[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC7zoI5yBVY]

Candid Camera was a popular television program in the US in the 1960s.

The program used the classic methodology of naturalistic experiments in social psychology as the source of its humorous scenarios.

The resulting programs were not only entertaining, but also potentially instructive.

For example, how independent is the average person when confronted with the all-powerful “consensus of the group?”

Not very.

Creating a consensus quickly is the goal of every “shock and awe” propagandist.

That’s why it’s often true that “a lie makes it half way around the world before the truth gets its pants on.”

Professional liars have their stories worked out well in advance and then pump them out hard and fast long before thoughtful, honest analysts have the chance to ask even the first question.

Once the consensus is pointing in one direction, it becomes very difficult to take, hold and promote a contrary point of view, even if that point of view is accurate and the consensus is completely false.