How to Win a Culture War: The 48 Laws of Propaganda

You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you”

These are the words of Leon Trotsky. You may not be advocating for a socialist revolution like Trotsky, but it is paramount that you understand the rules of the game if you want to be a player. The so-called ‘conservatives’ have lost every single cultural battle in the past century, mainly because they don’t understand the rules of propaganda. These Boomers are eternal losers, but that doesn’t mean you have to be.

Below is a rough overview of the 48 Laws of Propaganda, as I have dubbed it. And it must be noted too that when I say ‘propaganda’, I mean it in the old definition of the word, I don’t intend to mean it as a synonym for brainwashing or lying. The word ‘propaganda’ is Latin for propagation. The strategy or means a message is publicised. 

The inspiration for this list comes from the books 48 laws of power (this is how I decided on the magic number 48) and Rules for Radicals. Even though both of these books advocate for using deceitful Machiavellian tactics to advance your own ends, the list below contains only strategies that can be used in a just way. I don’t think we should ever seek to fight evil with evil, or fight slander with slander. For it says in Matthew 10:16: “Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves”. We must learn the trickery of the serpents amongst us, but likewise, we should maintain the pious purity of a dove. 

This list should be read and reread numerous times as a point of reference so as to familiarise and internalise the 48 Laws of Propaganda in your brain. It also must be noted too that I’ve written this in an impartial way; these Laws of Propaganda can be used to promote any ideology you want to disseminate.

Law I: Converting the upper class is paramount

The upper class are by definition the controllers of society. Most importantly, they control what makes the news, while the lower classes read the news. The views of the upper class always push the views of the lower classes in some direction by osmosis. In 1962, a survey revealed that 87% of the less well educated supported the proposition that the Church was the greatest force for good in Ireland, while 83% of the educated disagreed with that proposition. What views do the less well educated hold now? Focus primarily on converting intellectuals, don’t try to create a mass movement of halfwits.

Law II: Focus on the minds of the young

The minds of the young are more malleable and open to new ideas. Older generations tend to be stuck in their ways and more content with the status quo. The younger generation will occupy the ruling class in the future and will be needed in maintaining your hegemony. As Hitler stated in his book Mein Kampf, “Whoever has the youth has the future”. Try to target the young, especially the university educated (incorporating Law I into Law II).

Law III: Harness the influence celebrities have

Celebrities harness a lot of influence over the masses of people, especially women, who can generally be swayed by the opinions of the celebrities they admire. It is not unfathomable to think that many people’s views on homosexuality changed when celebrities like George Michael came out as homosexual, or when King Edward VIII became sympathetic with the Nazi regime. To convert celebrities to your movement you have to offer them prestige and an impression that you are fighting for something noble; although this is easier said than done.

Law IV: Do whatever you can to control the media

The media barons hire presenters or writers they agree with; which in turn sets the tone for acceptable opinion, decides what debates and questions need to be asked, and can covertly push an agenda. Media moguls like Rupert Murdoch, through his ownership of the Sun and the Times, were instrumental in getting both Thatcher and Blair elected. Most people don’t have the intellect or free time to construct their own worldview, so they usually look to the media for help. Media is upstream from politics so it is important to get a good media structure formulated before any political action can be attempted. 

Law V: Have a music genre that promotes your worldview

Rock & Roll was one of the big reasons that many people strayed away from the Church. The medium was the catchy beat, while the subversive message was that being a rebellious profligate was cool. Sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll as the saying goes. The Fascists and Communists used their patriotic anthems to promote their authoritarian worldview, Fenians had their Irish rebel songs, while the British aristocracy had their classical music. Even the new alt-right have their own ‘Fashwave’. Find (or create) a music genre that promotes your worldview. The added benefit is that singers of that music will give your movement free publicity, which is especially effective when they have adoring fans.

Law VI: Have a clothing style

This is in a way a continuation of Law III. The rock stars wore extravagant or chaotic clothes to promote their ideology of rebellion against virtue being cool, while Modern pop stars wear highly provocative skimpy clothes to promote their doctrine of whoring being an empowering act. Fascists on the other hand wore their military uniform to promote their worldview of order and conformity to the leader. Your followers should dress a certain way depending on what values you want to espouse.

