The Bystander Effect – #SolutionsWatch

by | Oct 20, 2021 | Solutions Watch | 144 comments

The bystander effect describes a seeming paradox: the more people who are around to help in a given emergency, the less likely that any one individual will actually stop to help. Today James dives into the psychology underlying the bystander effect and explains how we can flip this quirk of human cognition on its head to help change the world for the better.

Watch on Archive / BitChute / Minds / Odysee or Download the mp4

Watch this video in French HERE

SHOW NOTES:
37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector

Winston Moseley, Who Killed Kitty Genovese, Dies in Prison at 81

Bystander Effect (Psychology Today)

Would I be Helped? Cross-National CCTV Footage Shows That Intervention Is the Norm in Public Conflicts

The Bystander Effect:The Death of Kitty Genovese

Asch Conformity Experiment

The TSA (and other experiments in evil)

The Bystander Effect

Interview 1668 – Iain Davis Dissects the Pseudopandemic

nosoapradio comment

Influence: Science and Practice

First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy

144 Comments

  1. aHHH James tuning in from the future:P I’m missing gootoob less and less every time they fuck with my media. Keep Brother.

  2. I can’t wait to dig into this one, I’d just reviewed “The Milgram” experiments with my 8th grader last week, and just yesterday we learned about Soloman/Asch Psych with an emphasis on – in the study, how just one other person speaking truth can crack the conformity rate from nearly 40% to just 5%, and how that applies to our lives right NOW.

    • [Note: apologies, breaking my own rule, commenting before watching.]

    • An excellent example of how carrying a concealable weapon, preferably a little pocket pistol 357 magnum, can help when traveling around in a dangerous place. When no one else will help, this will come to your aid quite nicely.

  3. Near the 26 minute mark, Corbett reads a passage from ”Influence: Science and Practice”. My memory glands kicked in.
    ANECDOTE
    Back around 1978, I was soliciting door to door in a large business complex. I would go in and out of different businesses giving my sales pitch to the employees. I would make it quick so as to avoid trouble with bosses or any security. I had a fast, determined stride. One set of buildings had windows set in the same shape, floor to arch as the doors.

    Upon exiting one business with my rapid, resolute stride, I walked right through a glass door-like window. Heavy sheets of shattering glass fell all around and on me as I crashed through. I landed on the grass about 10 meters away.

    I was cut up on different parts of my body as I sat there in the grass near the sidewalk and street. I propped myself up with my left arm, while the top side of my right wrist was bleeding “pretty good”. The tendon to the hand in my right wrist was severed. People started coming over. I told a person to go get some towels or something for my wrist. I asked another person if someone called an ambulance. I told another fellow there on my right to hold my hand up, because it was just dangling. The towel had arrived and was applied while the fellow held my hand and wrist. To a guy on my left I said, “Grab the cigarettes and lighter in my shirt pocket. Light me up one and stick it in my mouth, ” while we waited for the ambulance. He would occasionally remove it for me and flick the ashes as I smoked.

    The ambulance soon arrived. The two fellas put me in the back on the gurney. They are doing their thing and I am answering questions. They kind of wrapped it up. I said that I was feeling faint and asked that they cut their chatter down, even if I pass out. Then I said, ”I’m gonna pass out now.” And I did, but just as I faded off I heard one tell the other ”He’s out.”

    At the hospital, I am in surgery awake. I was talking to surgeon with a local in my right wrist area. It was interesting to see as he did his trade, grabbed the tendons and did his needle-work. If you have ever cut leather with a scissors, that same sound occurs when skin is scissored.

    • Thats one hell of a determined stride!
      Glad the window wasn’t on the ninth floor.
      Don’t you just hate those clean freaks who make glass disappear?!

    • That’s a great anecdote HRS! Glad you still have use of your hand. The term we use in nursing is delegating. Delegating appropriate tasks for people to perform when you are the leader in the situation. Sounds like you’re a good leader based on your story.

    • Oh, thanks for this one!! It matches an old little song I’ve been singing to myself for weeks now. And it starts like this!!: “You may have observed that when you walk into a wall you get a certain sensation of reality. ”

      I’ll bet you got a good amount of Sagittarius propelling you fast forward, and the goofy stuff that comes with it. Quantum leaps that don’t always work out on the physical!! Sag also loves to laugh at themselves and others. Jovial Jupiter.

      The song is The Puppet Song, Incredible String Band.

    • That last sentence was a wincing, grimacing, eye-squinting, head-turning, mild-gagging tooth-clencher!

      Apparently your opponent fared worse than you did…

      Anyhow, you really do know how to tell a story!

    • Yes you DO know how to tell a story! At age 6 I “sailed” through a French door while sliding on pillows across the newly-waxed floor. I know only what I’ve been told about it, but a couple of facial scars I still have to remind me. Your story tells me you have courage and forethought. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Who is not complying with the vx mandates? 

    (spoiler).. sadly when the kontrol mechanism is confronted or is at risk of exposure/defusing, it has a default of sending the captured into denial = ignoring. when one has navigated the usual joke of illogic propped up with suppositions, and finally has audience with the naked king or queen, they will either change the subject, run (,,was she waddle-dashing?) away, my ex used to fall asleep on the spot, or they may go for aggressive assault. so, try to avoid getting sucked in to that snake pit. clue: the crazy dancing guy never asks anyone to join.

    Heres a few from today:
    1/2 of the chicago police force

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/chicago-mayor-accuses-police-union-misinformation-induce-insurrection-over-vaccine

    “It’s safe to say that the city of Chicago will have a police force at 50 percent or less for this weekend coming up,” Catanzara added.

    SW airlines:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/southwest-caves-ditches-plan-put-unvaccinated-staff-unpaid-leave-dec

    “One day after hundreds of Southwest Airlines employees protested outside the carrier’s Dallas headquarters against the company’s pending Covid-19 vaccine mandate, the company has caved.”

    1000’s of california parents:

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/1000s-california-parents-join-statewide-walkout-against-vaccine-mandate-students

    pundit concurs,,,

    j Farrell phd

    https://gizadeathstar.com/2021/10/the-bifurcation-of-the-workplace-the-balloon-has-gone-up/

    “more and more parents were able to see exactly what their children were being subjected to in Amairikuhn edgykayshun; some have responded by pulling their children out of the schools completely, other by protesting local school boards and in some cases, getting those boards fired and overturned. One local mayor consulted a judge on the law, showed up to the school board meeting and demanded the board all resign – immediately – or face charges of child pornography and abuse. On the professional front of medicine, law enforcement, or fire control, medical professionals, policemen, and firemen are resigning their jobs, rather than take the questionable injections.”

    • – Southwest Airlines –
      Thanks for the news Vadoum.

      Southwest employees chant “LET’S GO BRANDON” in front of the South West headquarters to protest the airline vaccine mandate —Video clip at link above.
      The Highwire last Thursday had promoted the demonstration for anyone to go.

      EXCERPT
      Now, Southwest has decided to lean in favor of unvaccinated employees for the time being.

    • “My ex used to fall asleep on the spot”.
      Giggle, chuckle, LOL. Love it.

  5. Professor Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher have reevaluated Milgram’s study and revised his conclusions.

    In this Radiolab podcast, the podcasters first summarize the study and original findings of Milgram, then go on to present Haslam and Reicher’s findings.

    The key finding is that, in fact, the Milgram experiments did not discover that people obey authority figures. What people actually do is identify with a cause, and then sacrifice their own morals and even others in pursuit of the cause. Even further, when given a direct order that presents itself strictly as an order to obey, zero study participants obeyed.

    The above discussion I mention begins at 10:35 and runs for around 16 minutes.

    https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/bad-show

    I don’t know if this is the original paper on it, but it is one that I found:

    http://www.bbcprisonstudy.org/includes/site/files/files/2017%20ARLSS%20Milgram%20Review.pdf

    I have observed the propaganda in Australia that I have seen sticks to this finding, and doesn’t seem to veer into naked orders from authority, but Biden, et al, have been giving orders and I wonder if that working against them.

    I find that the full video of “Guy dancing on the hill” tells the story better than the glossy Ted Talk:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU7dxkIz1Vs

    You can see all of his failures and that he had lots of followers who bailed on him for good and no reasons and had to change his approach before what we eventually see as the incredible result, which occurred not only because of his actions, but also the change in circumstance – the right song was playing.

  6. great video! very important to ponder and put in action.

    I do wonder whether the so-called replication crisis in psycology has any bearing on any of the studies you mentioned.

