The Biggest Culture Shock: Americans in Movies vs. Real Life

I've often wondered about something.

Why is it that on TV and in movies, Americans are so open, friendly, sociable, communicative, and easily invite you into their cliques, taking you out for fun and introducing you to others? They act so warm, emotional, full of life and feeling, and are easy to talk to and get involved with. And in romance/drama films of old (less so nowadays) people were so passionate and full of feeling in their eyes and expression, as though they were fully aware and conscious.

But in real life, Americans are generally uptight, closed, cliquish, paranoid, anti-social outside their clique, difficult to meet, don't talk to you unless its business related, and basically ignore you and expect you to mind your own business while they mind theirs. People are in a bubble and there is an "ice barrier" between strangers. They seem like zombies/automatons who are totally unaware and oblivious to others around them, as though they were not fully conscious. They are always in a rush to get through their daily routine. They seem totally uninterested and unconcerned with human connection. And if you are not like that too, you stick out like a sore thumb, like you are in a sort of Twilight Zone - in a different reality from everyone else!

Why is there such a HUGE difference that no one talks about?! It's so bizarre, like the Twilight Zone!

My friend and cultural advisor, a former US immigrant who speaks 10 languages, has been to over 30 countries and is an expert in cultural analyses, made the same observation in my forum when he described the biggest culture shock that immigrants face in America:

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8855

"I think generally, the biggest culture shock that people experience in the US is not between their country and the US but between what they thought the US would be and what it actually is. Books and movies about America make the place appear very free and exciting and happening and the people are so interesting and emotional. There is sex and fun and romance going on. When they arrive, the place looks very conservative and the people appear robotic and quiet. Sex is subdued and hard to come by. The people are not open at all, they look closed and mistrustful. Everybody is just working and looking tired and apathetic. Talking to strangers is taboo. There are thousands of little rules and laws and social mores that seem as dogmatic and strict as those in a Muslim society. And every time you are at risk of breaking yet another law and facing very dire consequences. That is the biggest culture shock of all."

This is so blatantly obvious, yet no one talks about it. To do so would make you look like a loser, so no one dares to. It's like an "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome. Either that, or people don't see it due to the cognitive dissonance of their programming.

There is also an unspoken social law that says that anywhere you go, you MUST say that people are very friendly and wonderful, or you say nothing at all. Or you can blame yourself. But you are NOT allowed to say that people are anti-social. That is a big taboo and No-No. Thus truth is censored no doubt.

For more taboo truths, insights and solutions visit http://www.happierabroad.com/

A Taboo Social Truth and Holy Grail not found in any Public Library

By Winston Wu (Founder of HappierAbroad.com)
 
When I first went to Russia in 2002, I was mesmerized at how approachable, open and relaxed people were, especially the young women. It was surreal and unimaginable. Coming from America and Taiwan, I was used to only old people and little children being open and relaxed, not young attractive women, which in my cultures are the LEAST open and approachable. In Russia, I kept pinching myself to see if I was dreaming, but I wasn't. It was real! I had discovered the "holy grail" of dating and social life.

See these links for total proof:
http://www.happierabroad.com/slideshows.php
http://www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Collage.htm
http://www.happierabroad.com/film.php

But the problem was, this "holy grail" was a huge social taboo, so taboo in fact that you will not find it mentioned in any book or publication. You see, in any culture, you are NOT allowed to say that people are anti-social, uptight and closed. You are only allowed to either say that everyone/most people are friendly and wonderful, or blame yourself for your own self-deficiencies. But you are NEVER allowed to blame the social culture or environment, no matter how justified it may be to do so.

In fact, if you go to the largest public library, you will not find any book or publication stating that people in any particular culture are uptight, anti-social, closed and unapproachable, or that some cultures are more open and sociable than others. Neither will you find any book in your library that mentions the reality of this "holy grail", for to do so would violate the social taboo mentioned above. The closest thing to it would be sociology/cultural studies textbooks which mention that some cultures are more individualistic while others are more collectivist.

The actual and obvious truth is that in Anglo and Oriental workaholic cultures (e.g. USA, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea), people live a highly materialistic and segregated lifestyle devoid of human connection. The purpose of their life is business and productivity, and life iself is reduced to a business resource. The society and media evaluates its citizens in terms of economic functions (e.g. workers, tax payers, consumers, etc.) rather than as human beings with spirit, feelings and passion. As a result, people become machines, stiff and repressed, devoid of romance and passion.