Law VII: Use a unique dictionary of words

Modern Bioleninists use the language of diversity, equality and inclusion; while Catholics use the language of heresy, sin, and damnation. Without your own set of words, your movement will end up using the language of the enemy, which in turn won’t allow you to properly critique the enemies ideas. A good example of this is Republicans in America using the strategy of saying ‘democrats are the real racists’. As racist is currently defined as people black people don’t like, Democrats will always beat Republicans at the game of giving Black people unearned privileges. If you don’t have your own language, create it.

Law VIII: Acknowledge you have enemies and that they need to be destroyed

This Law can be unsettling to some people, especially boomers, but it is natural that you will have opposition. And by definition the opposition are against you, and you need to contend with that. 

Quick note as well, I mean destroy as in destroy their ideology, I’m not advocating for violence. 

Every successful movement knows who their enemies are. For the communists it was the capitalists, for Muslims its infidels, for the pink-haired feminists it’s cis men. Identifying your enemy may be harder than it looks, your enemy may try to deceive you by using groups as foot soldiers to indirectly attack you.

Law IX: Discriminate against the enemy wherever possible

Whenever there’s a position of power open, ALWAYS fill it with your allies. Do you think that feminist who is head of HR at the tech company you work for will hire someone who shared a ‘feminist cringe compilation’ video on their Facebook page? Of course not, she will instead hire the disabled trans woman to make the workforce more ‘diverse’. Any movement that is indifferent to the demographics of people in power is destined to fail. This tactic is used to maintain Law I (Converting the upper class is paramount).

Law X: Portray yourself as a victim

This tactic is very effective as it garners you sympathy and portrays the enemy as a menacing power. Transsexuals are victims of transphobia, the Nazis are victims of Jewish supremacy, even the wealthy protestants in Ireland during the 19^th century portrayed themselves as victims of Papal demagoguery. Highlighting the strife you face will justify many of the measures you take, which is needed to maintain your reputation.

Law XI: Depict the enemy as being in control 

During the culture wars in the latter part of the last century, the cultural Marxists consistently highlighted the Church hierarchy as being the controllers of society. This strategy was so effective that the Church hierarchy today denounce the influence they had on Irish society in the past. Everyone to some extent has a reaction to authority, especially if the authority is portrayed as oppressive. Use this natural inclination to your advantage.

Law XII: Portray yourself as pro-freedom

Your enemy wants to control people, while you want to liberate people. Liberation is a key part of every movement. Catholics want to liberate you from the fires of hell, Nazis want to liberate you from Jewish Supremacy, atheists from objective morality. No movement that openly portrays their movement as anti-freedom will ever succeed.

Law XIII: Laugh at the enemy

Laughing at the beliefs of the enemy is effective at eliciting support from the undecided and also reaffirms your supporters views. Any attempt to counteract a joke with a rebuttal about how they aren’t taking the issue seriously will always make the enemy look like an unfunny control freak. This law is why memes were so effective at getting zoomers to become anti-feminists.

Law XIV: Use harsh negative words to describe the enemy

Harsh negative words are used to highlight the evil in the enemies beliefs. Bioleninists use the words racist, sexist, far-right; while Catholics use words like heretic, sodomite, decadent. Without harsh words, the average person listening to you would sense no danger in associating with the enemy. This is probably one of the most important laws, therefore, make an effort to encourage your allies to become accustomed to using your harsh negative words. Conjure up the evil the enemy will bring if they are apprehensive about being supposedly ‘mean’. 

Law XV: Appeal to the enemies sense of kindness and fair play when harsh words are used against you

When the enemy uses Law XIV on you, you have to do whatever you can to disable their attack on you. Draw attention to the fact that those words are ‘divisive’ or ‘hateful’. If this works, definitely don’t stop using your harsh negative words against them. Try to justify it by saying your harsh words are needed to stop the evil of the enemy. Feminists executed this Law perfectly in the last century when they successfully got Catholics to stop being ‘divisive’, while they launched the most unrelenting slanderous attack against Catholics, to the extent that even an Orangeman would blush.

