Victory is no longer measured by the occupation of land, but by the occupation of consciousness.
We are facing a new kind of war, one fought with concepts, images, terminology, and narratives. These are wars for control over consciousness, where shaping opinions, constructing reality, and influencing beliefs become part of a struggle more dangerous than traditional warfare. It is waged from within, quietly and subtly, leaving no physical wounds but instead creating individuals who are drained of their will, content with their oppression, and defending their oppressors.
The nature of control has shifted: instead of repression, there is persuasion; instead of direct domination, there is the creation of desire. Hegemony is no longer imposed through force, but is embedded in the soul through media, education, art, technology, and even religion when stripped of its true meaning and reinterpreted. In this context, the battle is now between an enlightened consciousness and a programmed one, between those who see the world with their own eyes and those who are told how to see it.
At the heart of this struggle, cultural elites play a crucial role. Those who were once meant to lead consciousness, in many cases, become the ones re-producing tools of control, using "rational" language, "modernist" discourse, or "objective" analysis, which quietly mask an acceptance of defeat and a normalization of tyranny.
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