It's bad enough that we are all slaves programmed to "think" that we are free, but what's sickening is that no matter how obvious the truth is about anti-sociality in these cultures, you are NOT ALLOWED to mention or talk about it. Thus truth itself has become a taboo. That's sickening.

Whatever the case, it does seem that the more materialistic people's lifestyles become, the less social they are and the less human connection there is. With wealth and "economic growth" comes loneliness and social disconnectedness. But of course, the media NEVER mentions this, cause it's a total taboo. Instead, the media always sees economic growth as a win-win situation for everybody without trade-offs. It's as if you are supposed to deny and suppress your need for human connection or companionship. That's really sick.

Even in First World European nations there is still a lot of romantic passion and soul in their culture and people. But somehow, this seems to be lacking in the USA and the Oriental cultures of workaholic East Asia, which is totally robotic and stiff. The regimented socializing that does take place in such workaholic cultures is usually fake, artificial, uptight, pretentious and a cliche rather than a truly flowing interactive experience.

The men in these countries are in the worst position, because the young women in workaholic societies tend to be the LEAST approachable and open among the whole demographic, and the MOST uptight, closed and anti-social. They can afford to be that way because with money, they don't need men, and without passion, they have no need for connection either. Thus they can become masculine and harbor a disdain for men (as they do in the USA).

But in lesser developed countries that are economically repressed, the women have fewer choices, so they have to be sweeter and more feminine and develop better inner and outer qualities. This makes such cultures a "dating paradise" for men from First World cultures, who are treated far better, more appreciated, and have far more choices among attractive females as well.

A growing number of men in First World nations are beginning to realize this and capitalize on this "big secret" and "holy grail", but the media still considers it a taboo subject and would never cast it in a positive light. That's what makes the media sick. They want us to be dumbed down repressed robotic work slaves who live in fear and obey whatever they are told on TV, rather than become enlightened with the truth. Anything outside of the media's narrow box is ridiculed or marginalized by them with trashy non-intellectual soundbytes of a herd mentality.

But of course, even talking about all this is a total taboo. Most people would rather hear deceit rather than the truth, according to many great thinkers, writers and intellectuals (e.g. Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, Eric Fromm, Frederich Nietzsche, HL Mencken, RD Lang, Marcus Aurelius, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ayn Rand, Oscar Wilde, etc.)

For more freethinking and truth articles: http://www.HappierAbroad.com/articles.php

The Taboo Truth about Openness in Anglo/Oriental Cultures

 

By Winston Wu (Founder of HappierAbroad.com)

I've often wondered about something:

Why is it that on TV and in movies, people are so open, friendly, sociable, communicative, easily invite you into their cliques, take you out for fun and introduce you to others? They act so warm, passionate, full of life and feeling, and are easy to get involved with. And in romance/drama films of old (less so nowadays) people were so passionate and full of feeling in their eyes and expression, as though they were fully aware and conscious.

But in real life, people are generally uptight, closed, cliquish, paranoid, anti-social outside their clique, difficult to meet, don't talk to you unless its business related, and basically ignore you and expect you to mind your own business while they mind theirs. People are in a bubble and there is an "ice barrier" between strangers. They seem like zombies/automatons who are totally unaware and oblivious to others around them, as though they were not fully conscious. They are always in a rush to get through their daily routine. They seem totally uninterested and unconcerned with human connection. And if you are not like that too, you stick out like a sore thumb, like you are in a sort of Twilight Zone - in a different reality from everyone else!

Why is there such a HUGE difference that no one ever talks about?! It's so bizarre, like the Twilight Zone!

My friend and cultural advisor made the same observation in my forum:

http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8855

"I think generally, the biggest culture shock that people experience in the US is not between their country and the US but between what they thought the US would be and what it actually is. Books and movies about America make the place appear very free and exciting and happening and the people are so interesting and emotional. There is sex and fun and romance going on. When they arrive, the place looks very conservative and the people appear robotic and quiet. Sex is subdued and hard to come by. The people are not open at all, they look closed and mistrustful. Everybody is just working and looking tired and apathetic. Talking to strangers is taboo. There are thousands of little rules and laws and social mores that seem as dogmatic and strict as those in a Muslim society. And every time you are at risk of breaking yet another law and facing very dire consequences. That is the biggest culture shock of all."

This is so very obvious, yet no one talks about it. To do so would make you look like a loser, so no one dares to. It's like an "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome. Either that, or people don't see it due to the cognitive dissonance of their programming.

