The Party

Being an expatriate American in Berlin, I am occasionally asked by my German friends to explain what the hell is wrong with America. “CJ,” they ask me, in their scary German accents, “was zum Teufel ist los mit Amerika?” In the past, this question normally referred to the latest mass shooting at some school or… Read More The Party

USAF Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper for President

In a departure from our usual behind-the-scenes-type operations, the Consent Factory announces today its endorsement of USAF Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper for President. Given the recent and ongoing series of relentless attacks on America, and democracy itself, being perpetrated more or less around the clock by the Russians (hereinafter the “Rooskies”), Wikileaks, Trump, and… Read More USAF Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper for President

How America Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The War on Terror

The “War on Terror,” which former President George W. Bush officially launched in late-September 2001, and which President Obama officially rebranded as “The Series of Persistent Targeted Efforts to Dismantle Specific Networks of Violent Extremists That Threaten America” in May 2013, has, at this point (i.e. fifteen years into it), become our official consensus reality… Read More How America Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The War on Terror

How to Operate an Anti-Authoritarian Hacktivist Cult (Part 2)

One of the essential aspects of operating an anti-authoritarian hacktivist cult is monitoring and controlling communications, both on the cult member-to-cult member level and within the minds of individual cult members. This is what is known as Milieu Control, and is not as complicated as many people think. All we’re actually talking about is controlling… Read More How to Operate an Anti-Authoritarian Hacktivist Cult (Part 2)

The Blood-Dimmed Tide of Neo-nationalism and Other Scary Simulacra

Well, it’s shaping up to be a long, hot Summer, or year, or possibly decade or two, what with all the global political chaos, racial tensions, social unrest, and the blood-dimmed tide of Neo-nationalism rising inexorably out of Spiritus Mundi like the contents of a backed-up toilet. Whatever is actually going on — which is… Read More The Blood-Dimmed Tide of Neo-nationalism and Other Scary Simulacra

How to Operate an Anti-Authoritarian Hacktivist Cult (Part 1)

We’re going to begin our series on How to Operate an Anti-Authoritarian Hacktivist Cult by reviewing the three essentials of operating any type of cult: (1) the Charismatic Cult leader; (2) Isolation from Society; and (3) the Apocalyptic Ideology. We assume you’re already familiar with how these features function in more traditional cults, so we’ll… Read More How to Operate an Anti-Authoritarian Hacktivist Cult (Part 1)

Ask the Consent Factory (Episode 2): So Our Boss Wants to Start Up a Hacktivist Cult

Dear Consent Factory: I handle external communications for a privately-funded international NGO active in the fields of education and alternative lending strategies in developing countries. One of the major benefactors of the private foundation that owns the foreign subsidiary that owns our NGO read your How to Herd your Critics into Fake Communities and Waste… Read More Ask the Consent Factory (Episode 2): So Our Boss Wants to Start Up a Hacktivist Cult