Is it Time to MAKE AMERICA GRANGE AGAIN?
The Meme Warfare is full-on and the RAND Corporation and the U.S. Military has an active modern warlike strategy to interfere with our minds. How do we sidestep the military online onslaught?
I remember hearing about what was referred to as "memes," aka "viruses of the mind," back in 2005. The idea was that thoughts, new concepts, or theories could spread like contagions like fashion trends —cargo pants and platform shoes. We didn’t have social media then, so memes aren’t what they used to be. The memes that populate our digital lives today were not yet generated in the early 2000s. I had no idea of the true potential of online memes until the last few years after Covid struck and memes became a popular arsenal against global parasites.
However, today, memes are being weaponized against us…. like everything else.
As many of you already know, our beloved CIA and Department of Defense (DOD) have decided that the next frontier of warfare isn't in some far-off desert or on the high seas but right in your Facebook feed and in our minds (thank you Blazing Press for bringing attention to this matter).
The U.S. military has partnered up with everyone's favorite shadowy think tank, the RAND Corporation — which I had a personal and disturbing firsthand encounter with as covered in my Substack below. They are known as “the Think Tank that controls America,” and of late they have been studying the art of meme warfare.
MEMES: THE WMDs OF THE MIND
Gone are the days when wars were fought with bullets and bombs. Now, it's all about who can create the spiciest meme to capture the hearts and minds of the masses, and RAND and the DOD know this.
The military has even created an official manual on meme warfare because nothing says "defending freedom," like a 200-page document on properly using a distracted boyfriend meme.
That’s right. And while RAND, the DOD, DARPA, and the CIA justify this as a need to ward off Chinese and other hostile nations' memes, you KNOW they are doing the same to American citizens as well.
Coming soon is likely the ability to similarly generate high-quality audio, video, and music based on text inputs. This means that nation-state–level social media manipulation and online influence efforts no longer require an army of human internet trolls in St. Petersburg (Mueller, 2019) or a “50 Cent Army” of Chinese nationalists (Nemr and Gang- ware, 2019).3 Instead, using existing technology, U.S. adversaries could build digital infrastructure to manufacture realistic but inauthentic (fake) content that could fuel similarly realistic but inauthentic online human personae: accounts on Twitter, Reddit, or Facebook that seem real but are synthetic constructs, fueled by generative AI and advancing narratives that serve the interests of those governments.
BRAVE NEW MIND-GAMES
Your mind is the new frontline in this brave new world of information warfare. The US military and RAND Corporation have taken meme wars so seriously that they've elevated it to the status of "fifth-generation warfare." It's almost as if they believe a well-placed meme could topple entire regimes… like the current regime in the U.S.
THE MEME INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX
The military isn't content with just studying memes. They've gone full "Inception" on us. They're diving deep into the realm of memetics, treating ideas like viruses that can be weaponized and spread across populations. It's like they're trying to create a meme so powerful it could make people voluntarily give up their avocado toast.
THE SILVER LINING: WE’RE WINNING
If the military takes memes this seriously, it means the humble meme-makers of the internet are winning! They're scrambling to catch up to our superior meme-craft, proving once and for all that the pen (or in this case, the keyboard) is mightier than the sword.
CRYING NEWSOM
It seems Governor Gavin Newsom, in his infinite wisdom, tried to play digital whack-a-mole with deepfakes by signing legislation to combat AI-generated election content — he didn’t like the deep fakes targeted at him.
I thought they were funny and spot-on myself.
The bill aimed to slap disclosure labels on campaign ads using AI and put the kibosh on using AI to bamboozle voters about candidates' words or actions within 120 days of an election. But faster than you can say "constitutional rights," a federal judge — clearly not a fan of Newsom's digital nanny state — cited good ol' First Amendment concerns.
THE DOWNSIDE?
At some point, however, it will be nearly impossible to discern the real from the fake, the earnest from the manipulated posts online. The line between truth and fiction will blur beyond recognition as our digital landscape becomes increasingly saturated with deep fakes, trolls, moles, AI-generated content, and sophisticated disinformation campaigns.
“To be sure, generative AI can be used to make higher-quality false or deceptive messages. This is, however, an incremental improvement: What is radical is the possibility of a massive bot network that looks and acts human and generates text, images, and (likely soon) video and audio, supporting the authenticity of the messenger.”
HOW TO FIGHT A MILITARIZED MEME WAR?
So, what's the solution? Well, it might be time to dust off those overalls and head down to your local grange.
The answer to combating high-tech meme warfare might just be good old-fashioned face-to-face interaction. Picture this: weekly hoedowns where we share tips on soil quality and trade fresh goat milk instead of sharing cat videos (confession, which I love).
It's time to Make America Grange Again!
While the military is busy trying to weaponize Grumpy Cat videos, maybe we should focus on building organic communities. After all, no amount of meme warfare can replace the power of a good old-fashioned barn-raising. So, put down your smartphones, pick up your pitchforks (for hay… for now), and let's show those meme-obsessed generals what real social networking looks like.
Remember, in the grand meme war of life, the real victory is the friends we make along the way... and maybe a few prize-winning tomatoes.
OTHER RELATED SUBSTACKS:
If you find these interviews and articles informative, please become a paid subscriber for under 17¢ a day. I don’t believe in paywalls, but this is how I make a living, so any support is appreciated. Either way…. it’s available to you….
Oh, home on the grange! :D
Keeping it real Reinette! Yes!
That said, it was an absolute thrill to FINALLY come face to face with your glorious self at IDP. i had the BEST time, and after cleanup today, got sent off with a box of fresh organic farm celery, and a couple tomatoes...
Let's do it again!