There is also an unspoken social law that says that anywhere you go, you MUST say that people are very friendly and wonderful, or you say nothing at all. Or you can blame yourself. But you are NOT allowed to say that people are anti-social. That is a big taboo and No-No.

But the truth is that in Anglo countries (e.g. USA, Canada) and Oriental East Asian cultures (e.g. Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, etc.) only middle aged people and little kids are open and casually talk with anyone who is friendly. But people in between are a different breed (especially females). They are closed, uptight, cliquish, paranoid and go about minding their own business and expect others to do the same. You have to play complicated tricky mind games to try to get into their cliques, and then MAYBE you will get in.

This difference between old people, children and young adults (especially females) is as obvious as 2+2=4 in Anglo and Oriental cultures, and is the norm and easily demonstratable. Yet NO ONE talks about it except me for some reason. Why?! It's as if it were "hidden in plain sight" from everybody, or the truth is forbidden!

In reality, Anglo and Oriental cultures are workaholic, robotic, cliquish, non-social, slave cultures built purely for business and productivity. They are devoid of passion, soul and romance. Everything in these cultures is geared for business, not passion, human connection, or expression. (though America has fake versions of these in its Hollywood culture) People are treated and groomed as economic resources and defined by their economic functions (e.g. workers, tax payers, consumers, etc). They live highly materialistic and segregated lifestyle devoid of human connection.

As a result, they become machines, stiff and repressed, devoid of romance and passion. The regimented socializing that does take place in such cultures is usually fake, artificial, uptight, pretentious and a cliche rather than a truly flowing interactive experience.

But you wouldn't notice all this if you've only spent time in Anglo/Oriental cultures for you'd have nothing to compare them to. You'd have to live in cultures that are the opposite to truly know the difference.

On the other hand, in countries that are poorer with large peasant classes or have more open and passionate cultures (e.g. Latin America, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Holland, Philippines, etc.), meeting people happens as easily as blowing in the wind! Literally! The difference is astounding, like a BILLION PERCENT, but one has to experience it firsthand to truly see it. Why is there such a huge difference?

In social environments, there is an unspoken social law that says you are allowed to say statements such as the following:

1) Everyone or most people are so friendly and wonderful! (which most travel sites and travel programs say about people everywhere)
2) I am very busy with work and have no time to meet people.
3) I lack social skills and am not very outgoing.

Or you say nothing at all. Thus you are only allowed to praise the majority or blame yourself. These are the "norms" and boundaries of what you can and cannot say, and as you grow up, you learn them gradually. Truth is not the highest value in society, and the saying "Honesty is the best policy" is not followed. Therefore, to say something like the following would be a big taboo:

"I have trouble meeting people here. I am very open and friendly, but people here are so closed, stuck up, anti-social, cliquish, non-inclusive, and don't want to meet me. They don't talk to strangers unless it's business-related. They just mind their own business and expect me to do the same. So I find it hard to meet people here."

No matter how TRUE and justified it is, you are NOT ALLOWED to say that! It's like truth itself has become a taboo, which is the sign of a sick society.

In fact, in any culture, it is taboo to say that the people there are anti-social, even if it's true. Thus, you will not find such statements in any book in the largest public library or in any news publications. It is totally forbidden, no matter how true or justified.

In fact, if you say the unacceptable statement above, not only is it taboo and politically incorrect, but it is freakish and disturbing to people because it VIOLATES their paradigm of reality, which holds the false assumption and fallacy that:

1) The majority of people are right, normal, sane, friendly and sociable.
2) Misfits and people who don't follow the herd are crazy, insane and weird. They are the problem and to blame for any incompatibility with others.

However, many great thinkers and intellectuals with deep insight, from ages ago to recent times, have seen through this fallacy, and realized that the reverse was true. Here are some quotes from them:

“The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” - Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

"The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." - H. L. Mencken

“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.” - Gandhi

"Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule." - Frederich Nietzsche

"Ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are fools, and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion." - Thornton Wilder

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong." — Oscar Wilde

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Frederich Nietzsche

"Men have been taught that it is a virtue to agree with others. But the creator is the man who disagrees. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to swim with the current. But the creator is the man who goes against the current. Men have been taught that it is a virtue to stand together. But the creator is the man who stands alone." - Ayn Rand

"Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue..." - Billy Joel, in his hit song "Honesty"

"The sick individual finds himself at home with all other similarly sick individuals. The whole culture is geared to this kind of pathology. The result is that the average individual does not experience the separateness and isolation the fully schizophrenic person feels. He feels at ease among those who suffer from the same deformation; in fact, it is the fully sane person who feels isolated in the insane society — and he may suffer so much from the incapacity to communicate that it is he who may become psychotic." - Eric Fromm (The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness)

(Fromm's statement above perhaps explains why the majority do not see the obvious social realities I described.)

