DIVIDE & CONQUER ➗
When Truth Is Treason, and Silence Is Compliance: How Our Freedoms Are Eroded While We Argue Among Ourselves
The Oldest Trick in the Book
Divide and conquer isn’t new—it’s just wearing a modern mask. Throughout history, it’s been the weapon of choice for emperors, autocrats, and elites who knew one thing well: united people are dangerous. Fragmented ones? Easy to control. It's astonishing how we repeatedly fall into the same traps—like characters in a badly written soap opera, unable to learn from our mistakes. What’s shocking isn’t that this strategy still works, but how spectacularly willing we are to play along.
Look around. Friends are divided over ideology. Families are torn apart by headlines. People are more loyal to labels than to truth. The game is rigged, and while we squabble over pronouns and trigger warnings, our freedoms are being chipped away, one emotional outrage at a time.
The Perfect Storm: Fear, Crisis, and 'Solutions'
Historically, economic turmoil has always set the stage for political manipulation. Consider the Weimar Republic, plagued by hyperinflation, or the Great Depression in America—times when desperate citizens willingly exchanged freedoms for promises of stability. Fast forward to today: inflation skyrocketing like a poorly launched rocket, housing becoming scarcer than toilet paper in early 2020, and unemployment making everyone question if robots really are stealing our jobs. Governments happily step in as heroes, offering seductive solutions while subtly eroding our individual liberties. We’re distracted, anxious, and exhausted—just the way authoritarian power likes us.
For instance, the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis saw governments across the globe expanding their roles significantly. Bailouts, stimulus packages, and expansive monetary policies became the norm. While such measures provided short-term relief, they also fostered dependency, creating a populace less inclined to question authority. This subtle surrender of autonomy becomes even clearer when viewing recent global crises, from pandemics to climate emergencies, each conveniently framed as existential threats necessitating unprecedented governmental intervention and control. We are told to trust the process, while dissenting voices are silenced as dangerous. Each crisis is branded existential. Each “solution” asks us to trade more freedom for comfort, which in the end is anything but comfortable. The price? Our autonomy.
Self-directed Racism and Societal Fragmentation
Bizarrely, our societies have developed an odd hobby: turning against themselves. It’s like a bad sitcom where the characters inexplicably sabotage each other despite obvious common goals. Germany offers an interesting case study—self-criticism over past atrocities has morphed into deep-seated collective guilt. Haunted by its past, it now tiptoes through national pride like it’s a minefield. Guilt has metastasised into self-loathing. Instead of learning from history, we’ve begun dismantling identity. It’s no longer about preventing repetition, it’s about punishing the present for the past. This internal division weakens our communal bonds and social cohesion, making us vulnerable and easily controlled by external authorities. It seems we’ve perfected the art of kicking ourselves when we're down, making manipulation laughably simple for those in power.
In recent years, identity politics have exploded onto the public stage. Societies previously unified by common values and objectives now fracture along racial, ethnic, and ideological lines. Take the phenomenon of "cancel culture," which often targets individuals within the same societal group for perceived ideological purity violations. Rather than fostering genuine discourse or reconciliation, this behaviour further entrenches divisions, alienating segments of the population and feeding cycles of resentment and retaliation. People are purged from public life not for criminal acts but for deviations from ideological orthodoxy. Nuance is dead. Conversation is dangerous. Apology is weakness. This isn’t progress—it’s cultural seppuku.
Cultural and Traditional Erosion in the Name of Tolerance
Traditions and cultures give communities strength and identity. Yet nowadays, criticising your own cultural heritage has become oddly fashionable, akin to biting the hand that feeds you. Everything from traditional festivals to historical monuments now faces scrutiny or even cancellation. In Germany, Christmas markets occasionally face criticism for being too traditional—ironically, the very quality that draws tourists from around the globe. When a society willingly dismantles its foundations, the resulting vacuum makes external manipulation as easy as stealing candy from a culturally confused baby, and suddenly history is rewritten with a permanent marker.
Consider, for example, how historical statues and monuments have become contentious battlegrounds. Rather than engaging critically with history, societies hastily erase or vandalise relics of the past, creating polarising debates and dividing communities further. The debate over Germany's handling of historical remembrance, such as the treatment of its numerous war memorials, exemplifies the delicate balance societies must maintain between acknowledgment and cultural self-respect.
Erasure masquerades as inclusion. But what’s inclusive about a society ashamed of itself? How can unity be built on amnesia and guilt?
This cultural self-destruction creates a vacuum—a perfect opportunity for top-down ideological restructuring. We lose not only our heritage, but with this, the critical thinking that comes with remembering where we came from.
The Challenge of Uncontrolled Immigration
Germany, particularly in recent decades, provides a striking example of how uncontrolled immigration from Islamic countries exacerbates societal tensions. Let’s be blunt: While immigration can undeniably enrich cultures, unchecked immigration can create pressure-cooker situations. Towns suddenly overwhelmed by rapid demographic shifts experience strained public services, security anxieties, increased crime, and explosive cultural clashes. For instance, there are almost daily knife attacks, an average of two gang rapes per day and a general rise in criminal offences. These are more often than not committed by immigrants who should not even be in the country, and could therefore have been avoided. There is the audacity continually declaring allegedly traumatised Islamist stabbers and rapists to be unfit to stand trial and setting them free. The logic? Their trauma excuses their crimes. Meanwhile, victims are silenced. Justice bends backward to protect the offender, not the innocent. It’s a perverse inversion of morality—where consequences are taboo, and accountability is called cruelty. Perpetrators are protected, and victims are thus punished twice over. The failure to effectively manage immigration deepens divisions, increasing public resentment and susceptibility to extremist solutions from either political extreme. Let’s be clear: not all immigrants are to blame. Many respect the laws, integrate fully, and contribute immensely. But when criticism of poor integration is branded as xenophobia, we silence real concerns and feed the extremes.
