Be Lightning. Speak Thunder.

The Indie media revolution is in full swing. But to go up against the Censorship-Industrial Complex, we're going to have to muster courage, find our friends, stand strong, and shout the truth.

Source: Felix Mittermeier

One man’s treason is another man’s treasure. The American Founders treasured freedom and the rule of law over aristocracy and tyranny. But let’s be honest: their Republican experiment has failed. Like some grotesque Ship of Theseus, the US ship of state has evolved into something the Founders would scarcely recognize. That original construction, which made Tocqueville love America, has been replaced. With all apologies to our anglophone cousins, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are vassal states run by politburos. (See The Five Eyes.) Free speech as a legal construct is dying, the First Amendment notwithstanding. But a grey market in free speech is alive and well. The people are waking up and finding their voices.

Subversive communication is a close companion to subversive innovation. Where the latter involves underthrowing coercive systems through technological change, the former involves wielding words as counterpower.

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SUBVERSIVE
[ suhb-vur-siv ]

adjective

1. Also sub·ver·sion·ar·y [] tending or intending to subvert or overthrow [underthrow], destroy, or undermine an established or existing system, especially a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs.
   [With light edits to dictionary.com’s definition.]

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Remember that subversion is both a method and an objective. so we’re going to break it down so that you and a hundred of your friends can engage in it.

The communication part can be broken down into three components:

• Content — What will you say so your words aren’t wasted?

• Connection — How will you say it so you activate the receivers?

• Channel — Where will you say it so your signal gets boosted?

Each of these is essential to subversive communication in the digital age. In other words, your content will fall flat if you waste your words—say, with verbosity, buried ledes, or too much throat-clearing. If you fail to consider how your audience will receive your words, you may fail to establish a connection. If you post on a platform with hostile algorithms or an army of censors, your thunderous voice will amount to a croak.

What Not to Do

Before you craft your subversive communication, remember:

1. Do Not Succumb To Fear. Courage is not the absence of fear but the power to overcome it. The censors and the mob get away with silencing people first by making them afraid. You must be prepared to sacrifice to speak the truth and defend your principles.

2. Do Not Lie. Always endeavor to tell the truth. Otherwise, your reputation will slide into the realm of lost things. Lies can work for a while, but mendacious messages cannot cohere with other aspects of reality over time.

3. Do Not Hide Your Mistakes. Instead, admit them and let everyone know you erred. In the discovery process, you will inevitably make mistakes. Open admissions of error are a sign you’re a credible truth tracker.

Now that you see what not to do let’s turn to what you can do.

A coherence theory of knowledge posits that a belief is justified or constitutes knowledge if it coheres with other beliefs in a person's cognitive system. Rather than relying on correspondence to external facts, this theory emphasizes internal consistency and mutual support among beliefs. According to this view, a belief gains justification through logical and explanatory relationships with other accepted beliefs, forming a coherent network.

Imperial Persuasion

The following ancient categories will help you communicate more effectively to create an “Empire of the Mind.” In other words, if compulsion is the primary tactic used by those who want to create an empire of political and military control, persuasion is used by those who want to recruit others peacefully into common understanding and/or shared doctrine. All such communication should be carried out to build a consent-based social order for our children.

The basic categories of subversive communication are at least 2000 years old:

• Logos. Apply reason and evidence to make a convincing case.

• Pathos. Use emotion and effective rhetoric to persuade others.

• Mythos. Craft narratives and stories to convince others.

• Ethos. Build reputation and credibility, and use moral appeals to persuade others.

Together, all four support your discourse. Some will try to operate almost entirely through logos, and their efforts will be consigned to a database or land in a few other neurodivergent brains. Others will write only saccharine or wail in hysterics. Stories can be wonderful, but fiction without reference to reality is errant fantasy, and certain narratives can become lies. Mere moralizing is no good because most people don’t want to be shamed or called out.

One has deftly to weave all four together.

Like Lightning

An effective communicator will act like lightning:

• Speed. Write with a quick wit and strike with timing.

• Brilliance. Illuminate an issue and bring clarity.

• Power. Your impact should be felt, sometimes with destructive force.

• Precision. Hit just the right spots for maximum impact.

• Unpredictability. Your unique perspective will be hard to anticipate.

• Electricity. Energize readers or ignite new ideas.

• Memorable. Leave an impression. Good communication stays with a reader.

• Transformative. Spark movements and change landscapes.

Strike with purpose, and let your ideas crackle with energy. Your flashes of insight will rattle the earth.

The Storm

Above, I alluded to a grey market in ideas. In such a market, you rarely get the imprimatur of authorities or corporate toadies. You will be greeted with hostility if you challenge those narratives the powerful cherish. If you get stuck in that insidious web that is the Censorship-Industrial Complex, you might be shadowbanned, deplatformed, smeared, or sued. Those are the risks.

Remember, our unyielding resolve is the only thing between them and total control. So find courage. Seek truth. Speak truth. And build multiple channels.

To neutralize the Censorship-Industrial Complex and topple our Flailing Empire, we must summon every ounce of courage. We need to identify our allies and stand shoulder to shoulder. We must become a legion—a raging storm. Our full-throated subversive communication will expose the rot, neuter the powerful, and clear the battlespace for subversive innovation.