    The topic also made me think of this, which was reported in 2018:

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180607141009.htm

    A new study finds that when 25 percent of people in a group adopt a new social norm, it creates a tipping point where the entire group follows suit. This shows the direct causal effect of the size of a committed minority on its capacity to create social change. […]

    In this study, “Experimental Evidence for Tipping Points in Social Convention,” co-authored by Joshua Becker, Ph.D., Devon Brackbill, Ph.D., and Andrea Baronchelli, Ph.D., 10 groups of 20 participants each were given a financial incentive to agree on a linguistic norm. Once a norm had been established, a group of confederates — a coalition of activists that varied in size — then pushed for a change to the norm.

    When a minority group pushing change was below 25% of the total group, its efforts failed. But when the committed minority reached 25%, there was an abrupt change in the group dynamic, and very quickly the majority of the population adopted the new norm. In one trial, a single person accounted for the difference between success and failure.

    The researchers also tested the strength of their results by increasing the payments people got for adhering to the prevailing norm. Despite doubling and tripling the amount of money for sticking with the established behavior, Centola and his colleagues found that a minority group could still overturn the group norm.

    “When a community is close to a tipping point to cause large-scale social change, there’s no way they would know this,” says Centola, who directs the Network Dynamics Group at the Annenberg School. “And if they’re just below a tipping point, their efforts will fail. But remarkably, just by adding one more person, and getting above the 25% tipping point, their efforts can have rapid success in changing the entire population’s opinion.”

    • Hey Littlebird,

      I also read in another report about a minority being able to flip the situation. I think you point is very valid.

      My concern is that it plays in both directions. TV as great power because the majority follows it.

      I might be mistaking, but there’s more to it then the percentage of dissidents, otherwhise we would see a lot more of 20-80 ratios.. what we see instead is near 50-50 polarizations.

      that being said I share your approach.
      Cheers 🙂

    • I guess replication crisis probably is not an issue in this mostly old experiments. Back then science was not so thoroughly corrupt. Also, it’s hard to replicate Milgram because trick is now known.
      But I heard from daughter studying psychology that Milgram made big methodological mistake, namely not including women or highly underrepresented them (not sure exactly). Still that is not the reason to dismiss him.

      25% or whatever, I think important is that it’s well below the half (demokrazzi indoctrination) precisely because you can always count on conformity. Here is an example arguing few percent is enough.
      The success of nonviolent civil resistance: Erica Chenoweth at TEDxBoulder
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w

  7. People need to be taught how to be brave. People learn by following examples. Perhaps it is a weakness, but some people just don’t know what to do and they freeze. Fight, flight, or freeze is the amygdala response to a threat. People need to learn how to lead and how to follow what is right and what is just.

    It is hard to do, to be vulnerable and voice an opposing opinion when ones source of money is on the line. It’s hard to do. Most people won’t commit and take action until it is their own freedom is on the line unfortunately. I am guilty of this myself. Things are not real until they affect us personally and we can see it and feel it, then we are forced to act.

    • “..People need to learn how to lead and how to follow what is right and what is just…”

      Very true.

      We should feel nothing but disgust for people who do not do what is right…not just because they are disgusting but so that they might get shamed into actually doing the right thing.

      People will do remarkable things to avoid shame… sign up for a war rather then get white feathers from women, blow themselves up as suicide bombers because it would be too embarrassing to back out.
      Now that our culture has removed shame people have little except greed and fear to guide them

      • Some folks don’t even know what is right and wrong though. I’m not talking about murder, that’s obviously wrong. For example, little kids who go along and bully another kid to be part of the group. As a victim of bullying in school, I have tried to forgive people who went along and made me feel awful.

        This experience has stuck with me my whole life. To this day, it has caused issues with self esteem and reluctance to act and stick my neck out publicly in certain instances. I think I should have done more at work to voice my opposition to this whole thing, but felt a need to keep my income flowing and avoid being a target.

        Having said that, I have always aided strangers in dire need of assistance, like life threatening situations. I probably saved the life of a homeless man who was overdosing. He wasn’t breathing enough, so I shook him and called 911. I was off duty. I also know a life threatening situation because I am a nurse, so have the skill to assist. But people were walking by this man and it was obvious based on his skin color that something was not right.

        With some things, I am better as the “first follower” in the dance video and have attended an anti lockdown protest.

        What I can do for this challenge is attend another freedom protest in my area. I have never worn mask outside in public. My husband has been better about defying mask requirements in doors. This has usually resulted in a verbal conflict. He’s much more comfortable than I am with defying indoor mask requirements and direct confrontations. He also doesn’t have the same background that I have had in childhood. There were other traumatic events that were damaging to me.

        He lost his job by voicing opposition to all this. I secured an exemption from vaccination, so am still employed. My point is that I agree with some of your post. And I will start with being a supportive follower to assist people who are protesting for medical and economic freedom in my area.

        • cu.h.j,
          I’ll say it again…I admire the heck out of ya.
          And you bring a lot to these comment boards with your open, candid communications. They are marked by honest sincere expression.

          Keep being who you are.

          We all need to do what works for our own universe; what is appropriate for our own unique and personal style…and what is within the situation or context we find ourselves.

          Example:
          I’m pretty lousy at being a “salesman”. I had scores and scores of sales jobs. I sucked at them. As a young man, I often tried to emulate, mimic, and copy the same intonations and personality traits of my very successful peers.
          Being a “slow learner type that repeatedly touches the electric stove top to see if its hot”, it took me decades to discover that it would be easier to “just talk to people in my own natural way”…lisps, mispronunciations and all. That said, it is also in my nature to try to improve my abilities and skills. I can always use some more spine. I think that we all can.

          Anyway cu.h.j,
          If I ever walk through another glass window, I’d like to wind up in your ER.

          • Thanks HRS for the kind words! I also believe in trying to improve. I don’t want too many regrets at the end of my life.

  8. James, thanks for this brilliant Solution Watch. Here in Arizona, the “Plant-Powered People of Arizona” have discovered the H3i vaccine (Healthy Hugs for Herd Immunity) and have administered hundreds of doses with no reported vaccine-related injuries. Here’s how our humor is hopefully waking a few people up. While in the checkout line at a grocery store, recently, I handed the cashier one of our Hi3i vaccine cards because she wasn’t wearing a mask. I thanked her for not wearing a mask. A friend who was standing at the end of the checkout asked her if she would like a dose. She said “Yes” and stepped away from the cash register and received her hug from my friend and me while two other customers in the queue behind me observed these shenanigans. Let’s hope it’s contagious! Tom Compton, Phoenix, AZ
    https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/26gmnj/PPPofAZ-H3I-Hugs.jpg
    https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/edtugu/PPPofAZ-front.png

    • Fantastic anecdote! Talk about giving the example! Hat’s off to you!
      I loved living in Arizona (Tucson)! Often wonder why I left…

      Just looked at the snoopy hugs leaflet! Gonna download and print it! Maybe scatter a few across the beach at peak hours… (Norwegian, British, Russian tourists).

    • Fantastic! Love the idea, plus always wanted to live in AZ!!

    • BUMP
      BUMP

      Tom!
      That is a beautiful approach!

    • Thanks SO much for sharing this tomcom

      I might try to do similar where I am based….such a brilliant – and very needed – idea!!!

      And as always…thanks millions James, for keeping on and on and on….in this hilarious battle which I – by now – call:

      “How to turn a wrecking ship”….

  9. Interesting thread!

    the crazy dancing guy never asks anyone to join. – vadoum
    This seems important to note.

    Funny, ’cause I was doing the Stanford Prison and Milgram experiments last week with students. Doing Asch conformity with my Friday night student this week.

    • Oh! And Happy October Full Moon Corbett subscribers!

      Still another good opportunity for observing human behavior, within and without!

    • Hey nosoapradio…
      I’d love to read about the results of your experiments with your students.
      Have fun 🙂
      Cheers

      • Claude. Your comment is at once a rather comical reminder and a provocative suggestion.

        A reminder that I need to choose my words more prudently as my fast and loose use of the word “do” has led you to believe I’m performing experiments on my students

        which is itself a rather provocative suggestion.

        But in light of the “Third Wave” discussion below, it would seem like a decidedly perilous endeavour for everyone involved so I’ll content myself with observing their individual and collective behavior and reactions.

        https://www.corbettreport.com/solutionswatch-bystander/#comment-120516

        But I always try to have fun!

        Cheers yourself! 😉

        • Dear Noso,

          “…led you to believe I’m performing experiments on my students…”
          Quite an assumption!! How do you know what I believe? Have you validated your own “belief”?

          Is this your approach…jumping to conclusions… not very scientific.

          Let’s rewind…

          you wrote:
          “I was doing the Stanford Prison and Milgram experiments last week WITH students.
          Doing Asch conformity with my Friday night student this week.”

