Community News
We are not as in smart as we think we are; actually our minds are controlled
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
Influencing people’s behaviour is nothing new to the Government, which has often used tools such as legislation, regulation or taxation to achieve desired policy outcomes. But many of the biggest policy challenges we are now facing – such as the increase in people with chronic health conditions – will only be resolved if we are successful in persuading people to change their behaviour, their lifestyles or their existing habits. MINDSPACE, Influencing behaviour through public policy
What if I was to tell you that most of your behaviour in the last year was achieved through the unethical use of covert psychological strategies? That our government was using “nudges” in their messaging campaigns.
What if I told you that they had used tools as incentives and information to change behaviour by changing your mind because they realize that people do not always respond to situations in the most rational way?
I was most recently introduced to an article by Gary Sidley called, “A year of Fear.” (https://thecritic.co.uk/a-year-of-fear/). In the article, he exposes information that is chilling, but worthy of sharing because after reading it, it made perfect sense as to why many of us have been reacting to this pandemic.
He shared that a major contribution to the mass obedience of the British people is likely to have been the activities of government-employed psychologists working as part of the “Behavioural Insights Team,” a team conceived in 2010 dedicated to the application of behavioural science to policy.
They had put together a discussion document called MINDSPACE, which happens to be a checklist of influences on our behaviour derived for use when making policy.
Hmmm!
Naturally I was intrigued and decided to take a look at this 96-page document. What I found was intriguing, but not surprising. It made me think; how many of these tools have been used on the Canadian public, and more specifically, had any of them been used to influence the Canadian people during this pandemic?
I am going to briefly break down the acronym MINDSPACE, but I encourage you to take a look at the link that I provided above.
Messenger
We are heavily influenced by who communicates information
Quite naturally, we give weight to information if the information comes from a perceived authority. It was found that people are more likely to act on information if experts deliver it. It makes me think about all of the announcements and press releases delivered to us during the pandemic, and the fact that our politicians weighed heavily on a handful of selected doctors to deliver messages to the people.
It is important to note that we are also affected by the feelings we have for the messenger. We may irrationally discard advice given by someone we dislike (government officials), so they will use sports stars, entertainers or social influencers to deliver that same message.
This is something to think about the next time that someone you really like seems to be aligning his or her message with the powers that be.
Incentives
Our responses to incentives are shaped by predictable mental shortcuts such as strongly avoiding losses
We dislike losses more than we like gains of an equivalent amount. If you get the vaccine, life will get back to normal. We all want life to get back to normal. The incentive is taking the vaccine, and the avoided loss is the loss of our freedom.
Norms
We are strongly influenced by what others do
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are not as strong-minded as we think we are. In actuality, we tend to do what those around us are already doing.
We tend to act on social and cultural norms, which are the behavioural expectations, or rules, within a society or group. Norms can be explicitly stated (“Wear a mask‟ signs in public places) or implicit in observed behaviour (everyone wearing masks). We often take our understanding of social norms from the behaviour of others, which means that they can develop and spread rapidly.
Some social norms have a powerful automatic effect on behaviour (e.g. socially distancing) and can influence actions in positive and negative ways. The power of following social norms may come from the social penalties for non-compliance, or the social benefit that comes from conforming.
If the norm is not immediately apparent to people, repeated efforts may be required for its effects to become self-sustaining. It makes sense that in every other commercial we will see someone wearing a mask. It is in the efforts to normalize the behaviour. If you are not wearing one, YOU are not normal.
Defaults
We go with the flow‟ of pre-set options
Once again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but many decisions we make every day have a default option, whether we recognize it or not. Defaults are the options that are pre-selected if an individual does not make an active choice. Defaults exert influence as individuals regularly accept whatever the default setting is, even if it has significant consequences.
What are some of our default settings? Well for some of us, it has become strapping a mask on our faces when we leave the house. It has become isolating from our loved ones. It has become sitting glued to the television watching the COVID-19 death count. It has become condemning those who do not accept the social norm and labelling the anti.
