Introduction
Do you believe that the United States is in decline today? Now imagine you asked an American this question 30 years ago. How would they have responded? No one would have even talked about it with you. Every American citizen was, first and foremost, a patriot of their country and firmly believed that Americans are the greatest nation at the peak of its powers with a great future ahead.
In recent decades, the topic of America’s decline has become a widely discussed topic not only in the US, but also in the international media. Patriotism is falling, public attitudes are deteriorating, and confidence in the future is waning. Yet, despite these gloomy sentiments, according to major economic indicators, America continues to prosper. It’s a paradox. Why is that so?
In this article, we will thoroughly analyze the causes and effects of these opposing trends, explore the influence of external force on shaping negative narratives, and try to answer the main question: is the US really in decline, or is that the result of an artificial information attack?
Part 1: Economic Indicators and the Real State of Economy
Facts are extremely stubborn things, and those facts tell us that despite the pessimistic sentiment, US economic indicators show that America is prospering. The country’s GDP continues to grow, inflation is stable, and unemployment is at historically low levels.
GDP Growth
In 2023, the US’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 2.1%, which is a stable growth rate for a developed economy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the average annual GDP growth rate has been around 2-3%1 over the past ten years.
In 2024, GDP per capita in the US stands at $70,248, one of the highest in the world.
Ellen Zentner, president of the National Association for Business Economics and chief US economist at Morgan Stanley, notes2 that recent forecasts show significant improvement in key sectors of the economy, including consumer spending, corporate investment, housing construction, and government spending. She argues that in 2024, gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 2.2%.
Unemployment rate
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate in June 2023 was 3.6% — one of the lowest rates over the last decades. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release3.
Inflation
The inflation rate in the US remains solidly low. According to usinflationcalculator.com, in 2023
inflation was 3%, which is almost in line with the 2% target, and remains one of the lowest rates in the world.
Consumer spending, an important indicator of a healthy economy, rose by 4.8% in 2024, showing an increase in real incomes of the population.
After COVID-19, the US’s financial standing has improved faster than in most other advanced economies thanks to the speed of the country’s economic recovery. According to CBO’s latest forecast, the deficit fell by $1.7 trillion between fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and this is the fastest deficit reduction in history.
As the figure shows, the US deficits were higher during the pandemic. CBO’s latest budget projections show that deficits have fallen to 4 percent of GDP and will remain around that level, which is well below the pandemic levels and even below the Administration’s estimates for the FY2023 budget.
Despite solid and encouraging economic indicators, public sentiments in the USA continue to deteriorate. Economists point to stable growth and expect further improvement in key sectors of the economy, which is supposed to contribute to optimism among the population. Yet, contrary to these positive economic trends, public sentiments signal otherwise.
Why, under such favorable economic conditions, do Americans continue to feel anxious and dissatisfied? What are the reasons behind such a gap between economic realities and people’s perception?
Part 2: Social Sentiments and the Influence of External Factors
Public surveys and opinion polls show that Americans are increasingly concerned and dissatisfied with the current state of the country.
We are dissatisfied with the economy
Only 33% of people approve of Biden’s actions on the economy4, and only 16% of US adults in an October AP-NORC5 poll say the economy has been “somewhat good.” More than 7 in 10 Americans surveyed called the economy somewhat poor, and 31% called it “really poor.”
Bob Triest, professor and chair of the Economics Department at Northeastern University, notes:
“Inflation has declined and the economy is showing steady growth, but many Americans still feel economic uncertainty and anxiety about the future.”
We do not trust the government
According to the Pew Research Center6, only 21% of Americans trust the government in 2024, which is extremely low and indicates a deep crisis of trust.
This value has remained at a low level for more than a decade, with only slight fluctuations depending on the political situation and the country’s leadership. Among Democrats, trust in the government stands at 29%, while among Republicans the figure is only 11%, and the overall trend is downward.
We do not trust each other
According to a survey carried out by Public Service Partnership7, 70% of Americans believe that low levels of trust in each other complicates solutions to many national problems such as immigration, healthcare, racial issues and gun violence.