          My feedback was:
          “I’d love to read about the results of your experiments WITH your students.”

          No assumptions, no beliefs, no critisism, nor accusations… simple expression of my interest in the outcome.

          So what the fuss??

          But yes I agree when you write: “I need to choose my words more prudently”, which I fail to see where you applied it in your last comment.

          Regards.

          • I think there’s been a misunderstanding! X-)

            Gotta run into class but I’ll try to sort it out asap.

            Be well in the meantime!

            • No worries. It’s the past.

              Wish you all the fun with your students and the experiences (practical I assume).

              Take care.

              • Indeed, my students seem to enjoy talking about these legendary experiments so I enjoy presenting them with materials for doing so.

                It is practical for developing ease in oral English expression.

                and as a closing remark, it is helpful to understand the past when considering the future.

            • (my feedback to your last message, obliged to write it here cause we’ve busted the number of sublevel of reply, there’s no reply button!)

              Hey Noso,

              Glad you had fun.

              I can imagine the class… 40 years ago I had “marginal” philosophy teacher who based the semester on round table discussion on different topics every week, with a group of people from 16 to 60 years old. Topics taken from one book “L’éloge de la fuite” (Eulogy of flight) from the french neurobiologist Henri Laborit.

              You’d probably find new meanings to the word “provocative” 😉

              He linked the behavioral to the biological thru topics like Love, Death, Religion… many intense discussions. One of the biggest turning point in my life: a total reshaping of my perspective on Humans, what we are.

              School can be so dumming-down… and so enlightning given the latitude to walk outside the common path. I envy your position.

              As last remark (my turn hehe)… “it is helpful to understand the past when considering the future.”… I’ll go further, I find it imperative to revisit the past, and question it (instead of believing it), and understand where we come from, because not only are we the sum of our past experiences & surrounding, but as well as the past before us (many generations).

              Maybe that is part of the “awakening” (?)

              Enough said,

              Peace and be well. 😉

  10. Dear James,
    This solutionWatch seems to “reply” to my last comment that concluded: “To me the TV is not the issue, ignorance of what we are is.”

    To me, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Demonstrating what I would consider “ancestral” survival behavior: conformity to the group (& group acceptance) obedience to authority (alpha male)… (Almost social anthropology)

    Awareness of what we are and where we come from to develop our independence of thoughts…

    The final video with the dancer, is a nice demonstration of how the leadership works, but let’s face it, the context of being in a park, on the grass, relaxing, with a dancing music, is 100% favorable to attract the crowd to dance.

    The current “crisis” context is quite different, with the world medias & governments & police (and believers) pushing in one direction, and a vast part of the population in fear, hoping for an external solution… I have some doubts that people will come to dance with me, and without a mask in the middle of a park while surrounded by police. (But not impossible)

    That being said, I will keep looking out for favorable situations. At the least, I will continue planting seeds with relevant and non-threatening questions in my surrounding.

    I’m grateful for your eye-opening work.
    Kind regards.

  11. Color me pink with astonishment. Your rounding third base headed home with the wind at your back pushing you that gives you the strength to know way ahead that you will score.
    Not just being the first to follow it is also referenced “monkey see, monkey do” paradime. Consider this, you were in battle combat in a war, one of life and death facing your companies battle fatigue to where everyone was willing to give up even after winning many major battles hat day. We were just beat to hell and cold , tired and hungry. As soon as one many dropped and was falling asleep my training kicked in from boot camp and beyond when taking the month long Rangers test.
    Right then that hell night during that training exercise for getting in the Rangers club” a special Army Combat unit” kicked in and I grew strong. I remember a night where I knew if not for me being with a team of like minded brothers in arms we would die. I looked around and stood up and yelled RANGERS NEVER QUIT, NEVER FALL DOWN, WE CONTINUE ON BECAUSE WE ARE MORE THAN I, WE ARE A TEAM OF ONE. all my brothers in arms stood up, strong we continued on and morning light finally came with the sun now on us we could stop, sleep and live another day. Now I’m 60 and know chasing the flag was not my fault and know what I did as a mindless evil person was wrong and only God can forgive my sins but I’ll never have a bond of love I had with my fellow man as I had in the U.S. Army.

    • Wow. Shared immediate hardship and purpose as social glue in creating a solid sense of fraternity and bonding.

      Not a lot of that maybe in our Western societies today… a sense of needing others for survival… of understanding their hardship… of social cohesion and bonding…

      not saying I’m a big fan of physical hardship though…

      What a thought-provoking comment you left.

    • This is very much a major part of the appeal of war.
      There is a rather interesting chapter on Ernie Pyle, who exemplified this kind of principle in his WWII writings which were most publicly popular. This is followed up post combat, also, and so says a lot, in men’s own words. The book is “Stiffed: The Betrayal of The American Man”.
      Fascinating social document, record.

      • I’d say your feedback is a true reflection of your name 🙂
        Thx for the title, I’ll look it up.
        Regards.

    • “… bond of love I had with my fellow man…

      A57,
      This “bond” is such a good point.
      Personally, I am of the opinion that the Corbett Report Community is a vehicle towards improving that bond.

  12. Perhaps there were not that many witnesses to Ms. Genovese’s fatal attacks, but there definitely were some, as it was their testimonies which fueled the interest.
    There was a group who were playing monopoly and simply heard the entire attack, and ignored it. To excuse violence as a “lover’s quarrel” shows the depth of the idea that domestic violence is a “special” kind of violence. It’s violence. But that’s the deal, what goes on behind closed doors and all that. Not good.

    Phil Ochs wrote his first truly famously popular song from this affair.
    But the psychology sounds….advantageous? How to say? Propaganda of the sort that tells folks who and what they are.

    Reminds me a a study a couple did some years ago. Decided to find out if strangers would easily share their food, In restaurants, mind you. These folks would just go up to others and ask if they could “try” some of their dish. They were totally amazed that not only did most US folks immediately agree, but many offered the food to them with their own utensils they were using. Not a germ phobic land at that time.
    From the get-go psychiatry was an invented scam based on monasterial confession. The courts needed a way to lock up people who had committed no crimes, so the doctors were asked to “find” an illness. They haven’t quit finding them yet, evidently, just like their AMA bros, and it’s a War of Words all the way.

    For this history, see “Psychiatric Power”, “Civilization and Madness”, and “Abnormal”, Michel Foucault

  13. As proof of the “emulation effect” or leading by unsolicited example, I’ll point out that Corbett subscriber scpat had already written:

    If you are living your best life, having fun, being free, etc., this will have a big impact on those on the outside watching

    when I wrote my comment flatteringly featured in the video above.

    Guess we can all be both leaders and followers simultaneously…

    and also “normies” and “rebels”… depending…

  14. That is pretty typical male behavior, to not go against the pack. This is why there is so much gang rape in fraternities, men fear other men.
    But yes, it is universal. I went ahead and purposely lost once at Simon Says when I was in Romper Room for a week , had to be pretty young!!, and I can still taste that bad taste in my mouth.
    Diminishing ourselves is demanded in many, many ways by the group mind. A Group is defined by inclusion and exclusion. As mammals, we can be both social or solitary. But self diminishment to satisfy the group only brings demands for more.

    So, what is ignored here is individual orientation. I’ve been attacked often for defending those being victimized, but that hasn’t stopped me yet.
    I think people help or not depending on where the violence is coming from, and how each one is naturally oriented. When it comes from uniforms, well…there’s a psychology to that for sure.

  15. Seriously, those “research” videos look totally staged. Propaganda.
    I mean, the “you are terrible because you are humans” rap has been around for a long, long time. “Original sin”, and all that.

    Whenever someone begins to tell me who or what I am, I pretty much figure they are talking about themselves. I mean, these “researchers” don’t strike me as the type who would rush out of their labs to help anyone either. Cold blooded stuff this.

  16. Thank you again, James Corbett. The last video here is wonderful, and absolutely true in my experiences,
    LIttle things that are insignificant sometimes, like giving our new teacher a nickname, that I was first critiqued for, but quickly became her nickname.

    My most remarkable incident was the day the four students were killed at Kent State. The news spread like wildfire, and I was so incensed and restless at work, I informed my conscientious objector superior that I had to go. He asked me where I was going, I answered Harvard Square, and he told me to go ahead and he’d be there later.
    Once we had all wandered back to the square, after a lot of talk and nothing at the stadium, organized by Harvard, we had no idea. I was sitting on the curb in the middle of the street at the kiosk with my companion of the day. From a very personal history place, I thought deeply of how much I hated the cars, and how nice it would be if the people could be in the square together without the cars coming in from eight directions. Suddenly I jumped up, grabbed my friend’s hand, and said “Let’s stop the cars. ”
    Within minutes there was a full circle of hands around Harvard Square, and the cars could no longer come in.
    It was nice until the tack squad headed up towards us. Quite the shock at the time. I got the hell out, I”m not into letting the man hurt me. It was a police riot. They dragged people out of restaurants, including a pregnant woman with her husband, and beat her and others. Bloody stuff. The War was on.