Salience
Our attention is drawn to what is novel and seems relevant to us
In our everyday lives, we are bombarded with stimuli, and this can become very overwhelming. As a result, we tend to unconsciously filter out much information as a coping strategy.
We are much more likely to be able to understand things that are presented in ways that relate directly to our personal experiences than to things presented in a more general and abstract way.
Another way to explain it is using the term confirmation bias. This is a tendency for people to pay little attention to information that challenges an existing belief, and only focus intently on information that supports what we believe. For example, if I wear a mask, socially distance, and take the vaccine, I will not get COVID-19 or pass it to others, even though research shows that this is not the case.
Priming
Our acts are often influenced by subconscious cues
Are you aware that the way you act is often influenced by subconscious cues?
Priming shows that our behaviour may be altered if we are first exposed to certain sights, words or sensations. Priming seems to act outside of conscious awareness, which means it is different from simply remembering things.
Examples of priming are the many commercials that have littered our television screens reminding us that we have to practice all government mandates in order to keep safe. Remember, you are not wearing a mask for you; you are wearing it for other people. If you don’t do this, you are selfish.
Affect
Our emotional associations can powerfully shape our actions
Affect (the act of experiencing emotion) is a powerful force in decision-making. As human beings, we are driven by our emotions. We respond to words, images and events, and the response can be rapid and automatic. Emotions are so strong that we can experience a behavioural reaction before we realise what we are reacting to.
Think about this the next time the government of Canada shows you a video with an elderly person in a hospital bed, tubes running through them, and then that sound that comes from the heart monitor indicating death, due to COVID-19 of course.
Commitments
We seek to be consistent with our public promises and reciprocate acts
Human beings are procrastinators and tend to procrastinate and delay taking decisions that are likely to be in our long-term interests. It has been shown that commitments usually become more effective as the costs for failure increase. One common method for increasing such costs is to make commitments public, since breaking the commitment will lead to significant reputational damage.
The government of Canada has asked us to commit to following all of their COVID-19 policies and procedures so that we can go back to seeing our friends and family. This means we have to commit to masking, social distancing, skipping holidays (there is always next year), and staying home.
Ego
We act in ways that make us feel better about ourselves
Sigh! We tend to behave in a way that supports the impression of a positive and consistent self-image. When things go well in our lives, we attribute it to ourselves; when they go badly, it’s the fault of other people, or the situation we were put in. This phenomenon is known as the “Fundamental attribution error.”
The cases are going down, so this must mean that people are doing what they are supposed to be doing. They are following protocols, and of course, they are going to get their vaccine.
What is that, cases are going back up again. It must be those damn anti-maskers, and conspiracy theorists.
I urge you to read and reread MINDSPACE. Although this discussion piece was intended for the British audience, I find it strange that our government has implemented many of the same techniques.
Makes me wonder.
BY KHADIJA KARIM
Have you ever forgotten someone’s name, or where you left your phone and thought, “Why can’t I remember anything?” Forgetting might feel frustrating, but it turns out that forgetting things can actually be good for you. Experts believe forgetting might be an important part of human survival and could even have benefits.
You probably think that remembering everything would be better, right? If you remembered every tiny detail, like what you had for breakfast three weeks ago, or the colour of every car you saw today, you would be overwhelmed. Our brains are constantly receiving information, and if we didn’t forget some of it, we wouldn’t be able to focus on what really matters at that time.
Forgetting helps you clear out information you don’t need, and it helps your brain remember the most useful memories. Think about how hard it would be to focus on important things if your mind was filled with random thoughts. Forgetting helps you stay focused and keeps your mind from getting lost.
So, why would evolution make us forget things? Early humans had to deal with dangerous environments that changed quickly. They needed to remember things that helped them survive, like where to find food, or how to avoid predators. They didn’t need to remember every small detail, like what happened last week. Forgetting information, they didn’t need allowed them to make quick decisions based on what was most important at that moment in time.
