Lesson Learned, Strategy Applied
Hocus Pocus is a catchy phrase that is associated with magic tricks. It is a concept that captivates your attention without any detection of its sly execution. But, in practice, it is meaningless talk or activity specifically designed to draw attention away from, deceive, or disguise what is secretly happening in front of you.
It magically enchants or charms you using a series of words and actions directing your thoughts towards a diversion. While at the same time conducting the deception. It has already brought about some sort of magical distortion by undetected sleight of hand or mind when spoken. The hocus pocus is the diversion that exploits perception with the pretense of magic. Thus it is called a trick for this reason because you are indeed tricked by deception.
The 2020 election has been the magic act, while the protest, civil unrest, and political shenanigans have been the hocus pocus diversion exploiting our perception against our objectives. We must realize the right to and the purpose for protest is not questioned or diminished by examining its objective and effectiveness but redefined and improved.
Is the goal of protest in and of itself for emotional release or to achieve a beneficial objective? Removing emotions must be replaced with the resilient decree of logical substantive resolutions. Furthermore, the ensuing political circus has been a well-orchestrated misdirection concealing an even more sinister plan, stroking fear to solidify power fueling re-election.
My commentary is not a political statement and is devoid of politics or concern for who won the election because this has nothing to do with who won. It is more about the tactics of how the election was almost lost ideologically. Nevertheless, the need for adaptation in the premises and implementation of opposing strategy is brought in context by the support for Trumpism, which cannot be easily dismissed as just racist.
It is therefore prudent to develop counterintelligence from the ideologies that oppose our interests and learn from them. We must identify, know, and understand the instruments of repression used against our progress.
Foremost, people align themselves with their interests more so than being opposed to someone else’s when they are not mutually exclusive or diametrically opposed intrusions. Thus, social justice can occur without threatening to upend society but promising to improve it if done strategically.
What does threaten to upend society is the fear of senseless violence and random destruction. This path has been traveled repeatedly and has not accomplished social justice but more alienation, ours. But, on the other hand, the contortion of Democracy and suppression of mechanisms of change continue as obstacles to be challenged and transformed.
Regardless of any other section of society’s condition, we must concern ourselves with our condition. Comparatively, our grievances are legitimate, but we must maximize the actions within our power to affect our change. We must consider what has aided different segments of society to exceed and excel while we remain relatively stagnant.
Complaining, making excuses, and finger-pointing relies on the offender relenting and granting us some degree of redress at their discretion. Recognition of limitations beyond an empowering point produces weakness and is demoralizing, leaving us begging. There are more significant dynamics at play within our control and the development of effective ideological initiatives.
What is within our control is, in fact, our power, and utilizing power needs no permission. Therefore, a structured demographical, tactical, psychological, economic, and political crusade using a calculated, disciplined, and focused application is required to create and expand our ideological initiative. Initially, we must be brutally honest in identifying our condition, counterproductive influences, and course of correction.
We must also assess our human resources, level of resilient commitment, best deployment options, and methods of quantitative accountability. Finally, any strengths and weaknesses of our resolve must be accurately assessed to formulate discipline to a resolution.
Supporting pointless actions must not become engrained or flourish within our objective. Once a blueprint is devised, identifying activities that jeopardize or damage that blueprint must be isolated, neutralized, or discontinued. It is minimizing or eradicating self-inflicted harm eroding our collective objective. The more focused and comprehensive the commitment, the more effective the plan is, expanding the considerations for implementation.
Those who oppose this objective should not be able to infiltrate, associate, or instigate under the cloak of the collective objective. This infiltration of provocateur’s detrimental behavior is then wrongly associated with our protest and purpose when allowed or tolerated.
The method used to isolate and eliminate this infiltration is accomplished by adjusting our methods and directives of objection. Denouncing these actions as unrelated Operandi of an antagonist intention in opposition to our goals. This is not to endorse cowardly behavior or spinelessly tolerate repercussions but to advocate for logical and tactical outmaneuvering of opposing ideologies.
