Freed from ignorance

XHABIR DERALLA

In the cult film “Matrix” (first part, 1999), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) says to Neo (Keanu Reeves):

“The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it”. (Morpheus in “Matrix”, 1999, video link)

It doesn’t have to be specifically explained that in order for people to plug in the “matrix”, there’s no need to stick a cable to the back of their head. The “plugging in” is provided by the propaganda. Long-lasting, not overly visible and devised in a way that seems logical and as if comes from people’s own thoughts and knowledge (victims of propaganda).

Propaganda creates an illusion of being “freed from ignorance”. And when people experience the “revelation”, propaganda serves them fear, insecurity, an urge for defense.

“The truth will free you” –Jesus said to his disciples (John, 8:31-32)

In such a way “freed from ignorance”, people are ready to turn themselves into (online) beasts or at least total idiots.

Regards from the grave…

A message, sent to the inbox of CIVIL’s Facebook page on January 13 this year and to which one of my colleagues drew my attention to on February 6, reads as follows (it has been edited in order to protect the identity of the attacker):

“You blocked me? Sure, when you can’t face the truth, the most cowardly way is to block. And I know very well who is behind that name. Regards to Xhabir from the grave of ***”.

That’s what it’s like. Things get to the graves. And why? Because the moderator of the online content (being too strict or not), blocked it from a Facebook page!

This is just one of the numerous examples of how people have been transformed. They are usually absolutely or at least partially uninformed, don’t know how things work, yet “someone” has convinced them that they know how to even make a spaceship…But that doesn’t prevent them from creating or accepting disinformation or prejudice in which they are convinced in to the point of mentioning graves. And – like a raging train, they are going off the rails and into the abyss of hatred.

Useful idiots, victims of propaganda

It’s no wonder people have become easy victims of black propaganda. It’s never been more easy to lure people into the darkness and paranoia. People are scared and distrustful, and don’t want to think. As if they are detached from themselves.

That’s why it’s not difficult to “recruit” them to play the role of nameless and free couriers of ignorance and destruction. At one time, the Soviet propaganda (probably Lenin) called them “useful idiots”.

It’s the moderator’s obligation to delete and block hate speech, vulgarities and personal attacks

Let me further explain. CIVIL’s Facebook page most often shares content created by the team, information and announcements on the organization’s events and activities. Furthermore, links are also shared to columns by authors whose views not necessarily reflect the positions of the Organization. And that’s it. Nothing spectacular, but still good enough and needed for the almost 40,000 people who are currently following CIVIL’s Facebook page.

We have an obligation to be moderators of the content, but also of the comments. We do not allow, and even if we wanted to, cannot allow hate speech, discrediting and personal attacks. And it’s neither cowardliness, nor courage, but an obligation to delete comments and to block users who use hate speech, vulgarities and personal attacks.

Honestly, I personally very rarely manage to join that communication. I believe that my colleagues do that well. No one is perfect, but that’s why there are questions, messages and complaints. With a well-intentioned conversation, anything can be achieved. But that’s not the goal of the “matrix”. On the contrary!

A “little rack” with letters

By the way, I have a “little rack” in the office where I keep also letters received by mail. Most are nice, with nice words, and some are with remarks and well-intended suggestions from which I learn how to be better in what I do.

But there are also such that I don’t have to read to the end, because after the first two-three sentences I already know what the rest of the letter will be like. Same goes for the messages in the inbox. Some of the “compliments” I have received in the past 15 years are:

“Traitor, mercenary, spy (American, German, Greek, once even Serbian), Shqiptar, Greater-Albania nationalist, Sorosoid, faggot, whore, addict, alcoholic, Commie, Nazi, Ballista, Ustasha, agent of CIA, BND, Mossad…”.

The strong “heroes” were going to slaughter me, hang me, shoot me…

Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for them, their number is incomparably smaller (and is constantly falling) than those expressing their support and encouragement to me. There are complements to my friends and myself every day (some are even exaggerated). Out of modesty, I will not share them here.

The main point

But let’s not stray from the main point. If we paraphrase Morpheus’s view, it would read as follows:

Most of these people are not ready to be unplugged from the matrix. They become so hopelessly dependent on the matrix of propaganda that they will fight to protect it

Yes. They themselves become the flesh of propaganda. They are overtaken by that strong feeling of inclusion, belonging, closeness… Hence, all those graves, curses and ghosts, primitive folklore mixed with the sinister “charm’ of totalitarianism

They don’t know anything. They don’t ask anything, they don’t even want to know, but rather just to follow prejudices injected by the propaganda. And they are victims. Indeed, the path of malice, harm and hatred is a personal choice, but the masters of manipulations know how to convince people that they have made a good choice. And even if you put them on top of the world, they would still be at the bottom, in the mud, drowning in their own hatred, greed and spitefulness. To protect the matrix…

Translation: N. Cvetkovska