We’re unhappy
According to a Gallup survey, happiness and life satisfaction levels in the USA have also been declining in recent years. Less than half of Americans (46%) consider themselves happy and satisfied with life. This indicator is especially low among young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, where the percentage of those who consider themselves happy is even lower.
We are about to start fighting each other
More than 50% of Americans expect that civil war is likely to break out in the next few years, according to an Ipsos poll analyzed by The Week8.
What is actually happening?
Despite robust economic growth and positive economic indicators, we are witnessing a significant deterioration in public sentiments in the USA. Trust in the government remains at record lows, and a large part of the population expresses deep dissatisfaction and pessimism about the future. Moreover, studies reveal that many Americans believe civil war is likely to start in the coming years.
Experts in social psychology and political science offer various explanations for this phenomenon. They point to the influence of social media and disinformation campaigns that increase polarization and distrust. Psychologists note that high levels of stress and uncertainty caused by both internal and external factors contribute to the growth of anxiety and dissatisfaction among the population.
Does it mean that the root of the problem is in our perception and psychological state? It is worth noting that these psychological dispositions are so strong that we even ignore objective external factors. We can assume that these dispositions lie at the deepest level of our consciousness, in the subconsciousness. But how did they get there? Who implanted them there, and what goals did they pursue while doing so?
What do experts say?
One of the key factors influencing deterioration of social sentiments is the information wars that are waged against the United States. Information security and social science experts9 point out that certain external forces with ties to Russia are actively employing informational attacks to undermine trust in the government and create an atmosphere of instability. Such information campaigns are aimed at spreading disinformation and increasing social disunity within the country.
In addition, analysts note that social media and digital platforms play an important role in proliferation of those disinformation campaigns. For example, a Brookings Institution report indicates that about 15% of all news disseminated via social media in the run-up to the 2024 election had signs of manipulation and disinformation, which significantly influences public opinion and increases social tensions. According to their analysis, more than 70% of podcasts in the sample contained at least one unsubstantiated or false claim.
The Infodemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global “infodemic” in 2020, caused by the rapid and widespread circulation of disinformation. This infodemic leads to distrust and poses a threat to public health.
Disinformation also leads to serious societal consequences. A study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA)10 emphasizes that dissemination of disinformation erodes trust in institutions and increases polarization in society. This creates favorable conditions for destabilizing democracy and increases the likelihood of social conflicts.
An analysis published in Oxford Academic shows that constant exposure to disinformation changes people’s behavior, causing them to make poor decisions relying on false information. This includes changes in political preferences and social behavior, which may have lasting negative effects on society (Oxford Academic, 2024)
The impact of disinformation on social sentiments in the United States is a critical factor: our citizens’ acceptance or rejection of this information determines the future of our country. Research has shown that disinformation not only increases anxiety and fear among the population, but also erodes trust in government institutions and increases polarization in society. This leads to social destabilization and threatens democracy.
Experts concur that constant exposure to disinformation can alter the behavior of entire social groups, individuals, and even politicians, causing people to make poor decisions and develop erroneous views.
Thus, despite favorable circumstances, the impact of disinformation can be devastating. It can lead to social disintegration, conflict, and even civil wars. This is especially important to consider in the context of external information attacks aimed at undermining stability in the United States.
Informational terrorism
While considering the detrimental impact of disinformation on society, including its health, we cannot but mention an even more sinister form of manipulation — informational terrorism. If disinformation is capable of engendering distrust in the authorities and causing social destabilization, informational terrorism poses an immediate threat to national security and public order. Through covert and targeted actions, informational terrorists seek to destroy people’s mental health and their consciousness by creating an atmosphere of fear and hostility. This powerful form of terror threatens the societal landscape far more than ordinary disinformation does, and it requires close attention and active counteraction at all levels of society.
