From MOSF 20.11: “False” by Dr. Joe Pierre: A Vital Exploration of Our Vulnerability to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories

Hi all,

My last newsletter was on June 28. On July 23, my editor at Psychology Today said it was time to "part ways." After 14 years and over 300 articles as a contributing "expert blogger." This was the article that triggered their opprobrium.

MOSF 20.8: Dismissing Concerns About Migrants Perpetuates Suffering, Erodes Human Dignity, and Emboldens Tyranny  (July 19, 2025)
Many Republican voters dismiss the concerns of Blacks and migrants; this compounds the cruel and unusual punishment of racism, abusive power, and bias. Moving through our national impasse requires changing the very way we relate to each other – from distance to proximity, dismissal to compassion.

It was a week after Colbert got cancelled, and just before Jonathan Capehart left the WashPo. Since then, Karen Attiah and Matthew Dowd were fired, from WashPo and MSNBC. And last week, Kimmel was pulled. The media purge has been going on since before the election, most visibly starting with Bezos and Soon-Shiong pulling endorsements for Kamala last year. But this is all the tip of the iceberg of media censorship, bias, and soft-pedalling. We can all note the glaring sane-washing of Mr. Trump right now. Why don't they just cover his gaffes, his "unusual" cognitive capacity, and his character issues? 

Power resists insight, and most media is complicit with power.

So I appreciate your support for my work and research. I would appreciate your becoming a free or paid subscriber to my Substack. I've had 13 posts there since my last newsletter, most recently hailing the victory of free speech with Jimmy Kimmel.

I'll continue to post there and at East Wind.

MOSF 20.11: “False” by Dr. Joe Pierre: A Vital Exploration of Our Vulnerability to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories (September 15, 2025) Dr. Joe Pierre ably points out the cognitive mishaps that allow apex predators to attract and unduly influence followers. We are all vulnerable. But society has to better identify apex predators, to help us survive and thrive in the firehose of falsehoods that is coming at us, from Trump, RFK, Jr. and all their minions. We can also go farther and see how apex predators are tapping into grandiose, overvalued ideas and cultural biases.

MOSF 20.9: The Trolley Problem and Other Ethical Questions of Trump’s Immigration Policy: Is Cruelty the Point? (July 26, 2025)
Opinion polls are turning against Mr. Trump’s cruel immigration policies. This is the “Human Intelligence Quantum Machine” at work, faced with at least four significant ethical problems. Thinking about these ethical problems can help us understand ourselves and the situation at hand.

MOSF 20.10: Satsuki Ina’s “The Poet and the Silk Girl” Vividly Portrays Japanese American Imprisonment, Intergenerational Trauma, and Healing – Through Her Family’s Story (August 5, 2025) “The Poet and the Silk Girl” by Satsuki Ina (2024) is a powerful memoir of her parents’ lives during their incarceration and imprisonment during World War II, and an insightful record of intergenerational trauma and healing through protest and allyship with the vulnerable. Dr. Ina’s work with Tsuru for Solidarity continues in support of migrants and against detention and deportation. 

Thanks all!

Warmly,

Ravi