In cities across Germany, locals have expressed genuine fears over the rapid changes in their communities, feeling like strangers in their own country. Unmanaged immigration, coupled with inadequate integration strategies, fuels these anxieties, leaving residents feeling ignored or vilified for expressing legitimate concerns. Such circumstances create ripe opportunities for extremist groups to exploit genuine concerns, further dividing society along dangerous ideological lines.
Who Benefits from Division?
When society fractures into competing groups, it's worthwhile asking who profits from such chaos. Spoiler alert: it’s never the average citizen. Not you. Not me. Politicians, corporations, and ideological movements feed on division. It's an effective distraction—while everyone debates which identity or tradition is problematic this week, the systemic failures remain conveniently ignored or quickly forgotten. Governments capitalise on division, bolstering their control under the guise of security, much like a magician distracting an audience with one hand while performing the trick with the other.
We must not forget that corporate media outlets also benefit significantly from societal fragmentation. Polarising news stories generate clicks, views, and advertising revenue. The profit motive behind amplifying division cannot be overstated, as sensationalist narratives replace balanced, nuanced journalism. This media-driven polarisation, pushing just one narrative, makes compromise and dialogue increasingly difficult, ensuring sustained societal division. You’re not meant to understand. You’re meant to obey. Supervised thinking is the norm. Questions are dangerous. Agreement is safe.
The World Turned Upside Down
Feelings now override law. Emotion trumps evidence. Truth is whatever the loudest voice declares it to be.
Speak plainly? You're offensive. Defend facts? You're dangerous. Criticise the system? You’re labeled a threat.
Laws are bent to protect offenders. Victims must remain silent—lest they offend the “traumatised” criminal. Where’s justice in a world where rights are extended to the wrongdoers before the wronged?
We’re told compassion requires blindness. That safety is authoritarianism wrapped in velvet gloves. But tyranny with a soft voice is tyranny still.
How Can Societies Resist and Overcome Manipulation?
The first step is not a revolution. It’s resistance through awareness. We must stop outsourcing our minds. Stop believing that safety lies in silence, that morality is dictated by trend, that justice is subjective. Education systems need to emphasise historical context, critical media literacy, and intercultural understanding.
Communities should proactively engage in open dialogues, allowing people to voice legitimate concerns without fear of stigmatisation, cancellation, or backlash. We must speak. Loudly. Honestly. Even—especially—when it’s uncomfortable. Transparent immigration policies, a stop to illegal immigration, clear integration strategies, and robust community involvement in policymaking could help manage demographic shifts constructively rather than destructively. This requires more than emotion. It requires thought. Real, hard, inconvenient thought
Reclaiming Unity and Refusing the Script
We don’t have to play our part in this tired drama. The “divide and conquer” script has been handed down through generations of rulers, but we can choose not to act it out.
Recognising the manipulation and consciously acknowledging and then resisting division are crucial first steps. However, beyond mere awareness, it is essential to reclaim independent thought. For too long, we've been subjected to supervised thinking—spoon-fed narratives designed to control rather than inform. We can say no though. No to supervised thought. No to silence. No to the guilt that crushes culture. No to policies that reward lawlessness. No to the false choice between compassion and reason
To break free, we must challenge prevailing narratives, question sources, and deliberately seek alternative viewpoints. Applying logic, reason, and common sense over ideological fervour allows us to see clearly through manipulative rhetoric. We must restore our capacity to think critically, embrace complexity, and cultivate intellectual resilience. Ultimately, freedom and democratic resilience hinge upon our collective ability to reclaim our minds and unite around shared, rational truths rather than divisive ideological agendas. Let's not be passive followers but empowered individuals reclaiming unity, celebrating our cultures without guilt, managing immigration responsibly, and rejecting internal divisions to strengthen our societies.
Freedom is not protected by feelings. It's protected by principles.
Let’s stop apologising for common sense. Let’s restore the courage to speak uncomfortable truths. Let’s reclaim our right to logic, nuance, and national self-respect.
Because the only thing older than “divide and conquer”… is waking up too late
“Divide and rule, the politician cries;
Unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
🎶My Song for you
In another Letter I chose Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio and want to share the original version of this song: Pastime Paradise by Stevie Wonder - here in a live version with Ed Sheeran.
For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!
📚My Poem for you
Is a very short and poignant one by Rabia of Basra (717—801)
Our Beauty
Live with dignity, women, live with dignity, men.
Few things will more enhance our
beauty as
much
👀Impression
A photo with the lake in the distance for a change…
Does the division show up in your life, in your country?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, leave a ❤️ or send me a message. I always love hearing from you.
Wishing you an amazing weekend wherever you are.
Yours
Tanja 🤗
PS. You can now also find my podcast on Spotify
Change & Evolve and feel free to get in touch
Tanja - you have succinctly captured the divide and conquer narrative which is playing out across the West. It does look like an intentional strategy rather than just a random series of events. Germany has suffered greatly from its open border policy but one wonders if there was an aim to creat disharmony. The COVID-19 story seemed to play out similarly throughout the West and so your story of "fear, crisis and 'solutions'" is clearly part of the Hegelian dialectic. You ask an excellent question: how can societies resist and overcome manipulation? It is hard to get people to understand and respond and most seem content to hand further control to government.