In the modern world, informational terror attacks have become one of the most powerful and destructive tools for destabilizing society. Unlike traditional forms of terrorism where physical violence and destruction are used, informational terrorism influences people’s psyche and consciousness, thus shaping necessary opinions and judgments that guide people’s behavior. It’s a form of negative impact on personality, society and the state through various types of information aimed at weakening and undermining the constitutional order. The danger of informational terrorism is that it is not perceived as terrorism, therefore, people do not protect themselves against it.
The primary source and instigator of informational terror attacks are representatives of global anti-cultism. For the first time this shadow organization has been described in detail in the recent documentary “The IMPACT”, which is a result of a large-scale international investigation.
One of the levers used by upholders or anti-cultism to implement informational terror attacks are the so-called anti-cult organizations. The key methods and tools of anti-cultists are dehumanization, stigmatization and labeling through the media. They use terms such as “cult”, “sect”, “totalitarian sect”, “destructive cult”, “cultists” or “sectarians” to portray certain groups or individuals in a negative way to the public. They can indiscriminately accuse social, secular or, more often, religious groups of harming people and society, and manipulate public opinion through these terms to reinforce a negative impression.
Informational terrorism affects your subconsciousness while bypassing critical thinking. Its goal and objective is to undermine the constitutional and democratic order in your country. School shootings, state coups, wars, assassination attempts on politicians, murders of individuals and entire groups, persecution and harassment — all these are manifestations and outcomes of informational terror attacks on your consciousness.
Activities of those terrorists pose a serious threat to society’s stability and security. All this requires a thorough analysis and counteraction at all levels to protect society from the devastating impact of disinformation and informational terror attacks.
Part 3: Anti-Cultist Influence and Hybrid Warfare
Anti-cult movements and their methods of deceiving citizens of the United States and other countries illustrate how information warfare can shatter democratic foundations and unleash chaos and violence. These methods include information attacks, spread of disinformation, manipulations through the media, informational acts of terror, bribery and manipulation over politicians, public servants and law enforcement officers, and, eventually, total seizure of power in certain countries.
In our article Crimes of Anti-Cultism. The “Waco” Case. How the Group of Americans “Branch Davidians” Was Demonized and Destroyed, we described in detail how innocent American citizens were killed by law enforcement officers who themselves, during and prior to the siege, were subjected to disinformation and psychological manipulation by anti-cultists. Through the efforts of anti-cultists, this very event set off a time bomb in our country with a goal of destroying the United States.
How they act
Anti-cultists employ disinformation campaigns to create a negative image of targeted organizations. It usually starts with publishing disinformation and manipulative articles in mass media. For example, they spread rumors and fabricate stories about the harm that targeted organizations allegedly cause to society, and bring up false accusations, fake testimonies and victims.
According to the results of the investigation that was going on since 1993, which were made public by Egon Cholakian, anti-cultists began their actions for destabilizing democratic systems by employing methods developed during the Soviet Union times.
Egon Cholakian asserts that the architects of consciousness are capable of planting a destructive image into the consciousness of a person they target through a chain of five people. At the same time, the targeted individual perceives this image as his own thought or as an idea with a clear goal for subsequent actions.
Anti-cultists often use third-party organizations to mask their true intentions. Those may be religious groups, social movements, or even human rights organizations that unconsciously become tools of manipulation. The investigation cites the example of the Russian Orthodox Church which, under the manipulation of representatives of anti-cult organizations, is actively involved in spreading slander. Anti-cultists use the church and people’s trust in it to legitimize their attacks and give them more weight in the eyes of the public.
Thus, in 2017, on the initiative of the notorious anti-cultist Alexander Dvorkin and the anti-cult organization RACIRS he leads, Jehovah’s Witnesses were declared an extremist organization and their activities were banned in Russia. Since then, repressions against them have intensified and continue to this day. Members of this religious organization are subjected to searches, arrests, and prosecutions.
Many believers, including elderly people and retirees, were sentenced to long terms in penal colonies and prisons. As a result of such aggressive brainwashing by anti-cultists, an elderly woman received threats and then was brutally beaten and eventually left with multiple stab wounds and a gouged eye. Meanwhile, local media justified this brutality by saying that she was merely a member of one of the “cults”, as they now often call peaceful citizens who belong to this religious organization.
Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia is coordinated with the involvement of the Federal Security Service (FSS). Jehovah’s Witnesses do not fit into the political structure of modern Russia, as they renounce military service, do not support political parties, and thus do not conform to Russia’s present-day ideology.
Following the lead of the top anti-cult ideologists, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and its representatives publicly support persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses, calling them a “threat to society” and a “cancerous tumor”, thus exerting significant influence on the FSS.
The opinion expressed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2018 that Jehovah’s Witnesses should not be persecuted because they are also Christians failed to make any difference. Instead, law enforcement and judicial authorities simply ignored his message; and the most paradoxical thing was that shortly after, the president himself changed his rhetoric and used the narratives of anti-cultists in one of his speeches.
This incident clearly shows who actually holds real power in this country. As a result, innocent people are still being hated, and they endure physical and moral damage to this day.
As of April this year, no less than 635 Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted in Russia. At least 568 peaceful Russian citizens face criminal charges for their religious beliefs. Yet, they represent just one organization among many others that have faced targeted harassment orchestrated by anti-cultists.
Bipolar disorder
Over the last 30 years of active efforts by global anti-cultism, continuous exposure of society to informational terror has led to the frequent development of various mental disorders, such as bipolar. This disorder is characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania, which may be exacerbated by constant stress and lack of social support. Research indicates that prolonged stress and a sense of social isolation are key factors in the development of bipolar disorder.
School shooting as an extreme manifestation
In some cases, people with mental disorders induced by anti-cultists, most often with bipolar disorder, may resort to violence. School shooting is an extreme manifestation of such destabilization, when a child or an adolescent who has been exposed to manipulation and programming shoots other students in educational institutions.
This form of terrorism is planned and organized using the method of puzzle coding. That’s when individual pieces of information published by anti-cultists in various media gradually add up to a certain picture in a person’s consciousness. Confronted with those pieces of information, a person doesn’t realize that he is being manipulated and gradually forms certain attitudes and beliefs.
It is noteworthy that in 63% of cases school shooters came from well-to-do families and did not have academic problems. More than 44% of them participated in social activities such as sports teams and hobby clubs. Some people believe that the shooters’ behavior is due not just to aggression, but to a combination of various factors, such as chronic tough relationships in a class or a school, bullying, lack of attention in the family, and mental health problems. But in reality, this is far from being true.
So, what pushes children to shoot other children?
The very formulation of this question leads you away from reality. If we want to know the reason, we need to ask the right question: not what, but who pushes children to shoot other children? Because school shootings are exactly about “who” forces children to shoot other children and “how”. Returning to “The IMPACT”, documentary, we get the answers to these questions.
What do all these cases have in common? The answer is both simple and complex at the same time of global anti-cultism and the informational terror attacks they had plotted. The kids were infected with destructive images of violent actions spread by anti-cultists through the media, which contain hidden commands to action. That is why we see cases when teenagers commit shootings, inspired by the stories about terrorist attacks. School shooting is in fact an act of terrorism. However, the form in which it takes place allows the true perpetrators to divert attention away from themselves.
However, the perniciousness of this phenomenon isn’t limited to the number of victims directly affected by a physical terrorist act. The effect of this type of terrorism extends far wider. After all, the ultimate goal of the method employed by global anti-cultists is that every publication in the media about school shootings must continue its impact on a person who comes into contact with this information, as if it were a real physical terrorist attack. Studies show that people who are exposed to such news experience even more stress than those who witnessed the tragedy first-hand. Consequently, media coverage of tragic events, such as terrorist attacks and massacres, not only destroys mental health of the population, but also provokes similar incidents in the future.
Each of these terror attacks doesn’t just destroy the lives of the actual victims, but also results in continuous frustration and development of distrust among citizens towards the country’s authorities. As an outcome of these tragedies, society begins to increasingly doubt the government’s ability to ensure public safety and, consequently, creates depressive civic sentiments. This sets the stage for social and political destabilization and systematically destroys democracy in the country, which is one of the main goals of anti-cultists.
