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Yakubian Ape's avatar

"They lack the tools to even begin to investigate and understand what he’s really up to, and that ignorance has been weaponized against them."

So real it's almost painful. So many people are so woefully ignorant of the true size of eldritch beast and its many pernicious aspects that they don't even know what they don't know. It would take entire text books of primer just to catch them up so they could understand the even the base fundamentals of even the things you're talking about here. To me, it's esoteric, yes, but I get it... mostly. I imagine if I said some of this to my less spiritually alert acquaintances, they'd think I was a rambling lunatic.

I also saw a video the other day about how bright colors are ruining our brains and sabotaging our attention span. I'd need to go back and find it to do it justice, but, one of the most salient points I recall is that advertising companies and more malicious forces still use bright colors to hijack our pattern recognition abilities. He points out that bright, vivid colors are often rare in nature, and while aposematism, as you pointed out in your last article, is usually when you come across it, he made the point that desirable things are also sometimes brightly and vividly colored. A cloudless blue sky, green, lush grass, ripe, shiny fruits and berries - I've seen hypothesis that the whole meme about Tide Pods being "forbidden fruit" is because the bright, shiny, glossy appearance and texture reminds our monkey brains of ripe, juicy berries (which, of course, can also kill you, but, hey - that's beside the point). So, our brains are wired to search for bright colors, both as a sign to stay away or to come closer, so, naturally, when we're surrounded by bright colors all the time, it almost has a hypnotic effect to it, which, if I had to guess, is probably part of where you're going with the children's media. Bad as the technicolor nightmare of ponies is, it's nothing compared to the sheer sensory overload that children are exposed to. I don't know if you've ever heard of Cocomelon or Pinkfong, which seem to have dethroned Barney the Purple (!) Dinosaur and Seasame Street as de facto virtual babysitters for young children who's parents want them to shut up for an hour, but they're massively popular. I watched some of them out of curiosity since Cocomelon in particular has been meme'd so hard, and could only stomach a few minutes - the bright colors is nauseating and repetitive, droning, chanting music gives me a headache, not to mention it's all so ugly that it gives me a horrible, wretched feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can only imagine what it does to the underdeveloped brain of a baby. And, of course, the fact that it's deleterious to their development never even occurs to the parents.

Anyways, fascinating read, and I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

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Jeff Cook-Coyle's avatar

1. I can't believe that I can communicate directly with the author of such a piece. Words fail me. Thank you, Mark. Ok, here are a couple of words. I have never, ever, seen the connection between "be fruitful and multiply" and the nonfruitful claiming of the rainbow. I am stunned by the whole piece.

2. That man/woman who I think is the US Surgeon General is calling for a Summer of Pride. So the slothful gluttons may indeed buy you some more time.

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