{Recipe} for (Humanitarian) Disaster

Recipe requires:

• Heaping cup of social media ( preferably TikTok, X, Facebook, Truth Social)
• One helping of media bias
• Generous dash of criticalness (not to be mistaken for critical thinking)
• Pouring of selfishness, hate, and division
• Sprinkle of feckless politicians (much more than to taste)
• Serves: 360 million people (in actuality a small portion of that)

1. Select an issue in society as your cause celebre.
2. Drum up attention on social media and collaborate with the media network best aligned with your beliefs to help further spread your message and give it credence. For best results, start on a wide scale before narrowing. This will make it easier to disseminate your message and drive paranoia.
3. Become a frequent talking head on said network. (Pro Tip: speak in buzzwords that will be used to create misleading chyrons and induce fear.)
4. Build upon it until it creates an “Us vs. Them” divide. Let simmer for 10-20 years, occasionally turning up heat to rolling boil and then reducing just before bubbling over.
5. When presented with information that counters your point, employ The Five Ds: deny, distract, defend, demonize, and destroy.
6. Seek out stories in “idyllic” small town communities that you can use to bolster your position and show that “it can happen anywhere.” If you cannot find one, create one. If you have followed the recipe correctly thus far, people will believe it anyway.
7. Post stories in said community’s targeted social media groups.
8. Once the temperature has risen enough online, direct the posts to your trusted news source.
9. Repeat the previous two steps until there is widespread panic.
10. Watch neighbor turn against neighbor. Meet common sense with incendiary comments. Stand back as society descends into chaos.
11. Wield your power as you see fit.
12. Repeat as needed—most likely every 2-4 years.