This parable illustrates the truth that Fromm described very well:

"The parable of the poisoned well

There was once a wise king who ruled over a vast city. He was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom. Now in the heart of the city, there was a well whose waters were pure and crystalline from which the king and all the inhabitants drank. When all were asleep, an enemy entered the city and poured seven drops of a strange liquid into the well. And he said that henceforth all who drink this water shall become mad.

All the people drank of the water, but not the king. And the people began to say, "The king is mad and has lost his reason. Look how strangely he behaves. We cannot be ruled by a madman, so he must be dethroned."

The king grew very fearful, for his subjects were preparing to rise against him. So one evening, he ordered a golden goblet to be filled from the well, and he drank deeply. The next day, there was great rejoicing among the people, for their beloved king had finally regained his reason."

Thus it is sad and no wonder that we live in an upside down world, as Michael Ellner describes in this profound statement:

"Just look at us. Everything is backwards. Everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information, and religion destroys spirituality."

What all this means is that if you are even aware of the social realities described above, you will have the hardest time breaking into cliques in Anglo/Oriental countries, because cliques and groups in rich cultures are full of fakeness and conformity, and one has to be on a similar vibration with the social clique to even have a chance at breaking in (besides playing the tricky social games too). This means that if you are on a "truth vibration" and see things the way they are, you will not be compatible with most cliques, thus if you recognize the reality above, you are already a misfit. This is the sad reality. Also, people who always tell the truth tend to have few friends and won't fit into large cliques.

So the question we must ask is: What is the value and price of truth, freedom and liberation of mind? And is the price worth it?

Most people though, prefer the practical benefits of conformity, rather than the truth or the value of owning oneself.

For more of my freethinking articles, visit http://www.happierabroad.com/articles.php

The Biggest Dating Secret For Men!

 

By Winston Wu (Founder of HappierAbroad.com)
 
If you are a single Western male, here is a life-changing truth that conventional sources will NEVER tell you about. The following is common knowledge among many expat males but unknown to the US mainstream population. Some expats prefer that these truths remain secret for selfish reasons, but I believe that a good thing should be shared and discussed openly, so that ignored problems are understood and dealt with, not denied.

The BIGGEST SECRET that’s being kept from you is that if you are an average decent Western male, you are GOLD and a BIG CATCH to millions of thin beautiful feminine women all over the world who will treat YOU right - for REAL! No joke.

 

This is a HUGE life changing secret that can transform the lives of countless lonely frustrated single males in America, yet is never told to them by mainstream sources because it is taboo in our culture and society to mention such things. That is a big INJUSTICE and we are here to help correct that. When American males discover this themselves overseas, they typically go into disbelief and awe, exclaiming "My God, where have I been all this time?! Why didn't I go abroad sooner?! This is how women were meant to be when God created them! Why didn't someone tell me sooner?!"

 

Now, we all know the rule of thumb that "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is." But this IS one of the exceptions (which we have abundant proof of) making it one of the Biggest Secrets. Many guys have trouble believing this until they experience it themselves. But that's what we are here for, to show you a mountain of authentic proof which will inspire you and change your life! 

You see, in many overseas countries, the gender and dating imbalances are reversed in YOUR favor! As you know, in the US it seems that every decent woman is taken, super picky, or not even looking, leaving most single males out of luck. It's gotten so bad that it's not even worth your time to try anymore. But in many other countries and parts of the world (Russia, Ukraine, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, etc.) the supply and demand are REVERSED due to various economic, cultural and demographic factors. There aren't enough good men, and an excess of women, so the women are the ones who have to impress the men with their sweetness and femininity, giving the males the upper hand with so many choices that some of them don't want to commit. Some countries also have certain cultural factors in your favor as well, such as being more open and inclusive, or more pro-male and less feminist, or more appreciative of nice men, etc. Whereas the USA is a dating paradise for any decent looking woman, in many other cultures you will find a dating paradise for YOU, giving you so many more choices that it can spoil you rotten! This is a HUGE life changing secret that has transformed the lives of many frustrated and lonely guys at a dead end in America. It's a simple fact, kept silent due to its taboo and politically incorrect nature in the anti-male culture of the USA. But you don't have to worry about us spoiling the "frontier" for you though. With the USA comprising only 5 percent of the world's population, and the fact that most men who write foreign women never actually get off their butt to go overseas, you do not need to worry about saturation.

