Not Immune to Own Venom

Have you ever wondered if snakes are susceptible to their own venom?

 

Psychological warfare can be compared to a snake attack because the objective is to diffuse the “neurotoxins” to paralyse the enemy, necrotise defence system and produce haemorrhage of morale.

If a venomous snake can deliver a dry bite and control whether it causes damage or not, an indirect aggressor is susceptible to his own venom in more ways than one.

 

Vulnerability

 

As observed by Rochefoucauld,”Treachery is more often the effect of weakness than of a formed design.” A coercive originator opting for form of indirect aggression in place of military aggression must not forget that a conspiracy is not an encrusted political system.

 

In post WW2 Eastern Europe, the left attempted to grow political system on a psychological ground fertilised by atrocities of war. “Let’s build a new house” sounded somewhat promising to people who were camping in ruins of bombarded buildings. In the 60ties, the local snakes used lines of persuasion such as comparisons to “filthy West” to minimize manifestations of unfulfilled needs in Target Audience. The Approach-Avoidance needs conflict, where the satisfaction of one desire conflicts with the wish to avoid danger, was more mentally digestible when low salary was served with arguments such as homelessness and unemployment abroad. The power-grab lasted for long time, because people were already used to severe economic hardship, and kept at a “moderate” level of poverty.

 

An attempt to impoverish and muzzle a nation used to freedom, giving nothing but pompous speeches is an op –flop. Winston Churchill noted that: “Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry.”

 

  Poison my children’s source and your own kids will drink from it

 

No matter if a coercive originator opts for use of drugs or moral degeneration – he is spreading the poison not only on a chosen territory. In case of an enemy infiltration in a country, the “snake” can find the next generation very appetizing and then painfully discover that he attempted to bite off more than he can chew.

Teenage rebellion is an excellent shield against venomous propaganda: trying to instill anti-values, the originator will actually reinforce values; simultaneously he’ll pervert next generation in his own camp, because forbidden fruit is the sweetest.

 

A snake that hypnotised himself

 

When a pawn in enemy’s political chess game is tactically placed on the throne in a targeted country, he may develop an exaggerated sense of self-importance. The worst pick for such an operative is a malignant narcissist whose hubris will inevitably lead to self-destruction, and who won’t hesitate to compromise the mission in order to protect himself.

A narcissist will naturally believe that he is a better speechwriter than his speechwriters, and a smarter psy-op than his psy-ops. As a result, Target Audience selection is going to be a disaster, subversion botched and attempts of indoctrination too unrefined to last.

Blacklisted and subjected to coercion, the dissidents will become even more determined, loyal to their value system and incorruptible. Meanwhile, the snake and the snake charmer united in one person will have to rely on temporary support of mercenary yes-men, and groups of unscrupulous individuals ready to follow anyone who provides fish instead of a rod.

The equation: dissidents get heroes, masterminds get zeroes, is not particularly flattering for the enemy’ psy-ops.

 

« If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat. »

Jean-Paul Sartre

 

Boasting to members of the Target Audience about what is being done to them means that the aggressor himself self-destructively delivers a shot of antivenin. As a result, instead of a reptile on their banknotes, people will go for santiags made of the snake’s skin.

 

If the objective is to mislead, intimidate and demoralize the originator won’t shout it from the rooftops. Unless…the operative is a loose cannon, too delusional to recognize that in political warfare an arrogant” And what?” is always followed by consequential “And, then?”

The targeted country’s immune system doesn’t respond to foreign venom by trapping just one loudly hissing snake; true defense mechanisms will opt for a huge crackdown on foreign pathogenic agents. And we know in our hearts and minds, that for every snake’s venom, there is an antidote.

 

                                                                     

                                                                                            Joanna Rosamond