Notes on a TV Show

On TV there is a show in which hidden traitors have to secretly murder their fellows. It is a commercial version of 'wink', that delightful game where a hidden 'winker' winks secretly at people in the room and they fall down dead. The others grow frantic, not knowing who to trust. In the TV game we see the sheer power of group dynamics overwhelming the ability of the participants to tell who is a traitor and who is not. The TV show teaches several things- one of which is: if you want to survive in a malevolent regime, act dumb, but not too silent. But never get caught out for being 'two faced'- this is a crime no group can tolerate. Secondly, stamp on all emotion if you want to have any chance of being perceptive. The widespread belief that emotion=truth is stronger now than it has ever been. The low quality of deduction shown by the participants reflects this.