Law XVI: Promote indifferentism and ambiguity within the enemies ideology

One of the main reasons for the downfall of the Church was mainly because they accepted the doctrines of indifferentism into their ideology. The Church now believes in the statement that ‘it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you’re a good person’ (what defines ‘good person’ is up to anyone to decide). Do you think Black Lives Matter activists believe in indifferentism? Of course not. They aren’t ambiguous or apologetic with what they want. Indifferentism doesn’t create a big tent movement – which the Church has been tricked into thinking it does, it destroys the meaning of the movement and renders it void. Don’t make this silly mistake.

Law XVII: Always underplay your power and influence 

You should never exclaim to the world how intelligent, cunning, or influential you are. Anyone that does act like this should be swiftly excluded from your movement.  Joel Stein wrote an article titled ‘Who runs Hollywood? C’mon’ in the Los Angeles Times, where he says “As a proud Jew, I want America to know about our accomplishment. Yes, we control Hollywood” and “I don’t care if Americans think we’re running the news media, Hollywood, Wall Street or the government. I just care that we get to keep running them”. This sort of bravado will make you an easy target for the enemy who understands the Laws of Propaganda (Law XI: Depict the enemy as being in control).

Law XVIII: Always portray yourselves as rebels fighting the powerful

After the Cuban Revolution, Castro maintained the name of his radio station Rebel Radio, even though he was now all powerful and could execute any dissident. Castro understood the appeal rebelling against authority has for people, so it was advantageous for him to keep the name to keep up the illusion. The added corollary of being seen as rebellious is that, by definition, you are rebelling against authority, which plays into the narrative that you aren’t in control (Law XVII: Always underplay your power and influence).

Law XIX: Maintain purity with your own ideology

If your movement doesn’t have an unchanging core of ideas then you cease to be a credible movement.  Do you think feminists would allow someone to identify themselves as a ‘pro-life feminist’? Of course not, if they did their movement would never have legalised murdering unborn babies. Act like feminists, alienate anyone that tries to dilute your core values.

Law XX: Whenever you make advancements, always let your followers know there’s still a lot to do

What was the line we heard after the abortion referendum? The result is magnificent but we still have a lot of work to do. Don’t let your supporters become lazy, always keep up the pressure. Whether or not you succeed as a movement generally depends on how much you want it. Never become complacent, the enemies counter-attack may be unexpectedly relentless as the added aspect of revenge is involved.

Law XXI: Use dissidents in the group the enemy is supposedly fighting for to your advantage 

This tactic portrays the enemies worldview as unfounded and makes them look like a fool. Piers Morgan used this tactic in a debate with a feminist about J.K. Rowling’s new book being supposedly transphobic. Piers got on a transgender that agreed with him so that he could point at the transgender and say, “the transgender person there doesn’t think it’s transphobic”. The feminists accusation about transphobia instantly looks dumb. This tactic was also used by The Late Late Show, when they got on liberal priests to push their agenda. Look for non-conformists that are supposed to be on your enemy’s side (as they’re in a certain group), and use that group as a weapon to ridicule them and to portray your side as all embracing.

Law XXII: Organised movements always beat disorganised ones

This is common sense but a lot of people don’t translate this into real life. The two groups that the government is always eager to please are teachers and farmers. The sole reason for this is because these two groups are highly organised through their unions or newspapers. The un-unionised service industry in comparison has their wages driven down by immigration, and they can’t even complain about it. Order always triumphs over disorder. Have a decentralised web if needed, but keep it organised.

Law XXIII: To promote radical ideas, portray an even more radical idea and use your original idea as a ‘moderate’ compromise

This tactic uses the ‘middle ground fallacy’ as its key component. The ‘middle ground fallacy’ being that people tend to think that the opinion between the two extremes is correct just because it is the middle ground. This is why centrists are so smug. People never want to believe that they are supporting an extremist movement, so you must create a more radical version of your movement so that they can convince themselves that they are moderate.