    I was just thinking…take some pages out of the yippies’ playbook if you need encouragement, if you need to remember how much fun it is to fight the Man. And this thought made me recall…that’s what brought everyone’s attention to me quickly. I gave out a big yippie yell as I stood up: “Yip yip yip yip YIppie!!”

    Watch Abbey Hoffman’s biographical movie. See what a cultural revolution looks like. Watch them totally disassemble the Pentagon ground guards by simply telling them they were going to levitate the Pentagon and exorcise the evil out if.
    That was powerful!!!
    Watch the trial of the Chicago Eight.

    This video was brilliant on another point, also. Make the action simple so others can easily join in. A friend showed me this years ago when I was playing and singing for him…and he asked me suddenly if I knew what made people love a song. What, I asked? he answered, if they can sing along.
    Of course!! Those are the songs I love too!! And everyone loves a sing along.

    Maybe the hokey pokey is what it’s all about.
    I’m very often the one to begin dancing first. I don’t care. I want to dance.
    Once I left as all the bar bitches were being crazy cause I was having fun. So a new friend playing guitar on the street said “I’ll go be the crazy one with you!!”

    [SNIP – Please keep comments to 500 words or less. Longer comments can be split into multiple posts. -JC]

    • Sorry bout that, James. Do go ahead and make itinto two comments, if you want, no worries.

  17. One thing rather fascinating about you putting up this video today is that we are coming into a full moon in the asterism of Ashwini, known for it’s quick and miraculous healing, fast decisive action and impetus. So yes, at the moment, just seven hours before this full moon, we all move toward an impetus to action, now. This is the basic`principle of playwriting: What happens next? One move inevitably leads to another.

    Recall that Theodore Gessell had to submit his first published work more than 30 plus times before it was accepted.

  18. James,

    I am an avid consumer of your content.

    I believe this is the most important video you have ever produce to inspire bravery and help folks understand what is happening around them.

    It reflects a song I’m writing called “Contagious Courageous”

    I am actively sharing your video with friends.

    I could use your help to increase the view rate for my efforts.

    Please create a version which puts the hook at the front.

    The overall video stands alone as a a great achievement. The closing video is so inspiring, and joyful.

    Prefacing the work with a teaser of that joyful snippet would help capture more views from my “normie” friends.

    Maybe just an intro that shows the dancing guy and the promise that watching the video will explain all.

    With High Admiration
    Adrian

  19. Here is a recent success story of this technique. At a recent school board meeting I joined several dozen parents to protest the forced vaccination of our school children.

    I printed small flyers with a brief message and a QR code. The code is an instruction to a “smart phone” to construct an email, pre-addressed to the school board members (and cc me) with the subject and body pre-written expressing opposition to the mandate.

    I handed out 3 dozen flyers. I encouraged each person to use it themselves and pass it along.

    The 3 dozen flyers generated 21 emails over the course of the following week. That is an incredible 58% conversion rate. Plus I now have an email distribution list of 21 aligned parents.

    I asked folks for help with a specific task, and many of them came thru.

    James and Brok, Thanks for you excellent work!

    • You have activated almost 2 dozen people to pit their bame out there and do something, that’s really grest.

    • Adrian,

      You have just become an Activist! An Organizer! A thorn in the side of bureaucracy! A fighter for civil participation!

      Your choice of technology was excellent. QR code and flyers.

      Well done, sir!

    • Oh!
      What a great success story of activism!

  20. Reporting back: I actually started volunteer work to put-my-money-where-my-mouth-is, out of the blue, with a vvolunteer group in the Netherlands called ‘Keuze Vrij Bij Mij’. I do admin, and all sorts of stuff in a supporting role. I havae been accepted and now have 300 new friends at least.
    In my (old) acquaintance circle I am the only one. So I stood up when everybody else kept quiet and followed the narrative (vax, lockdown, covid kills, etc. we all know it now).
    So turning ’round and saying ‘hang on’ I need to put my body on the line now, actually has an enormous wave of energy that comes with it. It feels like I am now invincible because the whole group now says NO. It is truly very very powerful.

    Big fan James, love your work and I support this as well in any way I can. Cheers,

  21. In the early 60’s I was part of a Legalize Marijuana group that would smoke a joint in public to adjust peoples perception of pot.

    Not wearing a mask, not complying with vaccine mandates, can embolden others.

  22. Here in Arizona many of us don’t take kindly to rattlesnakes or the CDC (Center for Disease Creation) and the critters running that insane asylum. My good friend, Philip, a member of the Plant-Powered People of AZ (discoverers of the H3i Vaccine), has created a brilliant and thought provoking boardgame to counter the scamdemic narrative. It’s called “Covid-1984 The Board Game: Finding Solutions and Breaking Free of FEAR in challenging times”. He’s already sold out his initial production and has more in stock. Check it out at his website: https://covid1984game.com

    Be a part of the solution and not the problem: DO SOMETHING THOUGHT PROVOKING! – Tom Compton, Phoenix, AZ

    PPPofAZ card: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/edtugu/PPPofAZ-front.png
    H3i Vaccine card: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/26gmnj/PPPofAZ-H3I-Hugs.jpg

    • That looks like a great game, thanks for your effort. I used to make/design board games as a kid but have completely forgotten about that until now that you two gents have juggled my memory. Thanks for bringing that about, as well.

  23. Hi James
    I really enjoyed this Solutions Watch episode. Herd mentality is something I understand very well. Having worked many years in commercial aviation, the mind set of the crowns is almost a daily consideration. We are trained and reminded how ours actions and nuanced facial and body expressions can influence people. In order to insure a safe flight, the crew must maintain total control. Nothing new there.
    Years ago, on a routine flight from south Florida to NYC I saw first hand how quickly it all goes to shit.
    We landed in NYC after a totally normal and uneventful trip. On the taxiway to the gate we repeated over and over the usual “please stay seated until we have come to a complete and final stop at the gate” etc etc. Just as the aircraft pulled into the area to approach the gate, approximately 300-400 yards from our gate an elderly woman screamed that he saw flames shooting fro the engine (left side) behind from her seat. She proceeded to climb over her seat and started pulling at the emergency exit door. At this point the standing passengers (who had been asked to stay seated) joined her and immediately ran to exits and exit doors attempting to open them while the aircraft was moving. We (the crew) were in total shock and panic trying to calm the mayhem but almost as fast as it started some passengers managed to open the emergency exit over the wing and people started to exit. Our captain was able to stop the aircraft without throwing everyone and everything into a fast forward motions. The woman who started the mayhem was standing on the wing holding a small pet carrier screaming to the top of her lungs. How she managed to stay there and not fall off is anyone’s guess. In an attempt to keep our passengers from trampling each other and falling off the wings we opened all the doors and emergency shoots and evacuated the aircraft. Miraculously no one was hurt. The final investigation (validated by security cameras on the tarmac) confirmed that no sparks or fire ever emanated from either engine.
    An extreme example of herd behavior. But the cause, as so many scientists and lay people now understand was FEAR. Fear can happen instantly or as a result of conditioning. But the result is always the same. Fear trumps reason and evidence every time.

    • That is one hell of an aviation anecdote regarding Herd mentality.
      taw, Thanks for sharing that.

  24. The duck saving operation (a few years ago): Berlin, walking along the river, we passed a group of maybe 15 people all looking down from the quay above, clearly excited by something: some 6 or 7 new born ducks seemed to be in trouble, falling into holes where they couldn’t come out. To my own surprise I climbed down to see if I could do something. Then a few people followed, all ducks were saved, mama duck was reliefed and everyone was happy. Except probably the beggar sitting a few meters away who no one was paying attention to. A very educational experience…. .

  25. Which department are you in, Coyopil??

  26. The Third Wave (experiment)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(experiment)

    The Third Wave was an experimental social movement created by California high school history teacher Ron Jones in 1967 to explain how the German population could have accepted the actions of the Nazi regime during the rise of the Third Reich and the Second World War.[1][2]

    Overview

    While Jones taught his students about Nazi Germany during his senior level Contemporary World History class, Jones found it difficult to explain how the German people could have accepted the actions of the Nazis. He decided to create a fictional social movement as a demonstration of the appeal of fascism. Over the course of five days (or nine, according to student Sherry Toulsey), Jones, a member of the SDS,[3] Cubberley United Student Movement sponsor[4] and Black Panthers supporter[5] – conducted a series of exercises in his classroom emphasizing discipline and community, intended to model certain characteristics of the Nazi movement.