The truth is there are so many quality available women all over the world who are thin, feminine, sweet, approachable, unspoiled and will treat you right, that you will have trouble deciding which one to choose! So why would you want to remain on a sinking ship, when you could skyrocket your love life and dating from zero to infinity by simply dating globally rather than locally?!

Now, this might sound too good to be true and you might be wondering what the catch is, but I swear to you that it is. Me and many others have lived and experienced it firsthand. If you come to my site and see the testimonials, interviews, photos and videos, we’ll prove it to you beyond a shadow of a doubt. The good news is that if you want, you can easily find a traditional wife, or party like a Rock Star in areas of the world like Latin America or Southeast Asia, for really cheap! Why should only the rich and famous be allowed to? You can too! All you have to do is to first make the mental choice to do so. We can guide you from there on.

Learn more about International Dating at http://www.happierabroad.com/

To meet foreign women now, check out these reputable dating sites, where you can meet Asian women or meet Russian women or women from other cultures.

To help disseminate The Biggest Dating Secret For Men, pass around this printable PDF pamphlet which you can download at: (right click and select Save As)
http://www.happierabroad.com/TheBiggestDatingSecret.pdf

Why International Dating is Not for Losers

From Ladislav, Chief Expat Advisor of HappierAbroad.com:

Are we who date abroad losers?

To those who consider us losers, here is our answer:
We have discovered that love and sex are commodities as any others and they both obey market trends and the laws of supply and demand. We treat male and female attractiveness only in marketing ways, as well.
In other words we export the attractiveness of the American male to global markets rather than depending on the domestic markets alone. If that is being a loser, than any export company that tries to find better markets for its products is a loser, too.
Global marketing is a respectable trend and international trade is a quadrillion dollar a year business. Can you imagine someone writing an email to a large global company with billions in sale around the world and saying something like this:
You loser, what's wrong with a good old American market? Why can't you find an American customer.
Worse yet: Hey what's wrong with American investors? Why sell out treasury bills to the Chinese and Saudis?
As it happens, an American Citizen man ( of any race, age and looks) is in greater demand in many countries than he is at home where he is surplus merchandise. So, we are here to market ourselves on the global scale.

An Army of a Million Bachelors

There is an army of one million single men in America now looking for girlfriends and wives while the women are having a ball.
About a decade ago, a Chinese government official warned that if the Chinese parents keep aborting female fetuses in favor of male ones, in one generation, there will be an army of one million bachelors roaming the countryside looking for wives.
While the Chinese authorities are rightfully concerned about the fact that one million Chinese young men won't be able to find life partners and create happy families in the future, virtually no one in America is talking about the already existing huge surplus of young men who have to compete for girlfriends and wives in the USA.
Numbers do not lie- have a look at statistics across the country and you will see that overall, young men outnumber young women by somewhere around 11:10. In some places it is 12:10 or more. Add to this the fact that Hollywood brainwashes young women that they deserve rich and handsome young husbands with big cars and great careers and houses, and the fact that 20% of sexy hunks with money and good looks get 80% of the women, and you have a recipe for a disaster for a simple young man who just wants a date. He can't get one because numbers and statistics are not in his favor. Social and demographic trends are not in his favor. The Puritanical culture of not talking to strangers is not in his favor. In other words, he is behind the eight ball when it comes to dating.
However, the above cold facts are not even an issue in today's America and are not known to the average Joe. He is told that he lacks social skills to pick up women, that he needs to get a better job and improve his appearance, lose weight and develop confidence, pump some iron, take a karate class, all the while American women who dress like janitors, who have bad manners and who are fat and ugly apparently have very little problem dating handsome young men. That is the result of the bad demographics in the USA.
The solution to the problem is simple- the surplus men many of whom are not in the most desirable category from the American woman's point of view, should go to places on Earth where there is a shortage of men and a surplus of women and where young women outnumber young men.
Try it and you will see what I mean. Go to two cities- Moscow and Manila. You will see more young women on the streets than young men. Always. And guess what else you will see- women try to look better, they behave in a sweeter manner, they try and be nice to guys because if they are not nice, another woman will whisk the guy away from her- guys are in demand.
You will see than instead of steely, supercilious looks that you get from women in the US, or, no looks at all, your appearance as a man on the streets of Moscow or Manila will attract curious, friendly and warm expression of interest from young ladies all over. They will be asking you questions, flirting with you, and saying yes to a dinner invitation.
So, why are they so nice? Because good men are hard to find there. The men can get a girlfriend any time they want, and at any age. They do not need to exercise, take classes in social skills, dress well or join clubs. And they are the ones who do the choosing.
In many countries where there is a shortage of men, women stay virginal before they get married because no decent guy would want to marry a "used" woman. Why get damaged goods if there is plenty of fresh, brand new stuff to go around? "You are not a virgin? Get away from me! I don't need you!" is the attitude of the men there.
Men walk proud and tall there, they do not sing whiny, sweet songs to women, women sing those to men and about men. It is a man's world out there and a man's market.
Do you want to be there? I bet you would.
Also, in their economies, women have small salaries and need men to help them survive and establish families. A guy with a good job or any guy who can afford a decent date is hard to find. In their country, there is an army of SEVERAL MILLION LONELY BACHELORETTES who cannot find a good boyfriend. Is that where YOU would like to be now? I bet it is!
So, the choice is yours: do you want to be a private soldier in the horny army of one million angry and frustrated bachelors in the USA who are fighting over a perennially small number of arrogant, capricious and self absorbed women and be chasing the will-o'the wisp that seems to always move away from you, or do you want to be surrounded by an army of a couple of million young bachelorettes? I bet that unless you are a glutton for punishment, you would choose the latter.
That is why you would be Happier Abroad."