Law XXIV: Write the history books

When you write the history, you can pick and choose what facts you want to emphasise, leave out the facts you don’t like, or portray an event in a certain way. The Reformation is seen as a great triumph of reason away from the supposed demagoguery of the Church, even though it was recorded that Martin Luther described reason as the ‘devil’s whore’. Always portray history in your favour, never buy into the enemy’s version of history.

Law XXV: Attack an easily defeatable enemy and ignore the charismatic enemy

There will always be an opposition (even if there isn’t, it is best to give the illusion of choice), why not create a phoney opposition that’s easily defeatable? You never want to face an opposition leader that is charismatic, articulate or generally likeable in any way. One of the main reasons feminists have turned into a laughing-stock is because anti-feminist youtubers have picked the most unlikable and tyrannical feminists to portray their movement. They will never do a video on articulate feminists like Naomi Wolfe, instead they laugh at the crazy feminist that has a panic attack in public. But it is important to note that you need a sizeable media influence to allow yourself the ability to do this.

Law XXVI: Have both sides of the ‘political spectrum’ promote your ideology

What’s even better than an easily defeatable opposition is an opposition that is used to promote some aspect of your ideology. Our current regime, whose ideology consists of corporatism and sexual immorality, used the so-called ‘conservatives’ to promote their corporatist objectives through people like Thatcher or Reagan. Debate can really only accommodate two sides, so if you control both sides you win by default.

Law XXVII: Have vigorous debate in your media but in a small Overton window to give the illusion of disagreement

This is a famous quote of Noam Chomsky’s. There can only be two sides in a debate so why not debate over trivial issues and ignore the debate about whether or not we should pursue your ideology. There was no debate about whether we wanted replacement migration, instead the debate was centered around how we aren’t doing enough to welcome these new immigrants. What makes this even more effective is when the debate is vigorous as it gives the illusion that both extremes are debating. 

Law XXVIII: Label anyone outside your fabricated Overton window as an extremist

This is a continuation of Law XXVI. Once you have created your narrow Overton window that debates trivialities instead of putting your ideology into question, label anyone that highlights this rigged debate as extremist. To the viewer who sees a new contender coming into a debate with two vigorous sides battling it out, that new contender will look like an extremist by default. Make sure to encourage the viewer to view this new contender as an extremist by having both sides of the debate (that you control) repeat it constantly.

Law XXIX: Portray the divide as young progressives versus backwards oldies

Everyone likes novelty and the excitement a new idea or movement gives them. Use this natural instinct to your advantage. This can be seen in the word ‘boomer’ (which I use a lot precisely for this reason), which is used to represent the older generation that are stuck in the establishment medias narrative of how the world works, compared to us ‘zoomers’ who are more enlightened as we know how the global system really works. Always challenge the enemy if they accuse you of having old ideas or being a ‘conservative’. 

Law XXX: Create a slogan that everybody’s going to be for and nobody’s going to be against

The best slogans are the ones that appeal to everyone. Black Lives Matter is an excellent example of this, is there anyone that thinks Black lives don’t matter? Of course not. This slogan has garnered lots of sympathy, even though the movement promotes a quasi-race war and is backed by literally every corporation. Use adjectives like ‘strength’ or ‘democracy’ to appeal to the average normie who is easily swayed by propaganda.

Law XXXI: Use simplistic rhetoric so even the most unintelligent can understand your message

To garner support, the average non-political normie must know what you stand for just from the small soundbites they hear. This tactic was used excellently by Trump in his 2016 election. Everyone knew that he advocated for: building a wall, an America first foreign policy, and to crush political correctness. Did the average voter know what distinguished Ted Cruz from the rest of the candidates? The same could be said with the ‘Take Back Control’ slogan used by the leave side. The average viewer doesn’t care about your highly complex plan about some banal topic like market efficiency. Follow the K.I.S.S. formula – keep it simple stupid.