    As the movement grew outside his class and began to number in the hundreds, Jones began to feel that the experiment had spiraled out of control. He convinced the students to attend a rally where he claimed that the classroom project was part of a nationwide movement, and that the announcement of a Third Wave presidential candidate would be televised. Upon their arrival, the students were presented with a blank channel. Jones told his students of the true nature of the movement as an experiment in fascism, and presented to them a short film discussing the actions of Nazi Germany.[6]

  27. When I was about 24 (and stupid) I borrowed a big picture book on the Alps from the college library and promptly lost it. Much later, the librarian accosted me about it. She was older, self-assured and poised. I let her have it. I told her I returned the book and she was an incompetent idiot for not being able to keep track of a book. After a few short minutes of “dialogue” she crumpled in defeat, apologizing and whimpering. There was no excuse for my terrible behaviour and I sometimes think about her and what effect this had on her. I hope it wasn’t long term. I out bullied her, was cruel and it was easy to do. Too easy. This horrified me. It stopped me in my tracks. My rise and fall to tyranny ended here, but now I always have to keep myself in check so as not to slide. The power was intoxicating.

    • That testimony made me feel a little dizzy. The heights of an intoxication from freedom without scruples. Very lucid and important account as everyone needs to candidly recognize that potential in themselves. Thanks for posting.

    • I agree with nos. These little lessons are hard. If that librarian were reading this and had a sense of wisdom, she would forgive you, and ask that you remember the lesson. Her suffering and the lesson you learned has “saved” many potential others.

      I credit you with admitting to it. I takes bravery to admit one’s errors.

  28. “Disobedience, once modeled, becomes an option in the mind of the public.”

    And look for opportunities to be the ‘first follower’.

  29. Yesterday, Oct 19,
    Just got confronted by an old lady customer (the employees were super nice to me) at Lincoln city Oregon Outlet stores. She just had to scold me several times after I nicely said no thank you I have a health exemption. I did the broken record thing. She was shaken because when she went to pay she couldn’t remember how to put in her payment card. What hurts me makes me stronger.

  30. It’s interesting how majority talk about Milgram as an experiment about obeying authority when in fact it’s more appropriate to talk about the importance of circumstances for our behavior. Philip Zimbardo (featured in video) made an excellent lecture emphasizing precisely this. Surprisingly, he didn’t mention conformity when he was presenting 10 and 90% outcomes.

    It seem to me conformity is mostly seen as not ok, no surprise of course, individualism reigns today. But no one would have anything against if suddenly people would conform to our side.
    Also, imagine a group of people, hardcore individualists, one more peculiar than the other. How to bring about group cohesion, group harmony??

    • Forget to say….

      James, that’s among your best motivational speeches. Bravo.

  31. Yes, when the Plandemic started to unfold last year Milgrim’s experiment came to mind. I shared it often on social media but few made the connection.

    You are doing a great job of educating the public James. So many still don’t want to hear the truth but the Army of Truth Warriors is growing.

    How about this though? I know you know about it.

    https://youtu.be/7pptzcFu2CA

    • I understand why people don’t want to know or accept reality now more than ever. I remember in 2016 when something clicked and I started looking further. I put it down for a while and just enjoyed the old normal. But looking at the reality is hard and it’s not fun, in fact is painful and terrifying.

      But in all of the pain and terror, there is something special about truth that I can’t exactly describe now.

    • I’ve read THIS.

      It’s poorly written article that reminds on ad (look at date of article and book publishing).

      According to the article Milgram was totally into obey-authority thing. If that is so than Zimbardo made way better insight into experiment.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc_e9M8M-RU

      Obey-authority is of secondary importance, primary is influence of circumstances on human behavior.

      Some supposed methodological errors are mentioned. I expected author would bring forward some real nuggets, after all it’s about “shocking truth” as headline says.
      Nothing, literally. I don’t see not a one methodological error, but I’m not methodology guru.
      “Straying From Script” is the first error mentioned ….I think that’s execution error not methodological error. Anyhow, could that be such a big sin to dismiss the experiment…no.
      Then “Subjects’ Suspicions” of hoax….excuse me????….total nonsense I see no relevance here.

      Author knew close to nothing about experiment, it’s obvious when he occasionally throws numbers around. But, this complaint is just over the top :”Teachers were blocked in their efforts to swap places with the learner or to check on him themselves.”

  32. Years ago I read a book about night. People today with electricity and the 24/7 day don’t think about night. Before electricity or even whale oil lamps, people went to bed at dark. Candles were expensive. Many a traveler at night fell off the trail and died. Travel at night was only somewhat safe under moonlight.
    So what people learned was that after dark, if they were attacked by a thief or murderer; it did no good to yell, “Thief” or “Murderer”. People were afraid to go out of their homes.
    Victims learned to yell, “Fire! Fire!” for everyone was afraid of fire and that would rouse the citizenry to aid the victim.

  33. Okay, I’m ten minutes into the video and it just proves to me what I’ve always known, 80% or more of humans are useless crowd following dummies. Pareto’s Principle.
    Covid Scamdemic proves it over and over to me again.
    “Where is the truth? Where is the beauty?” The Garlic Lady of Healdsburg.

  34. While listening, I couldn’t help but think of the “spiral of silence” theory. The theory describes “people’s willingness to express their opinions on controversial public issues is affected by their largely unconscious perception of those opinions as being either popular or unpopular. Specifically, the perception that one’s opinion is unpopular tends to inhibit or discourage one’s expression of it, while the perception that it is popular tends to have the opposite effect.”

    After watching the dancing guy video, it occurs to me that an organized group of a few people could start a mass movement by emulating what we see in the video. A leader, a first follower, a second and third all who seemingly don’t know each other, but who are indeed working together to start a movement.

    • Hello Alex

      hmmm… You mean a sort of flash mob that doesn’t reveal itself as being one due to a flash mob’s characteristically perfect synchronicity at the end?

      A flash mob that retains an appearance of organic disorganization and creative diversity?

      A sort of flash mob simulating a spontaneously created movement?

  35. First, your shop (“in a very small medieval town”) just sounds enchanting. Never been particularly courageous but like you, I resist in small ways: not wearing a mask in stores, and no jab for me or my adult son. I have been that shirtless dancer in younger years, but I’m heading that way again! Inspired by James and all these great folks!!

  36. Thanks James. A lovely episode.

    The thought I had was another corollary. Lets assume that a powerful group like the unity of conformance, that it serves their purpose, and that they understand this psychology. Then they will seek to diminish the social influence, or ostracize, any leader against the collective behaviour.

    We see this in the persecution of whistleblowers. The Obama administration’s unprecedented frequency of use of the 1917 (as amended 1961) Espionage Act is a classic example of this, but a poor one. Better would be the “rape” allegations against Assange; this is social stigma and was designed to isolate him and Wikileaks.

    In some cultures people persecuted for “righteous” positions get elevated as martyrs. So, there is a residual risk in this behaviour of ostracism or persecution, but if well applied (the ostracism route) it certainly succeeds in the short term.

    Thus, to defend an individual or small group standing up and calling out collective stupidity, which is targeted well with social stigma, call out the stigmatization as persecution. It turns the tables on the tactic and risks the “martyr” label which relegitimizes the “cause”.

    On the Martyrdom scale, little beats Iranian Quds Force General Qasem Soleimani, assassinated by the USA. He was already a hero. He is now a god. His daughter was recently on Going Underground calling Al Queada and ISIS creations of the USA and thus the reason that they killed him was because he had destroyed them. (5 min vid)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k069rYyMy5o

    To demonstrate just how stupid these purveyors of power are has just been highlighted by Daniel Hale (Drone Whistleblower) being placed in isolation in prison, just a week in advance of the upcoming Assange Extradition hearing in the UK.

    https://thedissenter.org/imprisoning-drone-whistleblower-in-cmu-jeopardize-us-appeal-assange-extradition-case/

    Thanks again for the episode, and good luck with your experiment.

    • I think the meaning of what you’ve said is in a way encapsulated in this poem:

      First they came for the Communists,
      and I didn’t speak up,
      because I wasn’t a Communist.
      Then they came for the Jews,
      and I didn’t speak up,
      because I wasn’t a Jew.
      Then they came for the Catholics,
      and I didn’t speak up,
      because I was a Protestant.
      Then they came for me,
      and by that time there was no one
      left to speak up for me.( Martin Niemoeller)

        • Don’t forget about Mr. Stoner!

