Why do those who do dis-information, misinformation, and mal-information get success on the rest of us?
Since the fall of the terrorist TPLF (T-TPLF) from having a central role in the nation’s leadership and especially after this ragtag group started the unprovoked war, the amount of dis/mis/mal- information is skyrocketing.
It is not about the number only; as time goes by, the number of people who are persuaded by this is increasing as well. This is a worrisome trend.
As they say, “lead someone around by the ears,” meaning, “dictate them in almost everything” is happening to our generation.
And this is happening to too many of us. This piece addresses a few reasons why this strategy is working for those who want to do harm to the country, and we want to reflect on it so that awareness is created among the larger public, especially for those who have the opportunity as well as the responsibility of reaching to too many people either via media or social media. Let us raise the question again: why are they succeeding in dividing us?
Using our own skewed or biased self-awareness
How weird is our self-awareness? What is your consciousness about yourself? This has to do something with our/your identity. Who do you think you are, or we are? Are you first and foremost Amhara, Oromo, Somali, Tigre, Sidama, or …? When you wake up from bed what comes across your head about your selfhood? Or do you wake up as a human being, like other humans? Or an Ethiopian like other Ethiopians? In that self-awareness, you will definitely behave or act the whole day. Imagine someone who knows that awareness or self-consciousness of yours. He/she can use it to control you. Have you thought about it, it might be your weak point? In other words, your biasedness or skewed awareness can be used by others.
If the person talks well then, you are attracted to it by default. On the other hand, if one attacks the group, you have designated yourself in, you also react to it. The positive and negative information appeals to you to react. In general, negative news draws more attention than positive news. Hence if someone appeals that your group is attacked systematically and so on, then he/she will be able to manipulate you (us) by the ears. What you hear controls you’re thinking and you act on it. It is simple.
For the past three decades in Ethiopia, the generation has been told to think in small boxes, belonging to one ethnic group. There is no problem to belong to one ethnic group. However, it becomes a problem if you think and act the whole day that the only ethnic identity that should get the center of all the attention in the country and even the center of the universe, then that is a huge problem.
It becomes also more problematic if someone uses that self-awareness to control and manipulate you or lead you around by your ear the whole day and whole week. In fact, the more you are confined in a small box the more the success they get in controlling your emotions and actions. The bigger you are thinking, like thinking that you are a human being at first then you belong to a family and ethnic group, and then they have to work so hard to mislead you. Because you are not too narrow and too small for them to be manipulated easily.
For example, if you are from ethnic group ‘X’ and on a particular day, someone on YouTube brought to your ears the news that your tribe is systematically attacked by Mr. ‘y’ from ethnic group ‘Y’.
They do it again and again since they have already designed it and invested highly in it. There are people placed everywhere to do that, and there is a huge finance budgeted for it. There is a highly clandestine logistics for it. Maybe you ignore it once. You ignore it twice. But then the people who are using the strategy of leading someone by ears are determined and persistently created the drama in a persuasive way and narrate it every day for you. Then you start to believe in the way they say and will definitely start to act. You will aspire to stand and fight for your ethnic group X. At first, you feel that your actions are justified. It is for good cause. You give your ear first, but then you give your heart, mind and soul. Giving your time, energy, money and even yourself becomes easy for you. This may not stop until you see all the other sides being destroyed completely.
At the end of the day, the one who profits is the one you gave your ear first. Do not minimize yourself to only one ethnic identity. Remember Ethiopianism is not small. In the 2019 Nobel Peace Award Ceremony speech, one finds the following text: “Ethiopia is the cradle of humankind. The first Homo sapiens emigrated from the territory of your country. In this sense, we are all Ethiopians.” Even bigger than this we are all Humans. Do not only cry for one ethnic tribe, But to all humanity.
Using the low Critical thinking
We argue that another reason why those who succeed in dividing or manipulating us or disturbing our peace via dis/mis/mal-information are due to the lower critical thinking we possess. This might be due to the poor quality education system. One might disagree with our hypothesis. But let us give the evidence for our harsh conclusion. It is based on the meaning of the phrase itself. What is critical thinking? Among many definitions, we provide the definition of the term according to the website: https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766.
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.
Wikipedia adds that “critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. Going through these criteria only, we can learn that critical thinking is a complex aspect, and it is about each individual person, not the mass. As a nation, those who are educated should be equipped with this attribute. Those who are at the top echelon of a system should be equipped with it. At least the political leaders, those who are engaged in public media and so on, should have some level of critical thinking level.
The very reason why those propagandists and manipulators trying to destroy us as a nation is getting momentum since there is a clear sign of lower critical thinking levels in general. If someone comes on YouTube or any other social media and tells you a lie or false information again and again, and he never comes back and says sorry, by saying “that time I have said this and that, but the reality has come out to be the opposite. Sorry I have propagated an unverified fact.” If he never says that, how come we continue to listen to those liars? How come we keep opening their YouTube or platform and giving ours hears to them? By doing that they are sawing the seed for division, hate, and destruction as time goes by.
Even when we diced to listen to them, why are we not dissecting their propaganda critically? Could it be a sign of possessing a lower level of critical thinking? Why are we not asking simple questions to ourselves before we accept what they told us? It is evident that those who do not have a sufficient level of critical thinking are more susceptible to manipulation and easy brainwashing.
Remember, the new world has different weapons to destabilize communities and countries. As drones are changing the conventional war systems, the digital world is another powerful weapon that changed the propaganda system. For that to work, your ear and eyes are key gateways for the information to come into your head and heart. Unless we are questioning everything, we hear from social media, those who source and fiancé to lead us by our ears will succeed easily. Even the Holy book advises us “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” We need to protect ourselves from propagandists. We need to stay truthful to ourselves and to others as well. That is how we can protect our people, the generation, and our country! Do not help to disseminate the false information at the speed of light, by then you are helping those who have bad intentions toward you and your countrymen. Take responsibility and filter everything you hear before acting on it!
Using the Expectation from the change
This one seems more legitimate than the two reasons mentioned above. High expectations are sources of disappointment in life in general. Many people had huge expectations from the movement that toppled the TPLF leadership. Many promises were done during the first years of the new government. There are many accomplishments, but due to many reasons, there are many issues that are not yet attained. We do not want to provide the excuse for not progressing from the government side, those who are responsible, from the lowest level to the top of the system should prioritize the wellbeing of the country and the welfare of the people at the highest level.
Whenever the people who are at the different levels of the government fail to do something or whenever they are reluctant to act at the right time it opens a huge opportunity for those who try to divide the country and the people.
As the American psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that human decision-making is guided by a hierarchy of psychological needs. These are Physiological needs, Safety needs, Love and belonging needs, Esteem needs, and Self-actualization needs. He argues that A person can only move on to addressing the higher-level needs when their basic needs are adequately fulfilled. For most people, the need to eat and shelter comes first then the need for safety. They need to feel secure before aspiring for other needs. It seems there is a fallacy in this regard in the country. And enemies use to manipulate a good portion of the population. The people in the government should understand this basic psychology critically if they wish the propagandists not to succeed!
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY DEJEN RAS AND
SELAMAWIT ETHIOPIA
The Ethiopian Herald 5 June 2022