Law XXXII: Portray your institutions as independent

People generally have a natural aversion to centralised control, so it is advantageous for you to give the illusion of a dispersion of power. Does anyone really know that the newspapers are controlled by a handful of parent companies? This illusion of dispersion of power can be done through parent companies owning different subsidiary companies or by promoting your allies to set up their own structures.

Law XXXIII: Portray your side as the side of compassion, the enemy as the side of hatred

This is common sense, but there are still many people that promote their ideas using phrases like ‘I know that sounds mean but that’s just the way it has to be’. You should portray your side as the side of pure compassion and love compared to the hatred and intolerance the enemy is promoting. 

Law XXXIV: Attack the enemies leaders instead of the enemy, and preach that those leaders are leading them astray to further themselves

This is the best strategy to maximise defectors from the enemy and it also portrays you as compassionate for trying to liberate people from the tyranny of the enemy. This tactic was used by the protestants in the 19^th century. According to them, Catholics were just led astray by the conniving demagoguery of the papacy that just wanted to enrich themselves. This tactic also portrays the enemy as being in control which incorporates Law XI (Depict the enemy as being in control).

Law XXXV: Popularise the stories of new converts

Make it clear to the supporters of the enemy that you are welcoming of converts, which deposits in their mind that defection from the enemy is always an option. Stories of defection from so-called ‘extremist’ views are highlighted many times by NGOs like ‘Hope not Hate’ primarily to give social approval to defectors and to reassert in the minds of their followers that they have the right opinions.

Law XXXVI: Upon encounter with the enemy, kill them with kindness to disarm their future attacks on you

Our Lord teaches us to love our enemies and do good to them. Not only does this show our compassion and humanity to the enemy, but it also elicits empathy in the enemy. If any emotion of pity or sympathy can be aroused in the enemy, they are less likely to be as vigorous in their attack of you in the future. Once this happens, the enemy neglects to fully implement Law VIII (Acknowledge you have an enemy and that they need to be destroyed) or Law XIV (Use harsh negative words to describe the enemy). Even if the kindness shown to them doesn’t work, the enemies harsh reaction to your kindness will portray them as a heartless tyrant to onlookers.

Law XXXVII: Frame the debate by defining the words and language used

Always be the dominant one in a debate. If you don’t like the topic the presenters/judges have given you simply exclaim that this debate is trivial and is detracting away from the real debate we need to have. This sort of bravado will be unexpected and will disorient the enemy, the enemy will then tend to start debating on the discussion you want to have. If the opposition uses words that doesn’t aid your ideology, challenge them on it (Law VII: Use a unique dictionary of words). Another effective strategy is accusing the opposition of a harsh negative word (Law XIV: Use harsh negative words to describe the enemy). The debate will then become that they are that bad word or they aren’t. You on the other hand are totally free of criticism, while there is doubt casted on the character of the opposition. 

Law XXXVIII: Infiltrate institutions rather than create rival ones

Subverting the enemies institutions and redirecting that institutions ideology is always more effective than challenging them head to head in a chivalrous battle. Tony Blair successfully subverting the Labour Party was orders of magnitude more effective than him setting up a third party, as he gained a massive block of voters that stick with Labour no matter what. Setting up rival institutions makes it perfectly clear to everyone that you are waging a war, but infiltrating existing institutions gives you an already established block of support and also diminishes your rivals influence, which is all done in a covert way.

Law XXXIX: Covert warfare is always more effective than overt warfare

This is an extension of Law XXXVIII. It has been documented that the CIA used magazines like Time and Life for propaganda purposes. Through these magazines they effectively misrepresented the declarations of Vatican II, so as to promote indifferentism and liberalism in the Church. The CIA successfully defeated its enemy and never had to worry much about them anymore. Nobody is aware of this successful covert operation, even the Church hierarchy today. You don’t want to let your enemies know about your advances; it will inevitably alert them to retaliate.

Law XL: Portray your movement as protectors of the downtrodden

Make sure to highlight the groups that feel secure under your leadership. BLM protects Blacks, the Church protects families, and communists protect the proletariat. Give the impression that without your movement, these vulnerable groups will be open to oppression – especially from the enemy. This makes you seem altruistic and benevolent to the bystander.