        • …puzzled…..checked your site…

          you know, I don’t hang around with this guys
          we don’t have much in common, find them boring
          well, I can recommend you Mr. Uralvagonzavod, I’ve heard he is fabulous on social events where aforementioned gentlemen congregate

            • According to your standards I’m “red” to the bone, no doubt. But Mao means nothing to me.
              Feel free to socialize with whomever you want. I think I would enjoy in company of this guy.

              Willard V. O. Quine – Two Dogmas of Empiricism
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo-VpsyVOKo

            • Reply on your comment bellow.

              When I use left/right it’s about meaning from many decades ago. Now things are, I can rightfully use word….fucked, utterly.
              My new-leftist friends think that I’m new-right and vice versa. Yeaa…
              For me someone has to be a decent good human being, rest is quite unimportant.

              You say freedom-scale….what about fairness?

              I can imagine 100% freedom and close to zero fairness and man, I wouldn’t like it.

            • mik,

              Pardon the intrusion into the conversation, but you mention fairness. What does that mean?

              Life is never fair. For example, there are young people who have everything going for them and wind up with cancer, or get into a car accident and are paralyzed from the neck down.

              Some people are born with different talents and or have more luck than the next person and do a little better.

              I have a colleague who makes a LOT more money than I do. I’ve never seen anyone work that much, like 60-80 hour weeks and he has a lot more money than I do. But I also have a really nice family life and less cash flowing in.

              I think having freedom, complete freedom. Not lawlessness but no centralized authority will provide more fairness than what exists now.

              You mean what would we do about the psychopaths? They should be tried for crimes against humanity and thrown in jail.

  37. Diane,
    Thanks for that.
    You make a very good point. It highlights mankind’s humanity.

    PS
    “Welcome” from all of us here on the comment boards. We all learn from each other’s contributions.

  38. There’s actually an eastern philosophical concept which explains the phenomenon described in these social experiments. In Sanskrit it’s called bhavas. In English it’s usually called dispositions. Every person falls into one of the three disposition-types.

    The *vast majority* of people, the first disposition, are people who have a fear-based experience of reality. The second, smaller disposition are people who are designed to take on tragedy for others (leaders, warriors, etc.). The third and smallest disposition are people who have “a foot in both worlds” and help the rest of us connect to our divine nature (shamans, spiritual teachers, etc.).

    It would be so awesome if this simple way of understanding and defining Self, which also helps cultivate compassion, understanding, and empathy for others, were common knowledge in modern culture. Learning deeply about the dispositions makes it so much easier for people to resist manipulation and predation….and the lure of sociopathic tendencies so rife today.

    A wisdom of the bhavas is a technology for being Fully Human.

    (And a sure cure for the willingness to shock someone to death because a doctor told you to. OMG!)

    • Exactly! I’ve heard the Wharton School of Finance, the world reference in Game Theory, have a whole semester on breakfast! And, come to think of it, that may explain why their two-person zero-sum games almost always involve doughnuts and cookies…

    • Good morning Unmani,

      Just wanted to let you know that I was not making fun of your post, in fact, I’d only quickly skimmed it with my tired eyes and foggy brain last night. I was just venting a little nervous energy after a very long day and attempting a lame joke on LastHumanist’s post.

      As for the division of people into the three dispositions you evoked, I haven’t given it a lot of thought

      but in general I’ve found that in the space-time of a single life

      we are all sometimes rebels and normies and selfish and altruistic, fearful and courageous, nurturers and warriors, enlightened and obtuse to varying degrees at different moments

      so… dunno… but off-the-cuff I feel like there’s a bit of all three of those dispositions you described in me… depending on the context…

      I think everything is in movement and though prevailing tendencies can be identified, it’s dangerous to divide people into catagories though it is important to recognize when a person’s behavior is particularly hurtful on an individual and/or a mass scale…

      and everybody can strive to improve …

      Anyhow, your post is thought-provoking so thanks for your input.

      Now time for some breakfast!

  39. im from HK, seeing news from China, it is happening everyday.but it is not really about the number of people around, but firstly in most cases you see someone pass out in the street, this is a fake can want to frame the first people approached and ask for money, secondly if its real the person hit by a car or self health problem, since the real crimial cannot be find or just because you are the first people they saw around after, you will e framed still..

    • he moved most of his business out of HK after the 2014(not 2019) protest, but nothing change, rent and sale prices keep going up even covid…
      Money from China never stops. Both CCP money (from corruption or not) investing more and worried billionaire can’t wait to transfer their money…

      now a tiny share room(100 ft2) around CBD is 7000 HKD+ for rent.
      300-400 million is minimum if you wanna buy a new flat, and they are getting smaller, for this price 200 ft2…

      honestly, I’ve lost track of the price to buy apartments, it is unrealistic after 10k for 1 square ft average…

  40. Thank you James !

    We calculated the risk-benefit analysis for the COVID shot for kids – using CDC data, but presented in a proper apples to apples manner that the CDC won’t do, and made a flyer, here: https://www.homevaccineeducationnetwork.com/kids_covid_flyer

    The plan is to pass them out in person next week with a friend at school pick up. Nervous, but gotta do our part for the bystander effect !

    If anyone else wants to hand out or leave these flyers around that would be awesome !

    • @kfel

      If you wan’t to make your activism actionable, you can add a QR code to your handout (or create a separate one) which generates an email pre-addressed to whomever you wish to reach. Pre-fill the subject line and message body. I print 4 to a page and cut them into flyers.

      Here is an example of a flyer (@kfel I’m asking you to please try this method with your smart phone. The QR code is live so please try it and I will respond to your email. You don’t need to be shy about sending an email to politicians, they will ignore it)

      https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PzAG34IeTTO6H3lSLsKySbt5pcnZzgK5telfgoWPt1s/edit?usp=sharing

      Triggering communications to “authorities” is important. However, the real goal is to “activate” an individual that you meet. If they take one step of resistance now, they will be much more likely to take another in the future (the old “Foot in the door technique”)

      This free site works best for including multiple “to” addresses. Add your own email address so that you are included on the emails. Separate multiple email addresses with “, “.
      https://qrcode.tec-it.com/en/Email

  41. Speaking on the point Corbett made around the 23:30 mark about people being on your side that you would not have guessed, I was walking through the checkout line at a grocery store last year in California during the winter “surge”, without a mask. I was probably the only person in the store without one. The cashier, wearing a mask (in order to keep her job), smiled at me and said, “it’s nice to see a human face again.” This despite the store having signs as you walked in stating you had to wear a mask, and despite the intercom warnings about wearing masks, and the employee mandate to wear them, this cashier was on our side.

  42. I don’t do a lot of “real world” activism, but on the occasions I’ve been in public and someone presented a “controversial” idea or suggestion that was sound & useful, I’ve never hesitated to openly back them up.

    I even enjoy not being THE leader on occasion. I’m usually the “lone nut” who doesn’t care about “outrage.” 🙂

  43. The most I could do was to convince my friends and family (at least those who are already reluctant) of the non urgency of the vaccine by showing them that they are not powerless and they can still go on with their daily life even without it.
    For those already vaccinated well the discussion center on why they choose to which will eventually lead to the question of how much value (financial or emotional) they give their personal information, and then if they will allow anyone to freely control them using it.

  44. Humanity has habits and ways of doing things. This is built up over years, and, oftentimes, generations. To expect someone to just stop doing something, without offering an alternative is too much to ask most people. As a people we will do more to avoid discomfort than we will to gain comfort. This means that if we are to get people to act, think or feel differently about/towards something, we will always be better off talking about how we are perceiving, or acting on, any given topic. Telling people to change, with or without an alternative, will only be met by equal force to stay the same.
    When offering solutions, if at all possible, stay as far clear of the subject of the problem as possible. People respond better to new ideas if that is all they are.

  45. It boils down to the Hundredth Monkey Effect (the real version). Whether it is for helping others or just adopting new behaviours, our psyche is built to imitate.

    https://www.context.org/iclib/ic09/myers/

    I also recommend reading Iain McGilchrist’s book, “The Master and His Emissary”. I find it very enlightening. Although the main topic of this book is not about sociology, it touches on the subject with a clear explanation of the author’s research and theories as to why we act that way.

    • That’s very interesting. In one movie the characters referenced research where it was shown that people were becoming aware of solutions to problems (case in point was a crossword puzzle) as others were solving them and later “sleeping on it”. I’ll have to look that up a bit.

      There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that sleeping on something can do wonders for individuals understanding, my experience atests to the fact. It’s also one of points carried forward by esoterics packed matrix trilogy, where at one point Neo wakes up and affirms that “Now I know what I have to do”.