When in conflict, the allocations of the adversary must not be contributed to or enhanced but lessened or eliminated. As part of our resistance, it is foolish that we would provide the incentive, justification, sustenance, division, or discord to be used against us. If it does, then that policy is fortifying the opposition, feeding their interest against our objective. It simply cannot be allowed to nourish their starving resistance.
When building our formidable resistance, the dimension and composition of the participants is the primary determination, utilizing them as a cohesively focused demographic unit. We must use the right tools for the job, remembering that selected suitability varies according to purpose by capabilities. Some who could not or would not protest in the streets are eager to contribute otherwise. They can also contribute by other values and associations.
With only 14.7 % of the U.S. population identifying as black, we cannot underestimate our need for alliances with other demographics to accomplish our objectives. We need to project shared interests and avoid unnecessary alienation that does not promote our intent. Thus, promoting mutual effort by mutual gain emphasizing their benefit by coalition with a shared principle or common aspiration. There is no need to create opposition where none exists.
Bullhorns and rhymes have their limitations. Old practices should be scrutinized and avoided if they create too many negative implications with minimal practical benefit. Resources and volunteers must have a mission, be purposefully mobilized, and be preserved from harm by design.
For example, where demographics are strong on local municipal levels, we can dictate our fate in the areas where we reside and work, then expand outward and upward. Considerations and accommodations in our concentrated demographic regions can provide a favorable safe haven or bubble where our circumstances are protected and expanded by legislative means.
There must be recognition and proactive countermeasures enacted to prevent the games being played. Mauling voting rights is the emerging contention by voter suppression and redistricting to circumvent the antidotal counter to defend against the hocus pocus.
We cannot proudly remain exclusive from others when we so desperately can use their help. There is strength in numbers, and mathematically these coalitions make it easier twofold by creating support and removing resistance. Furthermore, we need to reasonably identify our strategic advantages and partners, what resources and techniques are required, and methodically strengthen and apply them.
Tactically, new creative methods of protest that rely less on physical presence, raging emotion, or confrontation are the most compelling, effective way to gain a powerful advantage. It is not hiding; it is stick and move, strike without being struck. Accomplishment is the goal, not posturing or grandstanding.
Additionally, conservative and religious forces need to be favorably engaged in extracting adherence to their stated core beliefs, aligning and consolidating them with our social justice goals. The incentive would be to embrace support for the freedoms they enjoy or claim to represent.
Make them an offer that their belief cannot refuse or further expose and identify the basis for their hypocrisy, thereby being specified as part of the remedy or a fraud. Psychological actions imaginatively applied using proven, but unconventional applications are also less likely to be proactively neutralized or resisted. There would be no proven recourse for this fresh approach and its nuances.
Educational persuasion repetitiously applied in a targeted manner to a youthful perspective would be enormously influential and effective. Time is a tool for the progress of perspectives using generational change and leverage. Also, economic and political support or their withdrawal are significant motivations for attention to our social change demands.
Support withdrawn should be reminiscent of the sixties bus strike, where withdrawal of consent and economic patronage was transformational declarations of resistance. Withdrawal of support has always been a compelling motivator where our participation is needed, or our money is wanted.
Our consolidated demographic should encourage different economic and political choices to coordinate a more concerted effort and stimulate cooperation. Under these circumstances, more will align themselves with our interests instead of against them using our support.
Our economic platforms can directly inspire and enrich our people by diluting adverse power and influences. We must not beg for what they created from us or need us to sustain. We must prioritize our social justice and cultural needs to reflect our participation redirecting our actions to promote self-actuation instead of dependency.
Numerically, we must lead the way and carry our burden collectively, not overly relying on the rich and famous among us. It is more of us who are less affluent and prominent than who are famous. The number one priority is our self-evaluation to better ourselves and our condition. We need to be aware of others’ interpretations of the images and actions that we project that harm and obstruct us. We must be accountable and responsible for our conduct and presentation.
