Prometheus Rising

by Robert Anton Wilson

Whether the subject has entered voluntarily as in these communes, or has been kidnapped or arrested (as in police states), the next stage is to break down the second-circuit emotional-territorial imprints. That means that the subject continues to be fed (maintaining first-circuit oral dependence) while the second-circuit ego is attacked in every manner possible. A point-by-point comparison of the techniques of a Synanon “gamer” and U.S. Army drill sergeant, for instance, would show astonishing similarities, since the basic message is dozens and dozens of variations on “You are all wrong. We are all right. It is extremely unlikely that somebody as wrong as you will become right, ever, but we will try to teach you.” The anal vocabulary of territorial status is, of course, employed extensively. The ideal subject may almost forget his or her name and become conditioned to answering to “You asshole, come here.”