For example, if you remember a recent storm, you might make sure to stay inside or find shelter. If you remembered every storm you’d ever seen, it would be harder to make decisions about the present. Forgetting irrelevant details helps you stay on your feet and helps you react faster to new situations. This ability to forget likely helped early humans survive and make better decisions in their everyday lives.
Next time you forget something, don’t be too hard on yourself! Forgetting is a natural part of how our brains work and can actually help you stay focused on the important things. It might seem annoying at times, but it’s helping you make better decisions. Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive in a world that’s always changing!
Community News
Blink equity dives deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in Canadian law firms
BY ADRIAN REECE
Representation in the workforce has been a topic of conversation for years, particularly in positions of influence, where people can shift laws and create fair policies for all races. Representation in the legal system is an even more talked about subject, with many Black men being subjected to racism in courts and not being given fair sentencing by judges.
The fear of Black men entering the system is something that plagues mothers and fathers as they watch their children grow up.
Blink Equity, a company led by Pako Tshiamala, has created an audit called the Blink Score. This audit targets law firms and seeks to identify specific practices reflecting racial diversity among them in Toronto. A score is given based on a few key performance indicators. These KPIs include hiring practices, retention of diverse talent, and racial representation at every level.
The Blink Score project aims to analyze law firms in Ontario with more than 50 lawyers. The Blink Score is a measurement tool that holds law firms accountable for their representation. Firms will be ranked, and the information will be made public for anyone to access.
This process is ambitious and seeks to give Canadian citizens a glimpse into how many people are represented across the legal field. While more and more people have access to higher education, there is still a gap between obtaining that higher education and working in a setting where change can be made. The corporate world, at its highest points, is almost always one race across the board, and very rarely do people of colour get into their ranks. They are made out to be an example of how anyone from a particular race can achieve success. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Nepotism plays a role in societal success; connections are a factor, and loyalty to race, even if people are acquainted.
People of colour comprise 16% of the total lawyers across the province. Positions at all levels range from 6% to 27%. These numbers display the racial disparity among law practitioners in positions of influence. Becoming a lawyer is undoubtedly a huge accomplishment. Still, when entering the workforce with other seasoned professionals, your academic accolades become second to your professional achievements and your position in the company.
What do these rankings ultimately mean? A potential for DEI-inclusive practices, perhaps? That isn’t something that someone would want in this kind of profession. This kind of audit also opens law firms up to intense criticism from people who put merit above all other aspects of professional advancement. On the other hand, there is a potential for firms to receive clientele based on their blink score, with higher ones having the chance to bring in more race-based clients who can help that law firm grow.
It is only the beginning, and changes will undoubtedly be made in the legal field as Blink Equity continues to dive deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in these law firms. This audit has the power to shift the power scale, and place people of colour in higher positions. There are hierarchies in any profession, and while every Lawyer is qualified to do what they are trained to do, it is no shock that some are considerably better than others at their jobs. The ones who know how to use this audit to their advantage will rise above the others and create a representative image for themselves among their population.
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
We are living in a world where promises of health and safety came packaged in a tiny vial, one injection was promoted by powerful governments, supported by respected institutions, and championed by legacy media worldwide. Sadly, beneath the surface, a darker truth emerged.
Reports from around the globe began to tell a different story—one that was not covered in the news cycles or press conferences. Families torn apart by unexpected losses, communities impacted in ways that few could have foreseen, and millions questioning what they had been told to believe.
Those who dared to question were silenced or dismissed (the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper being one of those sources). “Trust the science,” we were told. “It’s for the greater good.” As time went on, the truth became impossible to ignore.
Now, I bring more news to light—information that demands your attention and scrutiny. The time to passively listen has passed; this is the moment to understand what’s really at stake.
I reviewed an interview with Naomi Wolf, journalist and CEO of Daily Clout, which detailed the serious vaccine-related injuries that Pfizer and the FDA knew of by early 2021, but tried to hide from the public. I was introduced to “The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer’s Crimes Against Humanity.” What I learned is that Pfizer knew about the inadequacies of its COVID-19 vaccine trials and the vaccine’s many serious adverse effects, and so did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA promoted the vaccines anyway — and later tried to hide the data from the public.