How this projection harms us and restricts our progress needs to be considered more than the context of the implications received from this election. Our projections must be examined in a historical context just as they were created in one. What do we stubbornly cling to and justify? Is it just as damaging to ourselves as what anyone else may do to us?
If others deem our objectives to be anti “law and order,” should we examine what behavior we exhibited is legitly associated with eliciting this claim by not regulating our behavior, particularly towards each other. Thus, there are two sides to the coin of accountability, theirs and ours.
Have we become conditioned or disillusioned to exist or remain an injured people? We must now claim our place without reservation or limitation to the equality that others enjoy. For example, does other’s financial interest oppose ours because we do not generally participate in the knowledge and profits of these investments and the resulting prosperity, or are we forbidden?
Is it only to the extent of our exclusion from opportunity, or is it a lack of choosing participation? It starts with our thoughts giving way to our actions, becoming our habits establishing our reality leading to our prosperity. But, first culturally, we must determine what we want to project, be associated with, or profit from generationally.
Realizing we are at liberty to choose or create the communities, education, and economy we want to live in, patronize, and stimulate. Elevating our spending habits, actions, self-education, education of self, discipline, and sacrifices will be required. Any success unique to our advancement can quickly elevate our condition, but only if we control and maintain the supply, demand, and quality.
Whatever division exists outside our interest, we cannot deny the need for more solidarity within to promote our prosperity. Consequently, whatever our outrage should be more reflective in our steadfast commitment to refrain from or institute actions according to our expectations.
Expectations are similar to planting an apple tree. To bear fruit, it must mature, and it must ripen before harvest. It is an exercise in time, cultivation, and patience. The path can be long, but then so may the yield when expectations are realized.
The intel derived from the election totals for Trumpism, widely considered questionable political regard or disregard for our concerns and condition, is a better barometer of what may lessen opposition or assertions that harm us.
Just because they are wrong, sometimes we might not be right. Of course, two wrongs do not make a right, but we need to get at least even. All considerations must be on the table for reevaluation. At the very least, we must not harm our interests by our actions toward ourselves or others.
Winning the battle or skirmish but losing the war causes collateral damage that will eventually be restored at our expense. So considering, despite civil unrest, the status quo was only interrupted for a penalty imposed upon our interest, but with limited substantive change achieved.
Instead, evaporating support and selective change have been arbitrarily metered with the diminishing sustainability of outrage and protest. Rage burns like fuel. It will eventually extinguish itself when exhausted, and it is unsustainable at elevated levels. At the very least, it suggests that it needs supplementing or replacing with something more effective and sustainable.
Hocus pocus, sleight of hand, and our indignation was used to validate their fear, weaponizing voting their fears against our methods used to address social justice initiatives. It is a lesson that rage and fear are opposite sides of the same perspective and must be skillfully and situationally utilized for maximum effectiveness.
This fear-based sleight of hand and the delusions created by social distractions nearly disguised a sinister election plan to highjack Democracy, which was narrowly averted. They were attempting to achieve their comprehensive political control, thereby suffocating our fractional objective. Our objective remains encompassed and restricted within their agenda, making it a fraction within the whole.
The election was advertised as a runaway condemnation of Trumpism but shockingly was closely contested. Our objectives and objections must employ the tactics of chess and not checkers to logically repel the nonsense and diversions which undermine our interest.
We must heed the lessons learned from this election to adjust our crusade avoiding the hocus pocus but producing some real magic. Working smart will create the magical results needed without succumbing to delusion.
The blueprint for agendas on diverse objectives, conditions, and cultures does not deviate too far from these tactical fluidities of perspective. It is interchangeable parts and transferable skills utilized with purpose.
It requires committing to the cause of self-determining your preferred condition. Remember, roses are beautiful but fragile devoid of nourishment. Plant apple trees, though taking longer to cultivate, provides a nourishing sustainable harvest.
Thurston K. Atlas
Creating A Buzz