Declassified CIA Guide to Sabotaging Fascism Is Suddenly Viral

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Thank you for this, I just learned something new

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I am not surprised, because I’ve had a blog post in progress for a while now with links to various resources, and this is one I put on there. It’s an excellent booklet and I highly suggest reading it!

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Ok, serious moment…

Office hijinks are one thing, but who will be caught in the crossfire when people start sabotaging the public infrastructure that we all rely on? I think anyone who has any bit of autonomy left are within a position to separate themselves from what doesn’t work and build what does. Of course, I am acutely aware that this is much easier said than done, but “authoritarians” need a “mob” to have any power. Please do not fulfill either of those roles in any capacity whatsoever.

So, while I disagree with the method(s) of resolution, that last paragraph in the article is dynamite. Understandably, I think many people see a lot of the moves being made as a type of Gleichschaltung, and wonder just how long it will be until the Reichstag Congress is toast and all of the Sturmabteilung sincere “patriots” have their own “Night of the Long Knives”.

“History rhymes”…One could argue that the totalitarian mind-virus wasn’t introduced through “democratic socialism” this time around like in WWII, but through “right-libertarianism” appealing to the masses through populist rhetoric. Project 2025 meets The Great Replacement? God forbid…I genuinely hope not…

What can we learn from all of this?

A “pathocracy” is filled with “despotism.” But we must keep focused on the characteristics, not on the labels! They can show up within any group of any kind, no matter what its stated goals are. Look at how structure motivates behaviour. More specifically…

“Bureaucracy,” or a system of roles and rules, can sometimes lead people into thoughtless actions. Therefore, people’s decisions can become divorced from their impacts (an “accountability sink”) to the point where carrying out destructive actions is considered “normal” or even “desirable.” That is the mechanism behind “structural violence”. In the most extreme cases, a catastrophic sense of dehumanization that pushes a group through all of the stages leading to genocide occurs.

There is so much “rage bait” out there…Always be wary of any form of dehumanization towards any group (yes, even towards “fascists,” “CEOs,” or whatever your imagined “enemy” is). The rationalization of violence is not far behind it. “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

You bring up some good points, but I think it’s worth pointing out that this particular piece of literature was written with a very specific goal in mind: to weaken the Germany army in preparation for the invasion on D-day. The advice within should probably thus be used best against similar, very specific goals, i.e. workers close to the border who are being tasked with preparing people for deportation; workers in law enforcement who are responding with undue cruelty, social services workers dealing with the appropriation of their resources, etc. etc.

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Thanks for your input! That’s fair enough. My main point was that (in my opinion) trying to undermine ineffectual systems is a losing strategy no matter the context. Not only is it likely to harm innocent people who might be caught up within the same system(s), it immediately makes one a target for those trying to preserve the status quo.

More specifically, my personal intention is simply to help everyone stay safe and to meet their needs in constructive ways, while also trying to avoid the break out of “civil war” and the implementation of “martial law” in the process…Should we also consider the source of the document? Does that alphabet org specialize in “proxy wars,” getting other people to do their “dirty work” for them? :wink:

I will take a moment to try to clear up any confusion about my post…

To elaborate on the first paragraph:

So, if not “fighting against” something, what approach do I recommend instead? Find the weak points and redirect them towards constructive ends if you are in a position to do so, or preserve what works and build anew if you cannot. For example, what’s still left of those DEI methods within that government GitHub should be backed up and used as a reference for building effective and equitable mutual aid networks for the most vulnerable populations which are outside of government control. A lot of people just got a taste of what happens when important public programs (e.g.: food assistance like WIC and SNAP, medical assistance like CHIP and Medicaid, educational grants, etc.) grind to a halt from the brash decisions of a few. What are we going to do when those currently in “power” (or someone else who has a totalitarian itch) start irreversibly undermining or breaking things necessary for everyone’s survival (not only infrastructure like basic utilities and emergency communication networks, but also the environmental factors that allow for ecological stability)?..I mean that has already been happening, but it seems to be increasing in frequency and ratcheting up in intensity as the “dinosaurs” go into their death throes…No resistance needed…

To elaborate on the next two paragraphs:

I made several historical analogies that I thought were useful and relevant, but perhaps it would be more prudent to offer some conjecture on what I think the “end goal” of the current events are instead. I will put it bluntly…

Content Warning: A general look at long-term trends in technological development and U.S. culture that seem to be converging towards a dystopian scenario...This is NOT shared to be discouraging or accusatory, but simply an attempt to get a sober-minded view of the trajectory of society (both online and off) for the purposes of brainstorming methods to heal without trying to resort to violence...

The strategy implemented by Musk to hollow out Twitter is similar to the one being implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to hollow out government jobs through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Why? Look at the connections between Peter Thiel, J.D. Vance, and Curtis Yarvin.

