Cracking the Code, Chapters 8 & 9

Continuing from this post.

Chapter Eight

A learning trance is like any other trance, in that it encourages a person to focus their attention so narrowly on one object so as to filter out all other sensations, thoughts or data. One way to induce the learning trance is anchoring (see Chapter Five). Another is to shift quickly form one sensory modality to another. This requires intent focus to keep up with the shifts. Pacing utilizes dramatic pauses to focus attention by creating an expectant attitude. It creates an attentional on-off pulsing that requires focus to keep up with the changes. This can be done with changes in cadence as well, as well as sound volume, by lowering or raising our voices for effect, as well as speeding up or slowing down our speech at key times.

Chapter Nine

Future pacing is when you project your message into the future and then anchor it in the present. For example, when Pelosi became Speaker of the House in 2006 the Iraq War was ongoing and many of her own Party were still divided over it. She projected this current division to the 2008 elections, noting how it would be a deciding issue with voters. This was then anchored in the present matter at hand, a war resolution opposing an escalation that was up for a vote. In her speech she projected into the future our troops coming home and anchored that in how the present resolution would achieve that end. In this case pacing is changing rapidly back and forth in time to hold our attention in a learning trance. This could equally apply to lessons learned from the past to act effectively in the present.

Conservatives have mastered this sort of pacing by creating frightening future scenarios where terrorists have taken over and our government has stolen all our money via taxes, while our families are destroyed by “abortion-loving gay atheists” (118), so we need to thwart all of that now with the proposed legislation. Liberals create a different future, where we live in peace and harmony by working together to create a more equitable society. Hartmann thinks that the Founders had more of the latter vision, and to that vision we should return with our current legislative proposals.