      There must be a reason behind why so often it happens that I wake up more drained and less regenerated than I was when going to bed. There must be a reason why animals spend as much time as they do sleeping. We spend so much time in that state and the wast majority could not put two coherent sentences together about what sleep is all about.

  46. Hey Nancyw

    Just scroll down to the bottom of the page you want to comment on. There you’ll see an injunction to “Leave a Reply” and a box just below within which to do so.

    Happy commenting!

  47. Do note that if you hit “Reply” on someone’s comment, the bottom comment box will disapper until you hit “Click here to cancel”.

    You get one comment box that is moved around the comment section, depending on where you click. I think this functionality drives some people crazy.

    • I think you should sometimes stick with the inner voice and keep your ideas in kind of a sandbox in your head for a certain period, for evaluation purposes. Only after the information passes this layer of scrutiny, consider putting it out there.

  48. Congratulations for being willing to confront. I have had the same attitude since the beginning of the scamdemic. I was looking for opportunities to be confrontational but it hardly ever happened. Thats the problem with being in Florida and being a “senior surrounded by people who are unwilling to be confrontational.
    I did see a guy walking into a liquor store once that I was in with his tee shirt pulled up over his nose and mouth and I told him that he looked ridiculous and explained that masks were useless and he sheepishly agreed.
    Its unreal that there are people who still believe in this scam though. The world is completely connected and the real life data such as the situation in Florida has to be available for everyone worldwide. Even the numbers they use have fallen off the cliff!
    So it must be something like a certain percentage of humanity is already too far gone to see reality. Or perhaps just too far gone to want to look. I don’t know.

    https://www.bitchute.com/video/nXg-qkj-7Y8/

    Its funny how the same information is conveyed in the mainstream..

    https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article255150202.html

    • I feel that it is necessary to be confrontational whenever I see or encounter anyone complying with illogical edicts that are imposed by tyrants, petty and otherwise. Edicts that are intended to condition the masses to accept their subjection..
      But you’re right for the most part. There does seem to be sanity in the government of Florida. I haven’t had to don a useless mask yet. But I have had to find a new scrap metal recycler. I have had to forsake The Home Depot, Tortilla Flats, Dominos and a few others for life. (Because of the principle of the thing). But I can honestly say that I haven’t complied with anything.
      I still see kids walking from USF as I’m driving home everyday day wearing masks. Most of my customers still believe the narrative.
      Believe me. Even here, the battle is far from over.

      • The problem with authoritarian government is that even though Florida seems to have a governor who is capable of critical thinking, the local tyrants, such as the mayors of many smaller cities like mine feel free to impose stupid restrictions and regulations that too damned many people take seriously instead of simply ignoring.
        But believe me. I’m not complaining. If the democrat Gillum had won, its hard to imagine what things would be like here today.
        And as someone who doesn’t even vote. You can be sure that I am counting my blessings.

  49. A little Saturday night music, right?

    For those of you who’ve never heard this song, it was inspired by the tragic murder of Kitty Genovese, the story with which James begins his podcast.

    Written by Phil Ochs, the song is called “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends”.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta_iKeH4tsg

    If you’re not familiar with Phil Ochs, you should check him out. He was a fabulous artist, of bygone days…which is strange for me to put in such terms, but, it seems to be an accurate description, bygone days.

    • That was nice.

      Today, I discovered “Citadel” and other music by Federale.
      It’s on the album The Blood Flowed Like Wine
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAsZIURNFbo&list=OLAK5uy_nyGAkS95T_zaXQvcPjHHVX9uKqucEZgXE

      If a person enjoys Spaghetti Westerns, they will appreciate the Federale music.

      I discovered it via a comment by Corbett Report Member Jed where he wrote, I like Alison McDowel as well — the link is to an interview with her, the interviewer is my sister Kate: from “auticulture.com”.
      ~~WWW corbettreport.com/qfc080-deagel/#comment-120730

      I listed to part of the audio, and the “Citadel” music played. It was footnoted.

  50. I agree with you when you write:

    “Instances where police refuse to comply with orders or take the side of the people should be examined in some detail for insight into the causes of the disobedience, which can hopefully be reproduced in other situations”

    I think this is key. There must be a way to appeal to a persons conscience who is enforcing the agenda. This has happened, police refusing to go along. There was a sherif in Arizona who refused to go along with the lockdown in the beginning of the scamdemic. He said that he thought it was wrong to prevent people from feeding their families by going to work.

    Perhaps someone going into their local police offices and giving them information and opening a line of discussion would be helpful. I know that not everyone who is a police officer is a psychopath and there must be some of them who will listen.

  51. Best wishes from Sweden to you and all around the world!

    Regardless of the proposed swedish “covidsuccess” or “covidfailure” I would like to tell the truth regarding this, whereever it leads.

    I guess that – living in Sweden – I have been lucky so far when it comes to dictatorial measures due to “covid”. So far.

    Of course you all know the numbers of dead people in Sweden 1968-2020?? If not – please let me show the fact regarding this to you! Mail me! [SNIP – No email addresses in the comment section, please. If people are interested in contacting you they can ask me to connect you. -JC]

  52. Hello to you all.
    I humbly disagree with Mr Corbett’s interpretations (a person I truly respect) and with most of the comments posted here. Standing for the “truth” despite popular opinion is definitively not the way to go. Thinking that laboratory experiments reflect real life is a common mistake of the intellectuals. Extrapolating those experiments to what we are living at the moment is not only simplistic but counterproductive. Standing for the “truth” and setting an example for others is effective only when the latest stage of a regime that is crumbling has been reached.

    But first, let’s look at the psychology experiments cited by Mr Corbett. All of them were conducted when the field of psychology was in its infancy. Science in general and psychology in particular suffered from the intrinsic lacunas of the science principle; mainly reductionism – meaning controlling the environment and modulate one parameter at the time. Today, researchers know this is not the way to go anymore. Problems are multifactorial (i.e. climate change). The compound effect of almost meaningless parameters, when combined, can explain most of the variability in the end result.

    It would take too long to analyze all psychology experiments cited by Mr Corbett. However, let us examine the one with the five participants giving the opinion on the length of lines. Using one actor who is disagreeing with other actors in telling the “truth” was considered as strong evidence of the positive impact of “setting an example” on the behaviour of the subject in the experiment. Mr Corbett is relying on this outcome to promote this solution to its followers. Many of the comments on this topic are testimonies of this positive impact that people had on their neighbours. This is nice and comforting to those people. They feel good about themselves. They are proud of what they did and even prouder to share it here. I say good for you. But I am sorry to tell you that you had absolutely no impact whatsoever on the situation. None.

    And here is the proof. Let’s continue the length of line experiment by adding another parameter (situation). For instance, the subject feels reassured by the example of the actor who is on his side. Their togetherness is comforting, and the subject is more assertive. Now, the experimenters tell the participants to take a pause of 10 minutes to rest a little (drink, go to the washroom, etc.). When they come back, the subject noticed that his “new friend actor” is absent. He just disappeared and no one is talking about it. Now, how do you think the subject will react even if two out of four actors are telling the “truth”? The subject has now two persons agreeing with his interpretation of the “truth”. Three against two. He should feel more assertive, don’t you think?

    As Dr Thomas Sowell would say: “Show me the facts”. Well here are the facts and there are plenty. The defunct communist party in Eastern Europe – Soviet Union, for example.

    [SNIP – Please keep comments to 500 words or less. Longer comments can be split into multiple posts. -JC]

  53. We have all seen or experienced this during the “pandemic”. Most people have used youtube, but suddenly proof, no matter how obvious it is on video, people say its not true. Because the “media” says so. Show people the color red and most will say its blue….because the mainstream brainwash said so. Its all over, where groups can be manipulated.

  54. Three Cheers for Arby! I am cheering for you. Great work! If you’re interested check out my post above describing how you can create a handout with a very actionable QR code to send a protest email to whomever you like, or just to send one to you to create a contact between you and another human being. You can press people that you meet to take that small action in that very moment!

    Today I had to drive around to 8 different Big Box retailers in a neighboring county where masks are enforced. Everyone but me was wearing a mask, as I don’t even carry one much less wear it. I greeted everybody with a smile, interacted with dozens of employees. Only one person asked me to wear a mask. I told her I was waiting for an employee to come out of the stock room, she just kept on walking. I may wear a mask if asked, dependent on the circumstances, but I will never do so without being asked.

    Arby, please keep it up and make it actionable. I am cheering for you. Sincerely!