To produce “The Pfizer Papers,” Naomi, and Daily Clout Chief Operations Officer Amy Kelly convened thousands of volunteer scientists and doctors to analyze Pfizer data and supplementary data from other public reporting systems to capture the full scope of the vaccines’ effects. They obtained the data from the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a group of more than 30 medical professionals and scientists who sued the FDA in 2021 and forced the agency to release the data, after the FDA refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.
It was then that the federal court ordered the agency to release 450,000 internal documents pertaining to the licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The data release was significantly and the documents so highly technical and scientific that according to Naomi, “No journalist could have the bandwidth to go through them all.”
The “Pfizer Papers” analysts found over 42,000 case reports detailing 158,893 adverse events reported to Pfizer in the first three months The centerpiece of “The Pfizer Papers” is the effect that the vaccine had on human reproduction. The papers reveal that Pfizer knew early on that the shots were causing menstrual issues. The company reported to the FDA that 72% of the recorded adverse events were in women. Of those, about 16% involved reproductive disorders and functions. In the clinical trials, thousands of women experienced: daily bleeding, hemorrhaging, and passing of tissue, and many other women reported that their menstrual cycle stopped completely.
Pfizer was aware that lipid nanoparticles from the shots accumulated in the ovaries and crossed the placental barrier, compromising the placenta and keeping nutrients from the baby in utero. According to the data, babies had to be delivered early, and women were hemorrhaging in childbirth.
Let us take us to another part of the world, where research has been done on other pharmaceutical companies. A group of Argentine scientists identified 55 chemical elements — not listed on package inserts — in the: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CanSino, Sinopharm and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines (according to a study published last week in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research).
The samples also contained 11 of the 15 rare earth elements (they are heavier, silvery metals often used in manufacturing). These chemical elements, which include lanthanum, cerium and gadolinium, are lesser known to the general public than heavy metals, but have been shown to be highly toxic. By the end of 2023, global researchers had identified 24 undeclared chemical elements in the COVID-19 vaccine formulas.
Vaccines often include excipients — additives used as preservatives, adjuvants, stabilizers, or for other purposes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), substances used in the manufacture of a vaccine, but not listed in the contents of the final product should be listed somewhere in the package insert. Why is this important? Well, researchers argue it is because excipients can include allergens and other “hidden dangers” for vaccine recipients.
In one lot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, researchers identified 15 chemical elements, of which 14 were undeclared. In the other lot, they detected 21 elements of which 20 were undeclared. In the CanSino vial, they identified 22 elements, of which 20 were undeclared.
The three Pfizer vials contained 19, 16 and 21-23 undeclared elements respectively. The Moderna vials contained 21 and between 16-29 undeclared elements. The Sinopharm vials contained between 17-23 undeclared elements and the Sputnik V contained between 19-25 undetected elements.
“All of the heavy metals detected are linked to toxic effects on human health,” the researchers wrote. Although the metals occurred in different frequencies, many were present across multiple samples.
I am not going to go any further with this; I think you get the picture. We have been sold wolf cookies, very dangerous ones. These pharmaceutical companies must be held accountable. I am proud of anyone who has gone after them for retribution, and have received it. Regardless, in many ways, there is no repayment for a healthy life.
REFERENCES:
https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/111
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender_category/toxic-exposures/
Pfizer’s ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ — and Legacy Media’s Failure to Report on Them
55 Undeclared Chemical Elements — Including Heavy Metals — Found in COVID Vaccines
FDA Should Need Only ‘12 Weeks’ to Release Pfizer Data, Not 75 Years, Plaintiff Calculates
Judge Gives FDA 8 Months, Not 75 Years, to Produce Pfizer Safety Data
Most Studies Show COVID Vaccine Affects Menstrual Cycles, BMJ Review Finds
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