Learn more about International Dating and Global Dating.

Why the World is a Global Enslavement Machine and You Don't Know It

By Winston Wu (Founder of HappierAbroad.com)

This is so true and sad, but liberating when you realize it. When I wake up I often think:

This world is in reality a global enslavement machine that programs people to THINK that they are free in order for them to cope with their servitude, and conditions people to WANT it as well. The truth is, we are all slaves to the economic system and programmed with illusions that help us bear our enslavement.

The system treats us as economic resources and defines us by our economic functions (e.g. workers, tax payers, consumers, etc.) rather than as human or spiritual beings. In short, we are simply a commodity to the system and groomed as such. And of course, we are programmed to want to thrive as "economic resources", not to complain about it or be critical of it. No freethought, in other words. You are supposed to "love the system".

Freedom, for the most part, is just a word, not an actual state of existence. The reason people, especially Americans, believe that they have freedom is simply because their minds are programmed to think that they do. You see, your slavemasters need you to be satisfied with your enslavement to keep you controlled. In order to do that, they give you choices in consumerism and in selecting your occupation. You are "free" to choose your form of slavery and vote for your puppet dictators.

Right when you step into grade school, you lose all your freedoms as you are totally controlled and given rules to abide by. You are taught to regurgitate information and to be obedient, as you are honed and groomed to become a slave in servitude to the system. You are told it's for your own good, and punished for disobedience. Public school is where your conditioning to become a robot begins. This video explains how schools are nothing more than prisons designed to train and condition slaves.





First, you are programmed to WANT to become enslaved by being conditioned to WANT a job/career, which is essentially giving over control of your daily life to others. In doing so, you give up your freedom without knowing it cause you are told that you are "free to work", which implies that it is YOU who wants it, not the system - a psychological sleight of hand indeed. Furthermore, you are convinced that "the purpose of your life is to work" and that's what you were born for, thus ingraining you with the "live to work" mentality. You are also conditioned to feel empty and incomplete without it. As a result, work becomes synonymous with freedom to you.

If you think about it though, unless you are at the executive level, most jobs are technically positions of slavery, because you are giving over a large portion of your day in servitude to a corporate body, organization or business that is structured in a hierarchical fashion. Technically, that is slavery. There's no way around it. But of course, the system tries to convince you that it's not by getting you to think that YOU are the one that wants it. But even if you don't, you have to anyway cause you need the money to pay your bills. Hence, whether you want it or not, the employment enslavement is "forced" upon you by the system.

Overall, the system tries its best to make you a "happy slave" by repackaging slavery as freedom. This is a form of spin illusion that reverses the meaning of "slavery" and "freedom". For example, freedom in America means "the freedom to work and make money" which in other words means "the freedom to choose your form of enslavement". And being free of this enslavement is to be a "miserable unemployed person who is seeking a job", as defined by the system. This basically means that it is a bad thing not be a slave.

