You smell what I'm steppin' in?

[Ino]

37. Sounds like Colbert!

He's a BIT more subtle, but not much.

[struggle4progress]

38. We could start robbing banks to show our support for law-and-order! We could

sell heroin to highlight the scourge of drug-abuse! We could sell children as prostitutes to express our opposition to sexual slavery! The possibilities are endless!

[Faux pas]

39. BAN ABORTION! WE NEED ALL THOSE UNWANTED CHILDREN

TO FIGHT OUR UNNECESSARY WARS.

SCREW NATIONAL HEALTH CARE! LET ALL THE OLD AND SICK DIE SO THERE'S MORE FOR THE RICH AND HEALTHY.

JESUS LOVE PEOPLE WHO HATE ANYONE WHO ISN'T A CHRISTIAN.

THERE'S PLENTY MORE OIL OUT THERE, WE NEED TO INVADE ALL THE OTHER COUNTRIES THAT HAVE IT AND WON'T GIVE IT TO US!


How's that? I kinda like this idea, thanks. Here's a big old R for you too.

[NuttyFluffers]

40. humor is lost on them. higher thought processes are lost on them. i wouldn't do it.

even the whole "whatever my parents do cannot possibly be cool!" effect is lost on them. the 20%-30% backwash is nothing but that, backwash. attempt to appease them at your peril.

on reading that you're trying to affect the rest of the sane people... that's actually going to be hard. it has to be crazy enough that it's automatically repulsive, but sane enough that it seems almost viable or plausible. basically you have to go up against people who right now are about as extreme and crazy you are going to get. you must remember they already had members who've basically said:

we should bomb Mecca

a clump of cells in a petri dish is the equivalent of a human child...

... but a human child is better off dying from no health care

our economy is doing fine, and no, you cannot look at our numbers -- just trust us

being able to imprison you without charge or trial anywhere in the world means i'm fighting for your freedom

burning tons of gas in our army/navy/air force for a fake war helps save enough gas for our future. oh, and so does shutting off refineries

making the terrorists' charges against us true helps our image abroad

being china's rag doll is good for our economy

torturing people means we're morally better than them

kickstarting the apocalypse is good, because we need the rapture

et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. it's such an act of brazen insanity that it is about almost impossible to top, let alone make it more concise than it already is. i wish you well, best of luck!