'Cooker Watch': Delegitimising dissent in 5 simple steps

Learn powerful framing tools and rhetorical devices to aid your government in manufacturing consent

Dear Readers,

After the positive reception of the 7-step Public Health Propaganda System™️, used by governments around Australia, I’m delighted to release the 5-step Delegitimising Dissenting Voices as Cookers System™️, for media outlets.

As News.com.au has resumed its notewothy propaganda campaign of ‘cooker watch’ reporting, they provide a fantastic case study. Learn this simple but powerful framing device by which dissenting voices are delegitimised as ‘cookers’, and establishment voices are cast as defenders of decency, reason, and democracy itself.

‘Anti vaxxers kicked out of chemist after trying to deliver cease and desist letter’

In this case study, three subjects entered a Canberra chemist late at night to ‘serve’ a notice to the staff, warning them that they have a legal duty to provide informed consent and asking them to ‘cease and desist’ from administering the shots. The three really did gift this propaganda opportunity to News.com.au on a platter, as their behaviour was not ok - they were verbally aggressive, they hung around for too long, and they filmed an employee without consent on private property.

This article demonstrates how to capitalise on such an opportunity, using rhetorical tricks and framing devices to associate legitimate concerns and views with the anti-social behaviour of a few fringe actors.

5-step Delegitimising Dissenting Voices as Cookers System™️

1. Find a social media post trolling your article subjects and use this troll’s speech to frame your whole article under the guise of ‘news reporting.’

This allows you to say appalling things about your subjects without fear of reprisal - you’re only quoting what someone else said. In this article, the journalist calls the subjects a “shameless group of cooked pals”, a phrase lifted from a viral tweet about the incident. The journalist reports the trolling as news, writing that the cease and desist letter has been “ruthlessly mocked” online. This a technique that News.com.au uses often as a great way to elicit further mockery from readers towards the subjects.

2. Normalise use of derogatory labels to describe people with certain political views or product safety concerns.

This is in direct conflict with journalist ethics, but as we are dealing with propaganda and not journalism, ethics need not hold us back. Label anyone with concerns about unsafe and under-tested shots, vaccine mandates, scientific fraud, medical ethics, or informed consent as a ‘cooker’ and/or ‘anti-vax’. Because this is a post-truth genre, there’s no imperative to find out if these people are actually anti-vaccines.

Be warned that aggressive deployment of derogatory labels may inadvertently radicalise the subjects, thereby creating a new class of anti-vaxxers or conspiracy theorists that didn’t previously exist. But if you are based in one of the Five Eyes nations, you can depend on the politicians, the police force and the judiciary to further marginalise these people, so they should not pose too great a threat to you or your media outlet.

3. Frame legitimate concerns and facts as fringe conspiracies.

In this article, concerns that the Covid jabs are experimental and that scientists do not know the long-term side effects are presented not as fact, but as, “popular phrases used among anti vaxxers.” This has the effect of undermining factually correct information that would not be easily debunked with logic or evidence. It has the added benefit of a ‘pre-bunking’ effect, whereby readers will associate these phrases with 'cookers’, leading them to be suspicious of credible people using similar, factually correct phrases in the future.

4. Present ‘cooker’ subjects as dangerous, preferably using the language of deliquency and warfare. Present those participating in iatrogenocide as innocent victims requiring defence.

The shameless group of cooked pals “targeted” chemists, delivering cease and desist letters in an angry manner. They “lingered” for an hour, “interrogating” an “unsuspecting” employee and “falsely” claiming that they were allowed to film on the private property. The three left without incident when they were shown the door by a security guard, which could make them sound very tame. This is easily countered by frequently mentioning the security guard and his interactions with the subjects (asking them to step this way, escorting them through the building) to create a strong sense in readers’ minds that physical enforcement was needed to contain the threat.

Depict those participating in iatrogenocide as victims. Focus heavily on their offence and hurt feelings - this will play well with social justice warriors, who are easily manipulated into hateful speech and discrimination where they perceive that it will save a victim figure from hurt feelings.

5. Do not address the core concerns of the subjects, or question why they would feel compelled to behave in such a way.

Such a line of questioning would humanise the subjects and potentially lend legitimacy to some of their concerns, which is counterproductive to the aim of your propaganda piece. The chemist owner says, “I’ve got to say, that sort of customer behaviour, which has become quite common, we have zero tolerance for it.” This is fine, as you are building a case that the ‘cooked pals’ and people like them pose a real and persistent threat. But do not, under any circumstances, explore reasons why this sort of behaviour is becoming common, or the nature of these people’s concerns (such as expressed by Australian MP Russell Broadbent in this tweet).

BONUS TIPS

News.com.au is exemplary in the field of ‘cooker watch’ propaganda, turning in regular reports mocking ‘cookers’ for their conspiracy theories. Special mention to senior reporter Alexis Carey, who displays a mastery of the 5-step Delegitimising Dissenting Voices as Cookers System™️ like none other.

A handy tip for those hoping to tread Carey’s path is to follow Twitter accounts dedicated to mocking ‘cookers’, like Cookerwatch. You can just report unedited tweets from their feed as news, as does Carey:

“Initially I assumed both [Cash and Slater] were just anti-vax, but it seems they are both much further down the rabbit hole than that, and majorly cooked!” the caption accompanying the clip on Twitter reads.”

This is a trick that Ben Fordham from 2GB radio has also used to great effect.

Sub-meme: 15-minute city conspiracy theories

If your ‘cooker’ reporting feels a bit tired, why not change it up? 15-minute city conspiracy reporting will achieve similar results, but from a different angle. You can swot up on this exciting new sub-meme below.

Thank you and please sign up

We hope you enjoyed this free course, the 5-step Delegitimising Dissenting Voices as Cookers System™️. You can also access our 7-step Public Health Propaganda System™️ for free for a limited time. To register for more propaganda tips and step-by-step guides, go to www.manufacturingconsent.com

And remember folks, it takes zero effort to label someone a ‘cooker’ from behind your keyboard, so why not try it today!

POSTNOTE

Learn more about concerns around Covid vaccine indemnity for medical professionals via Australian Medical Professionals’ Society.