  55. From Wikipedia’s summary of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals…

    There is insight here, regardless of the source:

    The Rules
    “Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.”
    “Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
    “Whenever possible go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
    “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
    “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. There is no defense. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.”
    “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
    “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
    “Keep the pressure on.”
    “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself. ”
    “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.”
    “If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside; this is based on the principle that every positive has its negative.”
    “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
    “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. “

    • The mere fact they added “fully” to describe the “vaccination status” speaks volumes. People do not understand why these things have to be so obvious; it is so because they are speaking directly to the subcosncious while the conscious mind is programmed to stand down and let such filth through unabated.

      That people do not understand the mechanics of control hidden in plain sight behind changing the definition of words is beyond mind boggling.

  56. I am a Catholic who attends Mass at a parish in Baltimore City. On August 9, 2021, by order of the mayor, an “indoor mask mandate” took effect.

    The following Sunday (and for several weeks thereafter), as far as I could tell, I was the only person present among several hundred, small children included, who did not wear a face covering. At one point, three weeks or so into the “mandate,” one of the ushers kindly said as I approached the front door, “I need to remind you about the mask.”

    “Thanks for the reminder,” I replied and went about my normal routine. It hasn’t been mentioned since.

    For the record, there is no pressure being applied by the clergy or staff; there is only a written notice on the interior door to the church asking for compliance, both as a sort of spiritual sacrifice and to assure that the parish won’t be fined.

    Roughly a month after the mandate took effect, I began to notice a couple of others showing up for Mass unmasked, initially, it seemed, just men. As the weeks have passed, the numbers have grown, with women and children following suit.

    As of this writing, I would estimate that there are still less than two dozen persons breathing freely each Sunday, but the number appears to be growing.

  57. BTW, as an extension of the lessons of behavioral manipulation presented in this excellent video, here is a handbook of online manipulation techniques which are well worth your attention in this digital world in which we traverse. https://cryptome.org/2012/07/gent-forum-spies.htm

    Forewarned is fore armed.

    • Thank you for sharing!! An extensive and informative resource!!

    • Thanks Adrian! Puts other intel sources into perspective!

  58. My father lives in Belgium and i live in the Netherlands. He got the jab a while ago because he wanted to keep traveling. (riding his motorcycle across Europe at 74!) Now my father and i have a difficult relationship. He wasn’t there when i grew up. A couple of years ago we found each other a little in adventure holidays like canoeing. After me getting chronically ill(hence the name) that has stopped. And since Covid i hadn’t seen him until a few days ago when he came visiting me.
    This was possible(officially) only because he had the shot.
    He told me he regretted taking the shot and would definitely not take a ‘booster’. When he left i gave him a big hug an told him i loved him(which is not easy in my family).
    Knowing full well that this could be the last time i was going to see him.
    In answer to your request James i’m telling you this because in that moment where i was able to lower my defenses and show my love i created a space where he was also able to show it back. I was asking him for help in creating a space of love. Translating this to the place where we are in the world, i think this is precisely what we need. More and more i see that the enormous pressure of propaganda is dividing us. At my work for instance, i have to defend myself against insinuations that i’m almost personally responsible for people dying/not being treated in hospitals, just because i’m not vaccinated. I’m also the first to acknowledge that because of all the propaganda i’m more sensitive to this subject.
    So i’m trying to change my approach to people. Not, who’s got the best argument but can i create a space of love.
    God knows we need it.
    Maybe somebody has some tips?

  59. https://rumble.com/v2jz31c-peoples-health-alliance-open-meeting-held-at-paulton-2042023-katherine-macb.html

    I watched this video of a public meeting, which I came across on the “World Doctors Alliance” group on the Telegram app, and thought it was a very helpful, constructive, non-threatening approach.

    This lady did NONE of the “this is what I know that you ought to know” attitude that you find with 00DEZ, for example. She is merely offering help and support to help people with what they want to achieve, with the situational awareness that they already have.

    The difficulty that people experience with the “you need to wake up to this” approach is that not everyone is in the same position, and some or many feel threatened and get either defensive, or aggressive, or dismiss things that conflict with how they understand the world currently.

    The recognition that people need the help and co-operation of other like-minded people, on the other hand, is pretty universal.

  60. Speaking from experience, when you try to intervine you put yourself in danger of the bystanders policing you on your intervention.

    I once offered a bleeding man a handkerchief and got scolded by the onlookers who just watched him bleed. It was so patronising since I only offered what I would have needed if I had a bloody nose.

    There was a video in the Netherlands that made the news of a policeman not jumping in a ditch to get a person out of the car.
    A whole crowd was yelling at a cop but not doing anything themselves.

    A team of construction workers went on television because they witnessed an act of ‘useless violence’.
    They were hailed as heroes by the media by providing witness evidence and going off at the ‘allochtoon’ but the audience turned on them for not intervening.
    To many captains on the shore.
    I always intervine what would my humanity be and I have always wished for somebody to intervine while I am being abused instead of amplifying the humiliation and validating it by just standing there.

  61. I don’t have time to comment on the “bystander effect” at this time (though I do have some personal experiences to share pertaining to that when I have more time).

    For now (incase anyone has not seen this) I am re-sharing here as I feel it is pertinent given the last few years we lived through.

    When one considers the results of this experiment that I share a link to below (and others like the Ashe experiment) in the context of current events it is pretty eye opening.

    “Social Conformity – Brain Games” : https://youtu.be/o8BkzvP19v4

    Here in Ontario I saw (and sometimes still see!) people wandering around outside (far apart from one another) with masks on (without anyone forcing them to do so). Last year and the year before some of them would give people the ‘stink eye’ who were not wearing masks outside (in a completely unscientific and irrational setting for using such a face covering).

    Over the past couple years most of us could look around ourselves and see people pressuring each other to get experimental and ineffective injectable products (which are made by companies with a history of repeat felonies and fraud charges) looking down on those who do not conform to this irrational, irresponsible and unscientific madness (they saw the smoke billowing out from under the door but stayed silent since everyone else around them was).

    Thus, I find the experiment (shown in the video below) to be very illuminating considering the current state of affairs in the modern world.

  62. The late, brilliant songwriter/singer wrote this about her…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMeG6dAFqXw

    Oh, look outside the window
    There’s a woman being grabbed
    They’ve dragged her to the bushes
    And now she’s being stabbed

    Maybe we should call the cops
    And try to stop the pain
    But Monopoly is so much fun
    I’d hate to blow the game

    And I’m sure
    It wouldn’t interest anybody
    Outside of a small circle of friends

    Ridin’ down the highway
    Yes, my back is gettin’ stiff
    Thirteen cars are piled up
    They’re hangin’ on a cliff

    Now maybe we should pull them back
    With our towin’ chain
    But we gotta move and we might get sued
    And it looks like it’s gonna rain

    And I’m sure
    It wouldn’t interest anybody
    Outside of a small circle of friends

  63. This resonates with us serious Catholics – hear me out, please, because this isn’t a sermon.
    First, Catholics didn’t “celebrate’ anyone besides Christ and His Mother – and the early martyrs. That is, those who were witnesses to truth and paid for it by their very lives. Eventually the Church celebrated “white” martyrs, or bloodless witnesses to the Truth, but the ultimate meaning was for the ultimate sacrifice.

    By most counts, we’re the largest religion in the world, almost certainly the most influential, and you could say that it’s the only religion that’s simultaneously “hierarchical” and “democratic”, at least if you know the history of the Church more thoroughly than in sound-bites, and at risk of simplification: use of rhetoric was suspect – until St. Justin defended and popularized it; use of philosophical concepts until the Alexandrian school; of philosophical terms in theology until the Cappadocians; use of history as a genre until Eusebius – then it took off; over the Western appropriation of Plato until Augustine; Aristotle until Boethius – and then again until the fight over Aristotle in the 1100s-1200s. Even the debates over voluntary poverty (in Acts of the Apostles and then again a millennium later with the Franciscans) were heated. Ad infinitum. Catholics have debated everything – within their own religious tradition and with their fellow Catholics. And, starting with St. Justin – the *Martyr* – they tried to engage the world, at their own peril.

    I think those are two key reasons why the Catholic Church has not been “buried” by various attempts of the most powerful civil authorities. There’s a lot to the story, sure, but I think Catholic history has something to offer here. We were just told in the Mass readings (repeated annually, so, hard to miss) that we must not be conformed to this world, be ready to suffer for doing good, and that by doing good we’ll actually end up – eventually – rendering silent the evil-doers and the liars.

    Little victories seem pyrrhic in the moment, but maybe when viewed in light of the martyrs’ pyres, that’s the way they should seem: little fires enkindle whole forests over time.

  64. This is one of your greatest videos yet. It really touches people, and I think this is the way to make meaningful change: show people how they look when they comply, without judgement. James’s empathetic style is the way to go.

  65. [SNIP – No bare urls in the comments section. Please repost the link with a title and an explanation of why people should be clicking on it. -JC]

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