I used to think it would come as subtle conspiracies masterminded by evil geniuses; Goebbels and Big Brother, aided by high technology and the latest psychological techniques and Madison Avenue marketing.

Instead, it seems to be evolving naturally from the minds of little, petty men who are probably not even aware they are doing it. What works is simply repeated with variations, what doesn't is discarded and soon replaced by something else. It seems to be a process not unlike biological evolution, mind control by natural selection. There is no Intelligent Design, but the adaptation to modern conditions and the contemporary media environment is fast, and right on target. And those who are carrying it out seem as oblivious to what they are doing as are their targets and victims.

Trump is certainly qualified; a showman, an entertainer, always selling the sizzle, not the steak. But he doesn't really know what he's doing, which makes him so much more dangerous. His audience has convinced itself that the Mainstream Media is a servant of their oppressors, not just because they are a vehicle for advertising and marketing, but because it reflects the abstract motivations and ideologies of who they see as their enemies, the Jews (or in America's case, the Liberals). Audience and showman are locked together, feeding off each other, the energy is provided by fear, the instinctive knowledge that the American Dream appears to be vanishing before our eyes.

Those who do see it for what it is are too caught up in the impending success of their agenda. They have convinced themselves that the man's a fool and a bully, but their tax cuts and regulatory policies are finally to be realized. They dare not try to stop it even if they see the danger, they've waited for this day too long to interfere now, so they talk themselves into overlooking the obvious.

I think I'm starting to understand it, but I derive little comfort from that knowledge. I can't see any way to stop it.