Law XLI: Highlight the funding of the enemy

Emphasise the money that’s behind the enemies movement so as to portray them as subservient to some dodgy millionaire. Even if your movement is funded by literally every single corporation and government (Woke Capital), flat out ignore that fact and focus on the supposed dark money on journals like The Burkean, which has a literal shoestring budget and is as grassroots as it can get. People have a natural aversion to the power money has in shaping movements, use this to your advantage.

Law XLII: Have sophisticated articulate ‘experts’ to give legitimacy to your movement

This is an extension to Law I (Converting the upper class is paramount). Everyone likes to think that their views are shared by intellectuals or experts that can explain the views they hold in an eloquent and persuasive way. This helps them to become more steadfast in their loyalty to the movement. This is the reason why ‘hooligan nationalist’ movements will never become popular as they have no intellectualism behind them. The only thing they seem to do is share posts on Facebook of some crime being committed by a Muslim. To the onlooker this looks irrational and fuelled primarily by hatred. Create an integrated network of intellectuals or experts you can refer to for legitimacy. 

Law XLIII: Once you secure an advancement, ridicule the enemy for ‘living in the past’ for protesting faults in this new status quo

This is an extension of Law XXVIII (Portray the divide as young innovators versus backwards oldies). Nobody wants to be seen as old-fashioned or out of date, everyone loves the novelty of embarking on something new. Catholics are constantly ridiculed for this as this tactic is effective, while the same attack isn’t waged on Europhiles in Britain (as Tories don’t understand propaganda). Once this attack is waged on the enemy, all they can do is accept or reject the assertion. If they accept it they are old-fashioned, if they reject it they are liars. Either way you win.

Law XLIV: Morale is everything

Your movement sustains itself only by the morale and confidence of its members. If your members are indifferent to success you have already lost the battle. The morale in the Church is so low that they are glad they lost the culture war in the last century (they have internalised the history written by their enemies), so they make concessions. The morale for bioleninists is sky high, so they make advancements. To boost morale re-celebrate past successes or promote your followers to envision the utopia you are about to create.

Law XLV: A good strategy is one your side enjoys

The reason that many people get involved in a movement is because they like the thrill and purpose it brings to their lives. If your followers like creating and posting memes, allow them to do that. Although there can’t be complete anarchy when it comes to strategy, it is important to allow people to play to their strengths to keep up morale (Law XLIV: Morale is everything).

Law XLVI: Have easily accessible societies for recruitment

You need all the support you can get, so it should be a top priority that you have accessible outlets for recruitment which will create a safe space for new members to embrace their views. UL now has ‘rainbow housing’ that gives priority housing to sexual minorities who want to live exclusively with non-heterosexuals. Universities should be the main place for establishing these recruitment societies, as young people’s minds are more malleable (Law II: Focus on the minds of the young).

Law XLVII: All of your activism should be portrayed as grassroots

This law works together with Law XLI (Highlight the funding of the enemy). People like to think that the movement they follow is just a collection of normal people like them. They don’t want to be involved in something that’s directed by powerful billionaires, as there’s a possibility that those powerful private interests are using the movement for their own benefit. BLM always tries to portray themselves as grassroots, even though at close inspection that title is laughable.

Law XLVIII: Portray your institutions as non-partisan

This is in some part an extension of Law XXXIX (Covert warfare is always more effective than overt warfare). If Gay Byrne in the 1960s announced on the Late Late Show that he planned to use the show to subvert the morals of Ireland there would have been uproar; Instead Gay described the show as a place to discuss topical issues, with him playing the role of a moderator. Your major institutions should be portrayed as non-biased so as to influence the most amount of people and to give it mainstream appeal. People don’t like to think that they get all their information from an unapologetically biased source.

And now for the final word of advice, don’t let your enemies know the tricks and tactics you use (unless you want to lose). As Bonaparte said, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”. It must be noted as well that the inspiration for a lot of these laws were from looking at how the current regime was so successful in achieving hegemony and ascendancy. As the ancient Greek writer Aristophanes put it: “the wise learn many things from their enemy”.