Conclusion
As we can see, despite the fact that many of the school shooters were from well-to-do financially prosperous families, their lives suddenly became a nightmare due to disinformation and the impact on their consciousness. This confirms that even when we are well off, under the influence of such manipulations, any one of us can become a potential murderer.
The social surveys described in the second part indicate that our society is experiencing extreme polarization. Trust in the government and public institutions is at an all-time low, while uncertainty and anxiety are growing. Manipulation over our consciousness and subconsciousness is only increasing, and all of this serves a fertile ground for disinformation.
If it is capable of turning an individual into a murderer, then, under the constant massive impact we are now facing from anti-cultists, we have a lot to worry about. We come to the conclusion that they want to make murderers of us all. The goal of those misanthropic terrorists is to unleash a civil war through information attacks and manipulations aimed at polarizing our society.
We see how the confrontation among citizens on political, social and religious grounds is increasing. We are constantly being divided into camps in order to pit us against each other. Bombardment with destructive narratives from anti-cultists, spread by their collaborationists in our media, could soon bring us to a civil war! Do you doubt this is realistic? Recall that 11 years ago Ukrainians and Russians couldn’t even imagine that they would start killing each other in a fratricidal war. Yet, it’s been three years since this bloody war, unleashed and cynically planned by anti-cultists, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. By the way, this situation has also been described in detail in “The IMPACT”14 documentary.
Unless action is taken, the USA could be drawn into civil war by 2028, if not sooner. This is not an exaggeration, but quite a real threat that requires an immediate response.
It is necessary to act now. We must protect ourselves from disinformation and informational terror attacks in the media aimed at manipulating our consciousness. We must take preventive measures and adopt legislative decisions that limit such influence. It is important to tell the whole world about the destructive activities of anti-cultists, to expose them, and to bring them to justice through an international tribunal.
The future of our beloved America, and therefore the world, depends on our actions today. If we do not confront the terrorist organization of anti-cultists, our fate will be extremely tragic. For this very reason, we urge everyone to share this information, unite in the fight against the anti-cultist movements, and protect our society from the devastating effects of disinformation. Otherwise, shootings of our children in schools will never stop.
Sources:
- Annual GDP growth, 2011 to 2021: www.ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-gdp-growth?tab=chart&time=2011..latest&country=~USA
- Economists predict much stronger growth in 2024. Here’s why: www.foxbusiness.com/economy/economists-predict-much-stronger-growth-2024-heres-why
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – Public Trust in Government: www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
- CNN Poll: Biden’s job approval has dropped since start of the year as economic concerns remain prevalent: www.edition.cnn.com/2023/12/06/politics/cnn-poll-biden-economy-crime
- October AP-NORC: www.apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Topline-FINAL-v2.pdf
- Public Trust in Government: 1958-2024: www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/public-trust-in-government-1958-2024
- Public Service Partnershi: www.ourpublicservice.org/publications/state-of-trust-in-government-2024
- The Week: www.theweek.com/polls/1015291/poll-over-50-percent-of-americans-expect-a-civil-war-in-the-next-few-years
- The Urgent Need for Protection Against Information Warfare: www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2024/may/urgent-need-protection-against-information-warfare
- The American Psychological Association (APA): www.apa.org/about/policy/combating-misinformation-promoting-literacy.pdf
- The Real Killers of Humanity. Who Are They? How Negative News Impacts Health: www.actfiles.org/the-real-killers-of-humanity-who-are-they-how-negative-news-impacts-health
- Crimes of Anti-Cultism. The “Waco” Case. How the Group of Americans “Branch Davidians” Was Demonized and Destroyed: www.actfiles.org/crimes-of-anti-cultism-waco-branch-davidians-part-1
- Undeclared war. America is under attack: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2GVN5Hj16Y
- The IMPACT: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdgTC3J9AfQ&t=13984s