It's a play on words that turns truth into its opposite. And it's no different than preachers telling Christians who have submitted to the fundamentalist laws of the Bible that they have been "set free from sin", or fascist dictators telling their populace that they've been "set free from chaos and disorder", etc. So in this case, when you turn into a corporate slave, you are "set free from unemployment".

Essentially, the system's false logic is that slavery = being "set free" from freedom. This is nonsensical of course, but you aren't meant to see it the way it really is. Instead you are meant to see the inverse of the way it really is. That's the scam and brainwashing. It's a classic form of propaganda where you divert attention from something by declaring it to be its opposite. And it has been used time and time again throughout history in all areas of life where mass control is needed. Thus it's no wonder that Michael Ellner stated:

"Just look at us. Everything is backwards. Everything is upside down. Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the major media destroy information, and religion destroys spirituality."

Moreover, the system uses a barrage of methods to keep us in an internal state of fear and insecurity that causes us to crave structure and routine, due to our psychological insecurities, which enslavement to the system provides of course. Thus we are raised to want to be "tied down" to something (e.g. a job, house, marriage, single geographic location) on a long term basis. This is why most people do not seek adventure, new experiences or true freedom of expression, and only a minority do.

One major outlet that the system uses to keep us in this internal state is the media of course, which constantly feeds us stories of terror, tragedy and crises. Their excuse is that "bad news sells" but that is just a cover. You are never told the real reason for the rampant fearmongering. Society also convinces you that being in a state of fear and paranoia is good for your protection. But in reality, the majority of our fears are baseless, unfounded or greatly exaggerated. (e.g. terrorists everywhere, psycho killers everywhere, swine flu scares, etc.)

Another major method the system uses is the other people around us, who are trained to keep us in line and in a state of conformity. This is effective because given a choice between the truth vs. conformity to the group, most will choose the latter even if it means parroting a lie they know to be untrue. And of course, our internal state of fear and weakness make it much more likely that we will conform as well. Thus, each of these controls are designed to reinforce each other.

Conformity is the fallacious belief that the views of the majority must always be right and the minority or dissenters always wrong. Therefore, it assumes one should adopt the beliefs of the majority in order to be "right". It is a mindless characteristic that most adopt and are conditioned to live by. However, many of the greatest thinkers, writers and intellectuals of the world have seen through the madness of such a belief. See here for a list of their quotations.

Additionally, society is set up with all sorts of stress, anxiety and worry to keep you in a constant state of "survival mode", which reinforces your fear state. And of course, money itself, which enslaves the world for obvious reasons and is totally artificial, is the lifeblood of the global enslavement system. There is no question that we are all slaves to money. But as conspiracy lecturer Alex Collier asks in his lectures, "Why do I have to 'pay' to be in a world I was born into?"

David Icke, a popular conspiracy researcher and author, came to the same conclusion. In his book "Human Race Get Off Your Knees: The Lion Sleeps No More" he writes "the truth - that the world is a global enslavement machine and reality suppressor".

Though there are variations, essentially most people only have two choices - either become a robot... or a bum. Not very inspiring. To find alternatives requires innovation and thinking outside the box, but most cannot cause the system doesn't teach you to think for yourself.

Most people believe what they are told, and they are not told that the world is an enslavement system. Instead they are told that they were born to work, which is a virtue, and that if they study hard and work hard, they will make a lot of money and have a good life. But in reality, they end up slaving away their whole lives for money with some "pie in the sky" dream in their heads with little or no time to enjoy any "good life". They never live fully or experience any true freedom or discover themselves. Instead they live in fear, worry and pressure their whole lives just to keep up an illusory facade under the programming of the system. In the end, it falls flat and they wonder what went wrong after they've lost most of their precious life years serving the system. By the time they realize it, it's too late. Such is the sad scam the system puts on you.

Now I am not trying to be negative here. The system is what it is. And no amount of white washing or word plays will change the core nature of it.

Another form of binding enslavement is marriage. People are conditioned to want it, even though it really makes no sense and is merely an artificial contract that unnaturally binds two people by oath. If you think about it, marriage is like swearing an oath to only eat vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life until you die, and never trying any other flavor. It is an unrealistic promise and unnecessary voluntary binding of oneself. (Not a wise idea at all) But people are conditioned to WANT it and to feel empty and incomplete without it, so they do, even though it makes no sense. (Love isn't enough, so we must invoke an artificial business contract in order to feel complete!) And of course, they are taught to see marriage as "being set free from the lonely single life".

