مقدمة

Yesterday, I watched a podcast discussing how private equity firms are taking over every part of U.S. society they possibly can, squeezing every cent out of people they can — from veterinary services to firefighters’ vehicles and much, much more.

After that, I watched a video discussing how many young people seem to have no idea about basic social norms regarding clothing — not even what’s inappropriate for a funeral. The video mentioned the term “main character syndrome” — an attitude of “I do whatever I feel like, and others should adapt to me.”

At first glance, these two videos seem unrelated, but they are deeply connected through a global trend: the increasing exploitation and manipulation of the masses by the “elites,” often using social media. Culture wars, outrage, and hatred aren’t accidental — they’re engineered.

Mass social media platforms have been around since the early 2000s: LinkedIn was founded in 2002, Facebook in 2004, YouTube in 2005. Soon, platforms realized that anger drives engagement — and engagement drives profit. Outrage became the algorithm’s fuel.

For an even longer time, politicians have understood the concept of “divide et impera” — divide and rule. Solidarity among the masses is dangerous for the powerful. It didn’t take long for politicians to seize the opportunity for accelerated, targeted propaganda of hate and culture wars that social media offered.

Within less than a decade, the political consequences became visible — one of the earliest and most tragic examples being the hatred against the Rohingya people spread via Facebook, which fueled real-life genocide in Myanmar.

Isolation and Losing Social Skills

Then came Covid. Lockdowns deepened loneliness and pushed people even further online. Even after that, many young people spend their formative years were spent in digital isolation. With parents at work, grandparents far away, and neighborhood communities fading, they lacked role models to teach communication and emotional regulation.

On social media, simple and extreme content dominates: simplistic opinions, attention-seeking stunts, black-and-white thinking. Kids absorb this distorted reality and form views based on caricatures rather than real people.

Without guidance, they don’t learn nuance. They don’t learn empathy. And without empathy, it becomes harder to form healthy relationships. Loneliness grows — and into that void step political manipulators, offering two things:

1. Someone to hate (anger is addictive), and

2. A “community” of people who think the same way, offering a false sense of belonging.

The Ongoing Class War

In the shadow of culture wars, the wealthy class keeps extracting and hoarding wealth from the rest of humanity. The consequences are visible everywhere: declining living standards, increasingly exploitative price gouging for basic commodities, continuous wage theft, and rising taxes on everyone except the rich.

People cannot tolerate this kind of survival pressure indefinitely. Politicians — and some of their wealthy friends — know the history of revolutions. Yet, in their greed, they don’t stop; instead, they distract people by giving them someone else to blame and fueling culture wars. Unfortunately, this strategy works extremely well — at least for a while.

Recently, AI bots and AI-generated content have amplified these manipulative messages even further. But even this cannot last forever. The real question is: how much suffering will people endure before things finally change?

Again and again throughout history, when oppressed people finally rise up, they rarely choose a thoughtful leader with balanced views. Instead, they often choose someone delivering inflammatory speeches, promising simple solutions — and then forgetting about them once in power.

Some Guidelines for Engagement

So, what can be done? Many reasonable and balanced people avoid online political discussions altogether for the sake of their peace of mind. However, this often allows toxic narratives to dominate. Social media could be a better place if more thoughtful people contributed even a little time to offering reasonable perspectives.

You don’t have to spend hours — but if more people invested even a few minutes a day, we could start offsetting the army of propaganda bots.

Here are some suggestions on how to engage effectively without burning out:

1. Don’t try to convince bots and trolls 

Bots and trolls are لا arguing in good faith. Don’t waste energy trying to change their minds. Instead, when replying, focus on other readers who may be undecided or “on the edge” — impressionable, but still open to reason.

2. Use active listening and validation

Validating the واقعية parts of someone’s perspective can make them more open to hearing yours. Avoid getting trapped in a power struggle. It might feel righteous to “win” an argument, but this usually alienates potential allies.

First, acknowledge where your “opponent” has a point. Then gently point out what they’re missing. Again, don’t expect to change their mind — focus on the audience watching the exchange.

For example, someone might have voted for Trump because they felt exploited and desperate. Acknowledge their despair and validate their feeling of being exploited — then explain how Trump used that desperation to manipulate them. Avoid insults and labels; they only make people shut down.

Keep in mind: Trump and many other propagandists use highly hypnotic language patterns. Some of their followers may have been subjected to what could almost be called mass hypnosis.

3. Expose “culture war” distractions

Keep reminding people that most “culture war” topics are red herrings — carefully designed distractions meant to divert attention from wage theft, asset hoarding, and the ongoing class war.

4. Avoid tribalism

Don’t blindly defend “your side.” Call out unfair arguments and generalizations even among those who agree with you. Remember: the goal is to build allies, not alienate potential supporters.

5. Learn to recognize logical fallacies

Understanding logical fallacies helps you dismantle manipulative arguments. But again — don’t focus on convincing the person making the fallacy. Focus on bystanders who might otherwise be misled.

6. Protect your energy

Trolls will try to upset you and throw you off balance. Stay detached. No single discussion is worth sacrificing your peace of mind.

7. Favor nonviolent resistance

History shows that nonviolent resistance is often more effective than violence — especially since those with institutional power tend to control the tools of violence. Nonviolent actions allow larger numbers of people to participate safely.

General strikes are the most powerful tool, though harder to organize. In the meantime, explore smaller forms of peaceful sabotage, creative resistance, and even psychological warfare against manipulative narratives.

8. Rebuild local community

Hyper-individualism has left many people isolated. Covid lockdowns and excessive time online have worsened this. But strength lies in numbers.

Humans are not designed for isolation — as a species, we survived and thrived through cooperation. Building connections locally doesn’t just produce concrete results; it also fulfills emotional and social needs.

Remember: bullies are always the minority. There are far more good people than bad — but they need to connect and organize to make an impact.

9. Balance activism with rest

Engaging with these topics can be exhausting. Make sure to also consume uplifting content and spend time relaxing. You’ll be more resilient in the long run.

10. Don’t expect miracles — but act anyway

Human nature is far from perfect, and change is slow. Your comments and actions might لا transform the entire system — but they يمكن make a meaningful difference for a few people. And sometimes, that’s enough.

In the end, no unjust system is truly stable. Sooner or later, dictatorships and oppressive structures collapse. Yes, sometimes things must get worse before they get better — but history shows that, over time, humanity tends to learn, adapt, and slowly improve.