A Brief Discussion on Government Deception
Government deception has roots that run deep, influencing entire nations and the policies within them. As leaders of nations, government bodies tend to attempt to please, or appear to please, the general public. They sugar-coat or over inflate their good deeds in order to gain favor with the people. However, pleasing the public or seeming to, is often the trump card used by these governing bodies to tighten their grip on the economy or other politically beneficial things. More or less, one can assume that if the government is acting like they are doing something good, it is quite possible they may not be. We will discuss a couple aspects of how the government manipulates society for their own benefit.
Making Criminals, Criminals
It is undoubtedly easier to convict a criminal when they are caught in the act of the crime. One popular, yet questionably unethical, method is to spread rumors or set up obvious scenes that may instigate a criminal into acting. This can vary from putting a car with rolled down windows in an abandoned parking lot, or even spreading rumors that cops don’t patrol certain parks. These are called sting operations, in which police set up obvious crime scenes in order to draw in a victim for an arrest. With careful articulation and practiced methods, officers are able to convict thousands criminals through sting operations. On the surface this may seem good to law-abiding citizens. However, what this practice doesn’t take into consideration is that some individuals are not yet criminals, or are at least small time ones. It is human nature to make bad decisions, and often when we are presented with an opportunity that seems to good to be true, we act on it without thinking. This results in the arrest of people who may not have ever been criminals otherwise and throws them into the “system” which effortlessly molds them into actual criminals whether it be because of violence in prison, or simply the need to survive amongst new peers.
Corrupt Interrogation
Good cop bad cop may seem like a funny gag on a sitcom, but it is a very real thing. Unfortunately, it is more corrupt than comical television might represent. When interrogating suspects, cops are not trained to get the truth, rather they are trained to get a conviction. This may lead them to incorrectly use a suspect’s statement, threaten or intimidate a suspect into making false statements, collecting false witnesses, and other misleading acts used to force and individual into pleading guilty. This is not entirely the fault of the cops. From the beginning, this is how they are trained by their governing body to interrogate. In other words, it is wired into their system. Yet another form of government deception used to manipulate the general public. If many arrests are made, whether it be in burglary, or drugs, or prostitution, it undoubtedly makes the local government looks good. And, as mentioned before their goal is to look good to the people.
Using Misleading Statements to Control Citizens
The press and the media once were the bridge between the government and the people. But, do to an ever-growing capitalist society the media has become corrupted do to overinflated paychecks. Too often now-a-days do news channels jump the gun quickly in order to be the first to release news. Even if they are not sure if it is true, the risk is too great to spend time fact checking. So instead they jump the gun and post whatever “news” is leaked to them in hopes of being the first. This way they pull more viewers which results in more money for the station. This has become a manipulative tool for the government. If the government wants the masses to be happy, sad, or usually the case, angry, they have that power through media. By releasing half-truth statements or so called “leaks”, the government can easily incite the masses through media. Even if it is only for a short time it is possible due to the lack of fact checking and the medias desire to pull in more viewers. This is why it is important to remain diligent and fact check yourself when viewing any news outlet. Even the most trust media stations can slip up and send out false or manipulated news.
The Government is not Obligated to Tell the Truth
This statement may come as a surprise. After all, we elect these individuals to carry out our patriotic desires to further our nation. However, due to a lack of accountability the government has found a niche in which they can spread false statements for their benefit. Whether it be through the news, or an official white house source, it is fair to assume that not all said is true. If the country appears to be going into panic or a frenzy then a high up official may make a statement to calm the masses, whether the statement is true or not. The idea is to calm people down long enough to where they no longer care when they find out they have been lied to. It sounds shocking, not caring about being lied to, but it is more reasonable than you think. Most people have a difficult time being angry at a past lie when they are faced with a new one. The constant chain of lies and manipulation allow governing bodies to avoid accountability for past transgressions. False promises and flat out lies are the government’s ultimate tool of manipulation.