In reality, if you love someone, that is all the reason you need to be with them. Romantic love can be a wonderful, beautiful and natural thing that bonds and connects people, especially if it's coupled with synergy. There is no need to swear an oath or create a binding artificial business contract to try to control our nature and life. Doing so actually "kills the love" and turns it into an obligation rather than a spiritual/emotional bond. It also creates an artificial bind which is a form of enslavement. But you are programmed with the belief that this oath and contract is a necessary and natural thing.

"A man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished." - Zsa Zsa Gabor

So, the two big areas of life - employment and marriage - are in reality forms of binding enslavement in which you give up your life and freedom over to others. But you are made to WANT and NEED them. You are made to WANT a job that ties you to one geographic location and puts your schedule under control of a managerial entity, which no sane awakened person would want. And you are also made to WANT to unnaturally tie yourself to another person for life until you die, never loving any other, regardless of what may happen, even though such a promise is totally unrealistic. And you are programmed to define all that as "freedom and the American dream".

An awakened person realizes the folly of all this, sees that what everyone wants (like the will of a hive mind) makes no sense, and realizes that all of this is the total antithesis of what it means to be free. But an unawakened person believes the illusion and wants what they are programmed to want. To them, if society says so and everyone else is doing it, it must be good, normal and natural. Only the awakened person realizes it's all a con full of lies, mind control, illusion, voluntary slavery and the giving up of one's life and freedom.

True freedom means that you can do whatever you want (for the most part at least) as long as you don't harm others, without the control and interference of others. But the commitment of employment and marriage take that away. There is no doubt about that. But we are NOT conditioned to want true freedom. Instead, we are conditioned to WANT enslavement by giving up control of our life, time and daily schedule to others. Yet we are TOLD that we have freedom in America and that "freedom is what makes America great" when in reality we do NOT have true freedom. It's a total lie that makes no sense and contradicts reality.

Think about it. Most Americans who are enslaved by employment and bound by marriage do NOT have true freedom because for the most part, since they CANNOT do whatever they want everyday without control and interference from others. In childhood, their life is controlled by their school system in the day and their parents at night. Then in adulthood, their life is controlled by their bosses, managers and spouses. Yet they BELIEVE that they have freedom. Why? Because they are TOLD that they do! They are told that since no one named Adolf Hitler runs their government, that they can go to the voting booth, and that they have 20 flavors of bagels to choose from, etc. that they have freedom, even though their lives are controlled by others and they cannot do whatever they want everyday! It's an insane hypocrisy and bizarro world. Yet most don't see it cause the system programs their minds not to see it but to see the opposite by redefining everything and turning people into "happy slaves" who do not want true freedom.

Now if you agree with all this and want to know what you can do about it, my advice is this: Try to become self-employed. Or at least find ways to cut your expenses so that you can work part-time and at least have half the day to be truly free. This may sound hard, but if you remember that "Where there's a will, there's a way" you can find a way. Or you can join one of those self-sustaining eco-villages around the world, if you're into that sort of thing. If you can't do any of these things, at least be employed in something that you love, so that it does not feel like slavery.

There is a guy I know named Walt Goodridge who is very good at helping people turn their passion into profit to become self-employed. You can see his website, books, articles and interviews at PassionProfit.com To help you learn how to free your mind and life, overcome the social programming traps and false assumptions ingrained into you, I highly recommend the late Harry Browne's ebook "How I Found True Freedom in an Unfree World." You can get it from HarryBrowne.org.

As for relationships, seek love if you want it. And if you find it, let that love itself keep you together if possible. There is no need for swearing an oath or creating binding lifetime contracts to keep you together against nature's will. Try to explain this to your partner if he/she is marriage-minded, and try to "deprogram" him/her as well. If they still don't agree, then only you can decide what's best for you. But for God's sake, don't call lie and call slavery "freedom" and freedom "slavery".

Be glad though, that just by realizing all this, you've already taken the first step out of the matrix programming toward the liberation of your own mind, which is the beginning of true freedom. So, even if you have to remain a physical slave, at least your mind is free.

But if you don't agree with any of this, then good luck to you. I hope I've given you something to consider.

Always remember, as Frederich Neitzche said, "No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself".


Discussions about this essay:

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138187
http://www.happierabroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8757
http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1426

For more of my freethinking articles, visit http://www.happierabroad.com/articles.php