[ Section removed - violates rule 11, doomposting / fearmongering ]

All of it is being rationalized as an “inclusive” solution to all of the world’s problems or as an “inevitable” result of the “technological singularity” through various ideas like “corporate social responsibility”, “the fourth industrial revolution”, “social impact investing”, “effective accelerationism”, “transhumanism”, and so on. People are getting “future shocked”, overwhelmed by the speed of changes and the glut of “noise” surrounding us, instead of seeing it for what it is.

In actuality, it is all simply a front for “full-spectrum dominance” / “technofeudalism” / “IT-backed authoritarianism”…a “technocratic” dystopia that will eventually lead to a “world in chains” scenario. To make an analogy, it is Nineteen Eighty-Four meets Brave New World.

Meanwhile, it seems as if Trump is attempting to appeal to both the “patriotic Christian conservatives” and the “Neo-Nazi/KKK alt-right,” so that they can act as the “useful idiots” to bring that plan to fruition within the NATO states. Note that “radicalization pipelines” usually attempt to convert the former into the latter by preying on their insecurities and appealing to their prejudices [*see other post]. This is not necessarily a criticism of anyone who identifies with those labels, but a genuine plea that everyone become aware of the spirit that is driving the things around them. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What are our own motivations aligned with?

“Poverty is violence” because if someone can keep another from having access to what they need to survive, then they are effectively committing violence against them. Of course, defend yourself if it comes down to a “life or death” situation, but please do not try to fight violence with more violence. Rebellion almost always leads to more tyranny. Instead, create and protect what benefits everyone, none excluded. Peace is the only lasting way out of our predicament(s).

To elaborate on the final three paragraphs:

I tried to give a highly simplified breakdown of the process by which organizations become corrupted towards carrying out violence, which can be extended into a psychosocial description of how “mobs” suffering from a “victim mentality” can be directed by “authoritarians” with “dark triad” characteristics into doing their bidding. I’ve touched upon some of this within other posts as well. Collectively speaking, we need to start healing from and transitioning out of that type of thinking if we want to survive.

The “walls of text” that I’ve been posting here (and adjacent spaces) have been attempts to address some of these social issues by using the links and posts that others have been making as bridges into dialoguing about it. It’s a catch-22 though: They are more likely to be skipped over when they are too long, or completely misunderstood when they are too short. Either way, I think it is worthwhile having the research available somewhere for those who are working towards similar goals (i.e.: trying to meet everyone’s needs in constructive ways). Still only scratching the surface here…

These are excellent examples (definitely more meaningful to me than the ones given within the article), but I also think that people seem to be quick to destroy what is not fully understood (“Chesterton’s fence”).

Therefore, each of them has many contributing factors that should be untangled in order to find more effective approaches instead. Shall we try to address each of them in turn?

Edit: I put part of the post behind a spoiler with a content warning. Honestly, I don’t know what aspect of the post was deemed “inappropriate” to the topic at hand so it is a bit difficult to figure out what may need reconsideration or why. I also don’t know what it is like when you flag a post, but features could be added to help mitigate that (e.g.: requiring that the one doing the flagging needs to highlight the “offending” portion, or make an anonymous note why they feel the need to flag it, or select from a drop-down menu an option that indicates what part of the posting guidelines are being violated, etc.). In other words, I’ve gotten no feedback (other than the thoughtful replies by frugalgamer).

I genuinely do not want to be insensitive to other people’s concerns despite the seriousness of the subject matter of the conversation (i.e.: an article about the recent surge in popularity of a document that literally describes how to crumble an organization from within for the purposes of warfare by using a variety of methods that could cause oneself and/or others serious harm - arson, booby trapping electrical systems and heavy machinery, etc.).

The U.S. seems to be going through a volatile situation, and following most of the suggestions within the guide is likely to perpetuate and/or exacerbate the problems. Again, I’m personally interested in peacemaking and helping others to meet their needs in constructive ways, not escalation. Dialogue done in good faith helps.

That’s a fair opinion, I think it’s just one that I don’t personally ascribe to. A lot of people do, though. I just believe that since we can never know for sure what the future holds, it’s worth it to fight for both the systems we have, and for newer systems that work better and for our needs. I, as an individual person, can’t ever really control what’s going on in the upper echelons of society, so I work for both, since they are both here.

This is also a good goal, but because mutual aid networks are always so difficult to build (and, probably more relevant here), so difficult to maintain, I think the advice in the publication can still be used effectively.

For instance, are you one of the people in the agencies that are being told to dismantle your DEI programs? Lose the email for a while. When you find it, suddenly become very concerned about how you’re going to carry the dismantle out. Organize a multi-department meeting to find out what your procedures will be, no less than five people in attendance (as the book suggests). Haggle over definitions and procedures. You may be unable to stop the machine, but you can certainly cause a lot of delays using weaponized incompetence.

I think what the CIA wrote was specifically addressing such a situation, it just unfortunately doesn’t seem to have made it into sympathetic hands. If the people who were hosting the Medicaid websites that went down recently had been so inclined, they could have delayed the shut down using their tactics.

Yeah, I’ve seen others outline similar plans and I agree they’re horrifying. Overall, I think you and I agree on a lot here, but where we differ is in what’s in the linked guide and which people should use it.