The Ripon Rabbit
If you tend to judge a person directly on opinion, political affiliation, or outward appearances like pink hair or nose-rings, then this article may not be for you.
Last week we shared with you a radio interview from WNYC that featured Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge analytica whistleblower. Regardless of anyone’s political affiliation, the information he divulges should be considered valuable to all citizens world wide and worth noting on a variety of levels.
During that interview Christopher refers to Ripon Wisconsin and a little-known subject “Project Ripon” and goes on to say that more is embraced in his new book Mindf*ck.
Mindf*ck is available in two different versions. A US version (Mindf*ck – Cambridge Analytica and Plot To Break America) and the UK version (Mindf*ck – Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break The World)
We had never heard of Christopher Wylie or of Project Ripon before this interview and became instantly interested as a result of the namesake. The information and subject matter Christopher speaks about isn’t difficult to comprehend, but maybe hard to digest.
We’re living in a world of artificial intelligence that is surrounded by our data. Each of us reading this article has tapped into some aspect of it in our own special way. Ultimately welcoming the inner workings of the technologies that users chose to embrace, working slowly deeper into our daily lives. It’s become subliminal.
Once you begin to understand the importance of the discussion and what the project was truly all about, you begin to wonder about its infancy and upbringing. It’s not hard to imagine that a software as powerful as Project Ripon is described during its incubation would need beta tests and use case scenarios. Beta test designed to disunite the United States and set Americans against each other. That’s what Christopher Wiley’s book explains and he is going to tell you that these tests … worked.
Taking into consideration the time frame, people involved, and a direct relation to Ripon Wisconsin, Common Sense would question how techniques such as these may have influenced or even continue to influence in our own local community today?
Since last weeks post several Ripon Common Sense readers and contributors have reported obtaining copies of Christopher Wiley’s US Mindf*ck book and began reading and researching further for themselves.
We have heard local reactions from those reading that validate this book as most definitely an eye opener, but perhaps more important as a conversation starter.
This is not just happening in Ripon though, the books are sold Internationally and comments about the book and its subject matter are readily available daily on almost every social media platform. Streams of comments come in constantly from the books large base of readers worldwide.
Interested in obtaining a copy for yourself? They are available and currently on sale at most Barnes & Noble book stores, or can be found online here at publisher Random house books.
If you have recently become aware of this subject and have a reaction to it, please share them below.
